Caramel Cupcakes

Happy Monday! I hope that all of you had a restful weekend – full of sleep and delicious treats. Maybe some of you went out or spent time with your loved ones for an early Valentine’s Day celebration. This weekend called for celebration for me as well, but not because of Valentine’s Day. I received the honor of being selected as a newsmaker in the local paper for my scholarship to Indianapolis for the National Science Teacher Association conference in March.

How else do I choose to celebrate? Food! Not just any food, dessert. I love caramel. I could eat it with a spoon. I had my eye on this recipe for caramel cake for the longest time and found the perfect opportunity. Moist, flavorful, and reminiscent of sweet corn bread, I chose to top these babies with plain old water, sugar, cream, and vanilla caramel. The original recipe has what sounds like a wonderful frosting, but really let’s be honest – it’s all about the caramel.

Ingredients

For the cake:

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon cake flour

1 cup packed light brown sugar

7 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup egg substitute

2 cups cake flour (about 8 ounces)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup fat-free milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Line cupcake pans or spray with cooking spray, dusting with one tablespoon of cake flour. Set aside.
Place 1 cup light brown sugar and 7 tablespoons butter in a large mixing bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 3 minutes or until well blended. Add egg substitute to sugar mixture; beat well.

Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with 1 cup milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Spoon batter into prepared pans approximately ¾ full. Sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool cakes completely on wire rack.
Source: MyRecipes.com