Cupcake Test 10, Cinnamon Chocolate with Caramel Buttercream

Boy howdy, did I ever make a mess Monday afternoon.  This particular combination of flavors is not one that was requested by the Bride/Groom, however, I just couldn't get it out of my head.  I've long had a love of Mexican Hot Chocolate, with the brown sugar and cinnamon notes.  Add to that some caramel sauce, and I will be in a sugar coma for days.  As well, the BtB had difficulties working a caramel frosting earlier and I wanted to see if I could figure out what had gone wrong for her and make it work. 

Process Notes:  Specifically, I used the Betty Crocker Triple Fudge cake mix, and added two teaspoons of Ground Cinnamon to it. Mix and bake as usual.

Then, I made this caramel sauce from Ina Gartner.  Here's the trick, BtB, yes, it re-crystallized when I poured in the cream, however, I turned the heat back on and kept stirring and stirring.  Eventually, it smoothed back out into a rather thin sauce.  I put that in a bowl and into the fridge to cool and thicken.

Next, I went looking for a caramel buttercream and found one via Southern Living.  I reserved a cup of my caramel sauce for the frosting (just in case I needed to do more than one batch), and then I attempted to fill my cupcakes with the caramel sauce.

I think maybe I needed to wait until it had either thickened some more, or I should have used a smidge less cream to start with - hence the mess.  If I had a tray under the rack when I was "filling" them, I wouldn't have had caramel sauce all over the counter, the bread wrapper, the floor and anything else that might be standing still. Well, maybe not anyway.

Piped the caramel buttercream using one of my new big round piping tips and then drizzled more caramel on top of that.  Topped with a piped "flower" of Rich Chocolate Buttercream (half recipe only) from the Betty Crocker book, to which I added a teaspoon of cinnamon for that Mexican chocolate hint.  Wish I had some gold dust to put on the chocolate flower for a bit of bling.

Tasting Notes:  Me - The cinnamon smelled great when the cupcakes were baking, but I don't think it shines through after the cupcakes have cooled and are frosted and drowning in caramel.  Not that I would change the caramel though, because that is just sin in a spoon.  The caramel flavored buttercream is delish (lightly caramel) and I couldn't stop licking my fingers as I piped the chocolate flowers on top.  Together, it's yummy, but the cinnamon notes are subtle at best.  Either skip the cinnamon, or add another teaspoon to the batter I think.  I've seen where folks have added a pinch of cayenne to their Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes, if you are feeling frisky.

Mark - Low blood sugar upon arriving home, and he devoured one and half cupcakes.  Later in the week, the leftover chocolate buttercream was requested along with the caramel sauce.  Poured on some store bought cookies, and even those tasted better.  Loved it.  Though he could taste the cinnamon, it wasn't the first thing he noticed.

Other Folks - The deck dudes thought they were the best of all - rich and sticky and in need of a good glass of milk.  Mark's work place went back for seconds before they even finished the firsts.  Only one person surveyed even tasted the cinnamon.