There is nothing mild about these Thai-inspired cupcakes. As soon as you are within grabbing length of these cupcakes, the unexpected aroma of fish sauce caramel buttercream hits you. Once you place the scent, let it take you to your last Thai meal. You'll recognize the smells from the tom kha soup you or your neighbor enjoyed. A peel of the wrapper reinforces the setting. The cake practically breathes coconut milk, lemon grass, and kaffir lime.
Portland, Oregon is known for its foodie culture. When Jonathan and I were there this summer for the International Food Blogger Conference, we had our pick of fabulous restaurants to choose from. So, guess what we had for lunch? Ice cream! The tasting menu at Salt & Straw was irresistible! Just look at their menu and you'll see what I mean. My favorite of all of the flavors that I tried was a collaboration between Salt & Straw and Boke Bowl - a fish sauce caramel ice cream with lemongrass and kaffir lime.
I'd seen plenty of macaron recipes online, but like many in the Cupcake Project Facebook community, I found macaron recipes intimidating. I'd heard macaron recipe horror stories like, "It was raining outside so the macaron recipe didn't work at all," or "I over or under-mixed so the macaron recipe failed." I had decided that macaron recipes weren't for me and that I should stick to cupcake recipes.
Amrita teaching St. Louis food bloggers how to make macarons.
Last week, however, things changed. I was invited to learn the art of macaron making from fellow St. Louis food blogger and self-taught macaron expert Amrita of The Sweet Art. Amrita made macaron recipes seem so easy - because they are. Sure, there are a lot of steps and you've got to read the tips and tricks carefully, but if you can follow a cupcake recipe and make cupcakes, you can make macarons. In fact, I'm going to go one step further and say that it is actually easier to make adorable macarons than cupcakes because you don't need to be an expert at making pretty swirls of frosting to make your macarons look like they were made by a professional pastry chef.
Milky Way cupcakes are the first cupcakes that I have made which feature two layers of frosting. Like Milky Way bars, Milky Way cupcakes are topped with a layer of luscious, chewy caramel and a layer of creamy milk chocolate. Does double frosting equal double pleasure? You bet!
The cake part of the Milky Way cupcakes is a chocolate malt cupcake with homemade chocolate malt nougat mixed into the batter. If you don't have the time to make homemade chocolate malt nougat, you can leave it out and the Milky Way cupcakes will still be superstars (stars in the Milky Way galaxy, of course). I opted to make the Milky Way cupcakes as minis so that the cake to topping ratio would be closer to the nougat to topping ratio in an actual Milky Way bar. This worked really well, but if you prefer, you could certainly make them as full-sized cupcakes.
This salted caramel recipe does not have salt as an ingredient. Instead, the salted caramel recipe uses something salty - miso! I got the idea for a salted caramel recipe using miso after making miso ice cream and having several people comment that it tasted like salted caramel. I developed the salted caramel recipe on my own (I don't think that it has been done before), and couldn't have been more happy with the results.
I licked the spoon, I licked the spatula, I practically stuck my tongue in the pot, and my only regret after putting this salted caramel on my ginger pear cupcakes was that there wasn't a greater proportion of caramel to cupcake. The miso salted caramel is more than just salted caramel - it's salted caramel with depth (miso brings a flavor of its own beyond simply salt) and an Asian flair. If I could reinvent history, this salted caramel recipe would be used to sweeten tea during tea ceremonies in ancient tea houses on lush Japanese mountains.
The Golden Globe awards are almost here, and while some people might be wondering whether Black Swan will win best picture, the more important question is, "What Golden Globe cupcakes will you be serving at your Golden Globe viewing party?"
The obvious choice for Golden Globe cupcakes is golden glow cupcakes. The names are so similar that golden glow cupcakes almost seem like they were made for the Golden Globes. However, never being one to go with an obvious choice, I focused on America's favorite movie snack (popcorn!) and St. Louis's favorite cake (gooey butter cake) and created Golden Globe gooey buttered popcorn cupcakes!
