Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Incredibly rich and decadent.
Texture: The cupcakes are soft and light, the frosting is incredibly rich and creamy, and the pecans add a nice crunch.
Ease: These can be a little time consuming to make.
Appearance: The caramel sauce and chopped pecans make these look so decadent and delicious!
Pros: Absolutely delicious and perfect for anyone who loves the combination of chocolate, caramel, and pecans.
Cons: They do some time to make, but you can easily make these ahead of time!
Would I make this again? Definitely!
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Please welcome Danielle from Live Well Bake Often as she shares this Chocolate Turtle Cupcake recipe! Be sure to check out her for me! -Tessa
Hi everyone! It’s Danielle from Live Well Bake Often and I’m back with another treat for you that is perfect for the holidays. If you love turtles, then you’ll absolutely adore these Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes.
The base of the recipe starts with my favorite homemade chocolate cupcake recipe. These cupcakes can easily be made ahead of time and they freeze beautifully!
One thing to note is that the cupcake recipe does call for some instant espresso powder, which is there to enhance the chocolate flavor. If you don’t have any espresso powder you can use either instant coffee granules, 1/2 cup of coffee, or you can simply just leave it out. But, if you can get your hands on some instant espresso powder I definitely suggest using it. It’s perfect to add to other desserts with chocolate as well and I can assure you that it won’t make your cupcakes taste like coffee either.
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For the caramel frosting, you’ll need just a few easy ingredients. You’ll make the caramel on the stove and set it aside to cool for about 15 minutes. I love to make the caramel while the cupcakes are baking, so it’s cooling while the cupcakes are cooling too.
Once the caramel has cooled, you’ll mix in some powdered sugar. The caramel frosting in this recipe is super rich and delicious. If you’re a caramel lover, I think you’ll absolutely love this frosting! You can certainly feel free to scale back a little on the frosting though.
For the toppings you can really use anything you like on these cupcakes. A little homemade Caramel Sauce and some chopped pecans are some great options. You can also use a little melted chocolate drizzled on top of these instead of the caramel sauce. Either way, you really can’t go wrong with these Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes!
Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the chocolate cupcakes:
- 1 cup (127 grams) all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
For the caramel frosting:
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 grams) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar
Toppings:
- Caramel sauce
- Chocolate
- Chopped Pecans
Instructions
To make the chocolate cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-count cupcake pans with 16 cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk in the granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined. Using a whisk or an electric mixer, mix in the oil, egg, vanilla extract, and buttermilk until just combined.
- Add the instant espresso powder into the boiling water and mix until dissolved, then add to the mixing bowl. Mix with the rest of the ingredients until well combined, making sure not to over mix the batter. The batter will be thin, this is okay.
- Evenly distribute the batter between all 16 cupcakes liners, making sure to only fill them a little over halfway full. Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool.
To make the caramel frosting:
- Add the butter to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add in the brown sugar and heavy cream and stir until fully combined. Allow to cook for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture starts bubbling, reduce heat to low and continue cooking and stirring for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt until fully combined. Pour the caramel sauce into a mixing bowl and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, add in the powdered sugar and mix with a handheld mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment) until fully combined. Pipe the frosting on the cooled cupcakes as desired, top with additional caramel sauce (or chocolate) and chopped pecans.
These were the most amazing cupcakes! Cupcake was so moist and full of favor. Icing was awesome! Definite keeper!
I loved the cupcake so much. It turned out as a muffin rather a cupcake texture. The only thing that I would change about it is the sugary frosting. I believe a soft cheese frosting with espresso flavour will be perfect. Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe.