Rich and moist chocolate cupcakes topped with a swirl of homemade salted caramel sauce and creamy chocolate frosting.
Ingredients
Scale:
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa powder (Dutch-processed)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup hot water
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well blended.
Add the eggs, sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Slowly add the hot water to the batter. This will thin it out, but don’t worry, it’s supposed to be that way!
Pour the batter into the lined cupcake pan, filling each cup about two-thirds full.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely in the pan.
While cooling, prepare the chocolate frosting by beating the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, alternating with heavy cream, until you reach your desired consistency.
Once the cupcakes are cool, frost them generously with the chocolate frosting, and drizzle with homemade salted caramel sauce.