Gooey buttered popcorn cupcakes are not diet food. They have a buttery crust topped with a buttery, salty, popcorny gooey topping, and they are finished with sticky, sweet caramel corn. Eat them at your Golden Globe party or any and every time you host a movie night.
If you haven't, do it now - before the movie comes out. I promise there are no book spoilers in this post. The only spoiling going on here is the spoiling of your guests when you serve them these caramel cake cupcakes.
One of the main characters in The Help is a maid named Minny. Like some covet clothes from Sex and The City, I wanted to taste Minny's caramel cake.
Minny near bout the best cook in Hinds County, maybe even all a Mississippi. The Junior League Benefit come around ever fall and they be wanting her to make ten caramel cakes to auction off. She ought a be the most sought-after help in the state.
Since I can't buy caramel cake from Minny and I don't have a maid that makes caramel cake (I did have a cleaning lady growing up who made incredible stuffed peppers, but that's not quite the same thing), I had to find the recipe that Minny would have used - and turn it into a cupcake.
A true caramel icing, I've learned, takes time. As you stand stirring the saucepan of caramel icing in the making, you'll have an unusual moment of quiet - a chance to come up with ideas even better than your shower-time epiphanies. But, if you're like me, thirty minutes of slow, repetitive stirring motion will hypnotize you. You'll soon find yourself simply staring into the sweet confection, monitoring the reading on your candy thermometer as it crawls up and observing the thickening caramel with wide eyed wonder.
You might hear about caramel icing shortcuts, but there is a reason that Southern women have been making their caramel icing using two spoons (one for the saucepan and one for the cast iron skillet) for generations. This caramel icing may be the best you've ever tried, so be thankful that it takes so long to make (if it didn't, you'd be eating it way too often).
Groom 2.5 undresses the Do the Hokey Pokey Cupcake
"Lovely" "Delightful" "Minkolicious" "Oh wow!" "I want to marry Minko"
All of the above were quotes said by Groom 2.5 after tasting Minko's Do The Hokey Pokey cupcake, except one. Which quote was not said by Groom 2.5 and who said it will be revealed at the end of this post, along with the next step in the Cupcake Love Connection.
But first, more about this amazing cupcake!
What is a Do the Hokey Pokey Cupcake?
Let's start with a flashback to the Cupcake Love Connection questionnaire. Groom 2.5 said that his ideal woman would be "sweet, delicious and complex ... with a hint of nuts."
Minko met his needs - and then some! What a lady! This was one of the most complex cupcakes that I have ever made, but it wasn't just complex for the sake of being complex. Each element added something that led to a perfect mix of flavors.
This cupcake consisted of:
A white cupcake made with caramel and orange zest.
Hokey pokey candy folded into the cupcake.
Cinnamon mascarpone frosting with a bit of orange zest. When asked what kind of cupcake he liked best, Groom 2.5 answered, "There is no one answer, but chocolate and cinnamon are always popular, as is a hint of orange." Minko totally hit the cinnamon with hint of orange in this frosting - not to mention the orange in the cake. I'm glad she didn't go for the chocolate too. You can't give a guy everything he likes on the first date.
Coffee syrup drizzled on top. Minko did not know that Groom 2.5 is a coffee lover. She got very lucky there. Much of love is luck, isn't it?
Pistachios sprinkled above the coffee syrup (the hint of nuts). Minko gave me the choice of using macadamia nuts or pistachios on the cupcakes. I opted for the pistachios. Upon seeing them on the cupcakes, Groom 2.5 called them the Kyrptonite of this cupcake. You might say I cheated by picking a nut I knew he would love, but it wasn't like she gave me 10 choices. What good is Cupid if she doesn't do a good job aiming the arrow?
Groom 2.5 said nothing about enjoying caramel or hokey pokey. I love that Minko added those elements in, too. You should never lose yourself completely in a relationship. It should be a good meld of two people.
The Recipes
This section is going to be long. I won't hold it against you if you skip to the bottom for the answer to who said what and the future of the Cupcake Love Connection. All recipes are compliments of master baker and Cupcake Love Connection participant Minko! As always, I added my own baking notes.
