Dark Chocolate Mini Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

Mini dark chocolate cupcake topped with caramel frosting and sea salt.

Dark Chocolate Mini Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

These dark chocolate mini cupcakes are frosted with a rich salted caramel frosting for an indulgent, bite-sized treat. This recipe takes less than an hour to make and makes plenty to share. Perfect for parties!

Recipe includes a how-to video!

Course cupcakes, Dessert, Dessert, Cupcakes

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 14

Total Time 39

Servings mini cupcakes

Calories 32kcal

Author Sam Merritt

Equipment

Ingredients

1 ⅔ cups (333 g) granulated sugar
1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
⅔ cup (65 g) dark cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (118 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
⅔ cup (157 ml) whole milk
1 cup (236 ml) hot coffee (see note)
1 batch caramel frosting
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

Note: If you are making the accompanying caramel frosting that I’ve linked to in the “Ingredients” section, I recommend making the caramel before beginning the cupcakes to give it ample time to cool.
Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 24-count mini muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
1 ⅔ cups (333 g) granulated sugar, 1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup (65 g) dark cocoa powder, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
Add canola oil, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir until well-combined.
½ cup (118 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
Stir in milk until thoroughly-combined, then stir in hot coffee. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and then stir again to ensure you have a uniform, well-combined batter.
⅔ cup (157 ml) whole milk, 1 cup (236 ml) hot coffee
Divide better into mini muffin tin, filling liners ½-⅔ of the way full.
Bake on 350F (175C) for 14-15 minutes or cupcake tops spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Allow to cool for 15 minutes then carefully remove to a cooling rack (I gently pry them up with a butter knife) to cool completely before covering with caramel frosting.
Decorate with caramel frosting then sprinkle with flaky sea salt. I used the Wilton 2D tip for icing the cupcakes in the photos.
1 batch caramel frosting, Flaky sea salt

Video

Notes

Muffin tin

This recipe makes 72+ mini cupcakes. If you only have one mini muffin tin, you can leave the batter on the counter while the first batch bakes, then upon removing from the oven allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before carefully removing them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Let the tin cool completely (this should happen pretty quickly once the tin is empty) before refilling with liners and batter.

Hot Coffee

Coffee contributes a bolder, darker, chocolatier taste to the cupcakes, but you may substitute hot water instead. The important thing is that the liquid you use is very hot so that the cocoa powder can “bloom”, giving you a rich dark chocolate taste.

Nutrition