Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 recipe Caramel Frosting, recipe follows
• 1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup Caramel Sauce, recipe follows, cooled completely
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
• 1 1 /2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp water
• 6 Tbsp salted butter
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large heatproof bowl, combine the cocoa powder and baking soda with a whisk. Slowly add the boiling water, whisking until the foaming settles down and the mixture is smooth, then set it aside for 5 minutes to cool.
2. While that cools, place the melted butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, vanilla and salt in another large mixing bowl. With an electric hand mixer on low speed, mix until everything is evenly blended, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs and egg yolks, mixing only until incorporated after each one goes in.
3. Mix in the cocoa mixture, then add the heavy cream and blend again. Add the flour gradually, mixing until the batter comes together and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
4. Spoon the batter into 24 muffin cups lined with paper liners, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick poked into the middle comes out clean, about 18 – 20 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and let the cupcakes sit in the tin for several minutes, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
5. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, top them with the caramel frosting. Drizzle room temperature caramel sauce over the frosting, using a small Ziploc bag with a tiny corner snipped off if you like, then finish with coarse sea salt. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.
6. For the salted caramel frosting, add the butter to the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the butter is lighter in color and fluffy, about 3 – 4 minutes.
7. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until the frosting starts to come together. Pour in the caramel sauce and vanilla, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and light, about 2 minutes.
8. For the caramel sauce, measure out everything first and set it close to the stove so it is ready when you need it. In a heavy-bottomed 3 quart saucepan, cook the sugar and water over moderately high heat, whisking the whole time until the sugar dissolves.
9. When the mixture begins to boil, put the whisk down and let it continue cooking until it turns dark amber, gently swirling the pan from time to time. As soon as it reaches that color, add the butter right away and whisk until melted, then take the pan off the heat.
10. Wait 3 seconds, then carefully pour in the cream and whisk immediately; the caramel will bubble up dramatically. Keep whisking until the sauce is smooth. Let it cool for several minutes, then transfer it to a glass jar to cool completely and refrigerate.