Hokey Pokey Recipe
Before you get started, you will need to make or buy (if you can find it near you) some hokey pokey. See my hokey pokey recipe post for more on how to make it yourself.
Coffee Syrup Recipe
The coffee syrup is used at the end of the recipe to drizzle on the cupcake. It makes much more that you need, but you'll surely enjoy licking the extra syrup right off the spoon like Groom 2.5 did.
1 C white sugar
¼ C water
1 C heavy whipping cream
1 cinnamon stick
3 t ground Vietnamese Coffee (If you don't have any, any strong coffee will do.)
In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar, cinnamon stick and water; bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is a deep, caramel color and has the consistency of a thin syrup (about 10-15 minutes).
Remove from heat and stir in the cream; return saucepan to high heat and boil the mixture until it is the consistency of a thick syrup (about 2 minutes).
Stir in the coffee; cool syrup.
Strain the coffee syrup through a fine strainer into a heatproof jug. (I completely skipped this step. I didn't have a fine enough strainer and it tasted amazing without straining.)
The syrup should be refrigerated until ready to use (allow it to reach room temperature before drizzling over the cupcakes).
Caramel Recipe The caramel that you will be making here is used in the cupcake recipe. I expected the caramel to be more of a candy consistency, but it was more of a syrup. This recipe also made more than was needed. I've been using the extra syrup to sweeten drinks. It's perfect for that!
1/2 C plus 1/4 C water
1-1/2 C sugar
½ t salt
Leave 1/2 cup water near the stove as you will need it at Step 4.
Heat sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar starts to dissolve, 5 to 6 minutes.
Constantly swirl the saucepan while the mixture continues to cook. When the mixture starts to turn amber (in 10 to 12 minutes), remove from the heat.
Very carefully add 1/2 cup water in 3 additions to saucepan.
Add salt and stir with a metal spoon until caramel is dissolved, about a minute, returning to heat if needed.
Pour into 2-cup glass measuring cup. You might need to add more water, if needed, to equal 1 1/3 cups of caramel.
Let stand until cooled to room temperature.
Do the Hokey Pokey Cupcake Recipe
Here's where it all comes together. Once you've got all of the pieces and parts prepared, the actual cupcake making is quite simple.
makes about 20 cupcakes
2 C flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 C unsalted butter, softened
2/3 C sugar
finely grated zest of 1 orange
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 C caramel mixture from above
1 cup crushed hokey pokey
A few hours before you are ready to bake, combine the orange zest and the sugar in bowl. This will let the orange flavor infuse into the sugar.
With a fork, whisk flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl.
Beat butter, grated orange zest and sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs and sour cream until blended.
Alternately fold in flour mixture and 2/3 cup of the cooled caramel mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.
Fold the crushed hokey pokey into the batter. Depending on how much you crush the hokey pokey, your cupcakes will look more or less spotted when they are done baking. I used pretty big pieces, which was more sloppy looking but quite tasty (see the photo below). If you want a smoother look, chop your hokey pokey very finely.
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
Bake at 350 F for 21 to 23 minutes or until toothpick comes out of cupcake clean.
Cool cupcakes in cupcake tins for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes directly onto cooling rack and allow cupcakes to cool completely.
The Cinnamon Mascarpone Frosting
The cinnamon mascarpone frosting was a winner! You can bet that I'll be making this again. I may even have to do a separate post devoted to it at some point since it's buried down in this one and I want to give it the glory it deserves. Minko's recipe used 6 oz of mascarpone cheese. I adjusted it to use 8 oz since that was what my package held and I didn't want to bother measuring. You may want to double the frosting amount if you are going to use large swirls. I didn't quite have enough frosting for all of the cupcakes. Perhaps Minko likes some of them naked?
1/4 C (half a stick) butter, softened
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t finely grated orange zest
2 2/3 C sifted powdered sugar
Using electric mixer, beat butter, grated orange zest, mascarpone, and cinnamon in a large bowl, about 1 minute.
Add powdered sugar; beat until smooth.
