I’ll admit, it’s been a while since I posted a cupcake recipe. I know that was my “thing” for a while; but lately I’ve found myself choosing cookies and brownies and fancy layer cakes over cutesy cupcakes. I still think there’s something to be said for a good, solid cupcake, however, and by no means do I think they are “over” or “uncool”. Or if they are uncool now, well, then I really don’t care. Don’t let your eyes fool you though. These. Are. Not. Caramel. Cupcakes. Yes, they may be the same perfectly golden color as a decadent dulce de leche, the filling thickly oozing out of the center with the same viscosity as salted caramel. But that is not what they are.
If you haven’t heard of caramelized white chocolate before, let me enlighten you: it’s basically white chocolate that has been melted and slow roasted in the oven until it is the color of butterscotch.
I then combined this roasty toasty goodness with heavy cream to make… Wait for it… Caramelized white chocolate ganache. It LOOKS like caramel. Heck, it even kinda sorta tastes like caramel. But it is its own unique creature and absolutely divine.
It’s got that unmistakable white chocolate sweetness, but with savory undertones more akin to brown butter than to caramel. It’s rich and nutty and so uniquely unusual that you won’t know what hit you.
I used part of it as a filling; the rest went into the frosting. Despite the fact that the cake itself is just basic chocolate (albeit a perfectly moist and delicate chocolate), these cupcakes are anything but ordinary.
A little drizzle on top for good measure can’t hurt, amirite? And ugh. I still need to work on my rosette piping skills. Those ends are far too abrupt to be considered pretty by any means. I’m out of practice, apparently.
