Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Ingredients

• (3/4 Cup) Cocoa Powder
• (2 Cups) Sugar
• (2 Cups) Flour
• (1 teaspoon) Baking Soda
• (pinch) Salt
• (12 oz) Stout Beer
• (1 stick melted) Butter
• (1 Tablespoon) Vanilla
• (3) Eggs
• (3/4 Cup) Sour Cream
• (1/2 Cup) Brown Sugar
• (2 Tbs) Corn Syrup
• (1 Tbsp) Vanilla
• (1/4 - 1/2 cup) Whipping Cream
• Salt
• (2 Cups) Powdered Sugar
• (1 1/4 cup) Butter

Directions

Ingredients Cocoa Powder through Sour Cream are for the cupcakes, and the rest are for the salted caramel buttercream in case you are separating the recipe out!

For the Chocolate Stout cupcake-

Preheat oven to 350*
Combine Dry ingredients in a bowl - Cocoa powder, sugar, flour, baking soda & salt

In the mixer bowl, combine room temperature beer, melted butter and vanilla
Add eggs 1 at a time
Mix in sour cream until smooth
Slowly add the dry ingredients until combined

Fill cupcake tins about 3/4 of the way. It should fill approximately 24-28 cupcake tins.
Bake for 15 minutes, check with a toothpick. Rotate pans if toothpick is not clean and check every 2 minutes.

For the Caramel Buttercream-

Make the caramel first:
Melt and whisk together 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla. Add salt to taste. After the ingredients are combined, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 3-4 minutes until thick. Remove from heat and let cool for at least 15 minutes as you don't want to pour hot caramel into the buttercream or it will melt it. Add 1/4 cup whipping cream before using. It should be a honey like texture, if not add more whipping cream.

Cream 3/4 cup butter, pinch of salt and 2 cups powdered sugar together. Add the caramel and continue whipping. Reserve some of the caramel to drizzle on the top of the cupcakes. If the caramel is too hot and the frosting is running, put the bowl in the fridge until it cools down and re-whip it.

Top cooled cupcakes with the buttercream and drizzle with the reserved caramel. Enjoy!