Caramel-Filled Cuppuccino'S

The cupcake:

-Preheat to 3-fitty

-Steam the milk and espresso/coffee until smooth, then reduce heat to medium-low for 30 seconds-ish. Let cool.

-Cream butter and sugar until it's nice and fluffy.

-Beat in eggs, then vanilla

-Whisk flour, BP and salt

-Add dry mixture alternatively with milk-coffee mixture to creamed butter

-Bake for approximately 15 minutes

The caramel filling:

I honestly kind of tossed stuff in until it looked like what I wanted. This is pretty close to what went in. Anyways, heat the caramel and milk on medium-low and stir until well-combined. When smooth, bring to a boil to a boil. (medium heat, maybe?) and then reduce heat. Add sugars and then bring to a boil for a minute or so. Let cool.

*Ideally, you want a fairly smooth texture at room temperature. So you want a fairly light caramel when you take it off the heat; it shouldn't look viscous enough.

Caramel buttercream frosting:

So I made two caramels so that I could get a nuttier, darker taste with the second (this one). It was slightly stressful because I made them simultaneously. Don't do it. Do the filling first. Combine 1/3 cup of the butter and the brown sugar in a small sauce and boil over medium heat. Once the mixture has come to a boil, stir in remaining 1/3 cup butter and stir until melted and mixed in. Boil for one more minute. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Cream the butter and shortening. Add the powdered sugar. Then the milk. Add dash of vanilla if you so choose (I did). Whip until fluffy.

Finishing touches:

I used a cupcake corer that I got at Hobby Lobby on sale today (worth it), but you don't need one. Just cut out a hole in the middle of the cupcake about 1/2 inch in diameter. Pour in the filling. Then put the frosting on top of it without lifting the filling. I drizzled heated caramel over the top, which was a nice little garnish. Lastly, sit down before you eat (they're pretty damn rich).