Pipe onto cupcakes.
Drizzle with coffee syrup.
Top with choppped nuts.
Who Said What
"Lovely" "Delightful" "Minkolicious" "Oh wow!" "I want to marry Minko"
All of the quotes above were said by Groom 2.5 except "I want to marry Minko". "I want to marry Minko" was said by Bride 1.0. She adored these cupcakes. Groom 1.0 said he had never seen her eat a cupcake so quickly.
It's probably good that Groom 2.5 isn't ready to marry Minko just yet - especially since he seems to think that I am playing some kind of joke on him and that Minko is actually an old man.
Let's take a moment to examine exactly what they do know about each other. What Minko Knows About Groom 2.5
Minko now knows that Groom 2.5 loves her cupcakes. She has also now seen his hands. I'm not sure if she's ever been to a wedding where the poem about hands has been read, but if not, I'll share:
These are the hands, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life. These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within your womb. These are the hands that look so large and clumsy, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you.
OK, maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.
What Groom 2.5 Knows About Minko
He knows that she bakes great cupcakes. He also knows lots of assorted facts about her if he has checked out her blog. However, since he hasn't seen her hands, I'm going to share one fact about her that she told me.
Groom 2.5 said in his Cupcake Love Connection questionnaire that he is "drawn to very smart, neurotic, Caucasian women." Minko wrote me and said, "Hmmm... He said he likes Caucasians ... I am Caucasian minus the Cauc." I don't think this will be a problem for Groom 2.5, but we shall see.
In the same email where Minko told me that she's Asian, she said, "I never back down from a challenge." Let's see if that's true!
Groom 2.5 is planning a trip with some friends to Hawaii in January (the 6th - 13th). Hawaii is sorta in between the continental U.S. and Australia. Groom 2.5 would like to invite her and her friends to join on this trip. If Minko says no, he'll of course understand and alternate arrangements would need to be made. But, how cool would it be if she said yes?! Basically, that would mean that Jonathan and I would need to go as well - the meeting would need to be documented. We would also be on the lookout for any Hawaii bloggers out there to join in the festivities!
Q: What do you do if your oven is broken and you need to make cupcakes?
A: Steam cupcakes, of course.
My oven was not broken, however I decided that it would be fun to try to make cupcakes in the steamer. For those who might be interested in trying alternative ways of making cupcakes, I present to you my report on reasons to and reasons not to make cupcakes in the steamer:
Advantages of Making Cupcakes in the Steamer
1. Steamed cupcakes have a nice, spongy texture.
2. If your entire oven is in use (or you don't have a working oven), you can still make cupcakes.
Disadvantages of Making Cupcakes in the Steamer
1. Unless you have a giant commercial steamer, you can only make four cupcakes at a time. Note: I told Bride and Groom 2.0 that I will not be making steamed cupcakes for their wedding. It would take forever!
2. Because the cupcakes are not in a cupcake tin, they spread out and don't have as nice of a shape.
Verdict: To Steam or Not To Steam, That is the Question
I do not plan on steaming cupcakes again. It could happen, but it just doesn't seem worth the effort. If you have steamed cupcakes or have any good reasons why you would steam cupcakes, please let me know in the comments.
It All Started With Fleur de Sel
The steamed cupcake began its life with a comment by Food Vagabond on my post about dulce de leche. The Vagabond suggested an alternate way of making dulce de leche that involved fleur de sel. I had actually never heard of fleur de sel. It turns out that it's a very expensive kind of salt ($15 for a tiny bag at the two stores I found it in). The Vagabond's email review of it, however, had me sold:
"I prefer fleur de sel for almost any use (other than salting the pasta water maybe!) since I discovered it, because I love the taste and the 'crunch' - doesn't dissolve immediately like normal salt but doesn't remain rock hard like, well, rock salt. "
I had to buy some! Since I had just made dulce de leche, I wanted to use it for something else. I decided to opt for salted caramel.
Steamed Caramel Cupcakes - Apam Gula Hangus
In doing my research on caramel cupcakes, I found that steamed caramel cupcakes are popular on the streets on Malaysia. According to Inside Nyanya's Kitchen, the actual name is apam gula hangus - literally translated: burnt sugar steamed cupcake. I added the fleur de sel to mine to make it a salted steamed caramel cupcake or a salted apam gula hangus. Cultural insensitivities aside, saying that name out loud makes me laugh. Go ahead, say it.
The short of it is, I thought these cupcakes had better have some frosting or I was going to get lots of crap.
I opted for a salted caramel frosting. I used it in two ways. I poked holes in the cupcakes and drizzled lots of caramel inside of them. Then, I put the caramel in the fridge until it hardened more and spread it on top. It still ended up looking more like a glaze. Whether glaze counts as frosting is up for additional debate. I say, "Yes!"
The Steamed Salted Caramel Cupcake (Salted Apam Gula Hangus) Review
These cupcakes tasted exactly like Werther's Originals.
I had to go for the Asian commercial since these are Asian-inspired cupcakes. I have no idea what these people are saying, but if the candy makes you smile like it does this child, you would surely love these cupcakes. Bride 2.0 even said it was like the candy in cake format and I didn't even prompt her for the quote.
The Steamed Salted Caramel Cupcake (Salted Apam Gula Hangus) Recipe
I got the recipe for this cupcake from Pusiva's Culinary Studio. I have reprinted the recipe below. The only change from the original was to add the fleur de sel. A VERY important point about this recipe is that it did not state how many cupcakes it would make. As it turns out it, it only made 6 cupcakes. Definitely double it if you would like more than 6.
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
1/2 t fleur de sel or any salt of your choice
1 1/4 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup milk
Melt the sugar on very low heat. When the color turns golden brown, immediately remove from heat and pour in the boiling water. (Note: This takes 10-15 minutes) Return to the heat and stir until the caramelized sugar dissolves in the water. Stir in fleur de sel. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Mix cooled caramel syrup, egg, sugar, melted butter and milk. Stir well until sugar dissolves. Combine the wet ingredients to the sifted flour mixture. Whisk gently until it is lump free. Pour the batter into cupcake liners until 3/4 full. Steam on high for 15 minutes. (Note: Be careful not to burn yourself when removing the cupcakes from the steamer. I used tongs.) Let the cupcakes cool.
1 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt (I used fleur de sel)
1) Melt the butter in a large, deep heavy-duty saucepan. Stir in the sugar and and stir until golden brown. (Note: Do this on low to medium heat. The first time I did it, I did it on high and everything burnt. This should take about 10 minutes.)
2) Take off the heat and pour in half the cream and whisk like a crazy person until the caramel is smooth. Whisk in the rest of the cream and the salt.
Cupcake Assembly
As noted above, I poked holes in the cupcakes and drizzled copious amounts of the caramel into them. I then chilled the rest of the caramel in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Once it was thicker, I spread the caramel over the cupcakes.
The greatest food debate in Jewish cuisine and possibly the greatest Jewish debate of all time (though that's debatable) is whether the passover matzoh balls should be sinkers or floaters. My family traditionally always served both kinds, each grandma at the table making up a batch that her mishpacha would most enjoy.
My mother-in-law who had served rock hard, you-need-a-fork-and-knife-to-eat-them, sinkers before me has now also switched to a combination of sinkers and floaters. Goodbye, conflict.
There is a less documented though equally pervasive debate surrounding the Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole. Some like their casserole topped with marshmallows, while others (myself included in this second camp) prefer a sugary nut topping. Who needs white mush when you have sweet orange mush? What you need is crunch!
My all time favorite sweet potato casserole is the one my mother-in-law makes. I like it hot or cold and with a fork, a spoon, or hands. The recipe is at the bottom of this post.
The truth is, I like sweet potatoes in all formats. I like them so much that my brother even mentioned them in his wedding toast to me.
I've been plotting to make a sweet potato cupcake for months. This month was the time. Garrett of Vanilla Garlic and Chockylit of Cupcake Bakeshop are hosting a cupcake roundup with the theme of a classic dish redefined. I decided to model my cupcake after the sweet potato casserole.
