Preheat oven to 350F and insert liners into the cups of cupcake pans.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Likewise, measure out ½ cup sour cream and set aside.
In stand-alone mixer, combine sugar, oil and milk. Blend on medium speed about 1 minute until ingredients are well combined (liquid will be a hazy, yellow-ish color).
Add eggs and stir for 1 minute on medium speed.
Add vanilla and stir again.
Remove the bowl from your stand-alone mixer. Gradually, stirring by hand using a spatula now, add in flour mixture and sour cream, alternating between the two. Gently stir/fold in ingredients; they should be mixed
just
enough so that the sour cream and flour are evenly incorporated through the batter, but be careful not to over-mix.
Spoon batter into cupcake pans, filling cups about ⅔ full. For regular-size cupcakes, bake for 18 minutes. For miniature cupcakes, bake 14-15 minutes. Cupcakes should be baked until toothpick inserted in center comes out
mostly
clean (with only a few crumbs).
Remove cupcakes from pan immediately and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
CARAMEL CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INSTRUCTIONS
Cream together butter and cream cheese, add vanilla and stir.
With mixer on low speed, slowly add powdered sugar.
Stir in caramel sauce until combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed to make sure that all ingredients are well combined.