cami's cupcakes: Homemade Chocolate and Caramel Cupcake Recipe- Bachelorette Party Two!

These cupcakes were almost the death of me!

I had made bunches of them the day before the party using this cake mix based recipe...

Then I forgot about them and left them out overnight- the next day they were dry and awful!

SO... then I made a batch of totally homemade chocolates- which turned out great (that's what the pictures are of, I'll share the recipe down a little later)...

Then... I frosted them super cute and they were already to go and THEN....

I DROPPED THEM!

These are extra tall Cupcakes... so they are top heavy so my cupcake carrier didn't hold them in place very well. Luckily, when they fell they stayed in the carrier so I just had to scrape off the frosting and re-pipe.

Thanks to my AMAZING husband I got these cupcakes done for the party!

(and only cried for a little after I dropped all my hard work!)

Chocolate cupcake, with a rolo center,

caramel buttercream, topped with heath bar pieces.

Homemade Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 c. boiling water
1 1/3 c. all purp. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter (room temp).- (if use salted butter then omit the 1/4 tsp salt)
1 c. white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
Rolos- Frozen (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. In a small bowl stir until smooth the cocoa powder and the boiling water- let sit until room temp
3. In another bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In your mixer, combine the butter and sugar until fluffy.
5. Add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla.
6. Stir in the flour mixture, and stir until incorporated.
7. Add the cooled cocoa mixture.
8. Distribute into cupcake pans and press a frozen rolo into the cupcake (optional)
9. Bake for 18-22 min.

Makes about 16 cupcakes.

I added the Rolos and the Caramel frosting because Julie's (the bachelorette) FAVORITE cupcakes were the ROLO cupcakes that I made a while back.

I found this recipe at Joy of Baking .

To top the cupcakes I made these, since it was another Bachelorette Party! Aren't they cute!?

I just used whatever scraps of paper etc I had lying around, and they were super fun to make! Cut two hearts in a "skin" color to make the background. Then cut two more hearts in pattern paper, and cut the hearts down to the style you want. Then add some glitter, lace, ribbon, jewels, puff paint, etc. and hot glue on a long toothpick!

I can't find the source that originally gave me this idea- but I'll keep looking!
Here's an Etsy shop that has something similar.