I wanted to impart some of my favorite casserole flavors into the cupcake (brown sugar and maple syrup). I opted for the sweet potato flavor in the cake, a maple mascarpone filling, and a brown sugar frosting.
The results? This cupcake was light and fluffy (I had to point this out for those who didn't like my last two super dense ones) and tasted like Fall in a cupcake wrapper. I would not hesitate to serve this to my family at Thanksgiving dinner or any other day for that matter.
The Recipes
The Cake
I got the cake recipe from a Cupcake Bakeshop recipe for pumpkin cupcakes (reposted below). She got the recipe from Martha Stewart. I simply replaced the pumpkin with mashed sweet potato. I went the lazy route and got my sweet potato from a can. However, I'm sure you could make your own.
2 cups flour, all-purpose
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
15 ounces sweet potato puree
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in sweet potato purée.
Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool.
Note: These cupcakes really do rise well. I filled some more than 1/2 way and they ended up bubbling over in the oven. I'd follow the instructions and just fill 1/2 way.
The Filling
For the filling, I simply whipped together 8 oz of mascarpone cheese with 2 T of pure maple syrup. When the cupcakes were done baking, I stuck the pastry bag right into the center of the cupcake and squirted some filling in. This, BTW, is much easier than the cone method (cutting out a cone, putting the filling in, and replacing the top) and it's more sexy, too. However, it does not work well with dense cupcakes. The Frosting
I used another one of Chockylit's top-notch recipes for the frosting (reposted below). She used a caramel frosting on her "Peanut Butter-Banana Chocolate Cupcakes with Caramel Glaze and a Caramelized Banana Disk." I've had these cupcakes before at a friend's house minus the peanut butter, since I'm not a fan, and they were awesome! My favorite part though was the caramel frosting. This was the perfect cupcake for me to try it out on.
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons half and half
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
Add milk and brown sugar, stir to combine.
Boil vigorously for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and beat in 1/2 cup powdered sugar.
Cool slightly then and beat in the vanilla and remaining powdered sugar, add more half in half if necessary.
Quickly spoon over cupcakes before glaze sets.
I did not add the additional half and half on step 5. I think I would if I did it again. It definitely did not spoon well without it. I ended up spreading it. Regardless, it was delish and I will use it again!
What's On Top?
To please both the marshmallow and the nut camps and because I can't use nuts at the wedding, I made some cupcakes with toasted mini marshmallows (any excuse to use my culinary torch!) and some with candied walnuts.
Nancy's Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
2 lb. sweet potatoes
½ cup sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
½ cup flour
2 eggs
¼ cup margarine
¼ tsp salt
cinnamon
Peel, cut, boil sweet potatoes until soft.
Mix everything together and put into 9 X 12 greased pan.
Top with a mixture of:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup margarine
¼ cup flour
Double topping for Stefani*
Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 min.
*That is actually in the recipe she sent. Isn't she sweet?
Footnotes
For those astute readers among you, you may note that Nancy's casserole does not contain any maple syrup, my cupcake filling flavor. Many sweet potato casseroles do, including this recipe from a fellow St. Louis blogger.
I'm done justifying my use of maple now. Does maple ever really need justification anyway?
Some final words on sweet potato casseroles: My Texas friend, and fellow sweet potato casserole fanatic, makes an outstanding one which uses Bourbon. A sweet potato and bourbon cupcake would also be sensational. I'm adding it to the lengthy to-bake list in my mind.
, Milky Way cupcakes are topped with a layer of luscious, chewy caramel and a layer of creamy milk chocolate. Does double frosting equal double pleasure? You bet!
yet?
, I wanted to taste Minny's caramel cake. 
Groom 2.5 undresses the Do the Hokey Pokey Cupcake
Here's where it all comes together. Once you've got all of the pieces and parts prepared, the actual cupcake making is quite simple.
Q: What do you do if your oven is broken and you need to make cupcakes?
Steamed Caramel Cupcakes - Apam Gula Hangus
