Caramel crunch chocolate cupcakes

ingredients

• Caramel crunch chocolate cupcakes

  • 60 gram dark (semi-sweet) chocolate, chopped coarsley
  • 2/3 cup (160ml) water
  • 90 gram butter, softened
  • 1 cup (220g) firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup (100g) self-raising flour
  • 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup (40g) ground almonds
  • 3/4 cup (180ml) good-quality store-bought caramel sauce
  • 1/4 cup (35g) finely grated chopped salted peanuts

• Peanut butter cream

  • 3/4 cup (210g) smooth or crunchy peanut butter
  • 185 gram butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon milk
  • 1 1/4 cup (200g) icing (confectioners') sugar

method

• Caramel crunch chocolate cupcakes

  • 1

    Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a 12-hole (⅓-cup/80ml) muffin pan with paper cases.

  • 2

    Stir chocolate and the water in a small saucepan over low heat until smooth.

  • 3

    Beat butter, sugar and eggs in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in sifted flour and cocoa, then ground almonds and warm chocolate mixture. Spoon mixture evenly into paper cases.

  • 4

    Bake about 25 minutes. Stand cakes in pan for 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto a wire rack to cool.

  • 5

    Make peanut butter cream: Beat peanut butter, butter and milk in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar.

  • 6

    Cut a deep circle into the top of cold cakes; fill each hole with about 2 teaspoons of caramel sauce.

  • 7

    Spoon peanut butter cream into a large piping bag fitted with a large fluted tube; pipe swirls over caramel filling. Drizzle with remaining caramel sauce; sprinkle with nuts.

notes

Unfilled, uniced cakes can be made a day ahead or frozen for up to 3 months.