Yield: 15 cupcakes
For the Brown
Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 2/3 cups
all-purpose Gold Medal flour
2 teaspoons baking
powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon
ground cloves
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 cup packed light
brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
extract
2 large eggs
For the Salted
Caramel:
Salted Caramel
Sauce:
2 cups granulated
sugar
6 oz. unsalted
butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
1 cup heavy cream,
at room temperature
1 tablespoon fleur
de sel or Maldon sea salt flakes
Frosting:
¾ cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
½ cup salted caramel sauce
1. To make the brown butter pumpkin cupcakes: preheat
oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin cups with paper liners and set aside.
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat
and continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until butter turns golden brown,
Skim foam from top, and remove from heat. Pour into a bowl to stop the cooking,
leaving any burned sediment behind; let cool.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder,
salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin
puree, sugars, eggs, vanilla extract, and brown butter. Add the flour mixture,
and whisk until just combined.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each
three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester
inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire
cooling rack and cool completely before removing cupcakes.
5. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the salted
caramel frosting. First, make the salted caramel sauce. Make sure you have all
of the ingredients ready. Once you start the caramel sauce you have to pay
close attention so you don't burn it. To begin, heat the sugar over medium
high-heat in the bottom of a heavy 2-3 quart saucepan. When the sugar starts to
melt, start whisking the sugar. The sugar will clump up, but keep whisking. It
will continue to melt. When the sugar is melted, stop whisking. You can swirl
the pan to move the sugar around.
6. Continue cooking the sugar until it reaches a deep
amber color. Make sure you watch the pan very closely. This is where it is easy
to burn the caramel. You want the caramel to reach 350 degrees F. If you are
new to making caramel, I suggest using a thermometer.
7. As soon as the sugar reaches the dark amber color,
carefully add the butter. Whisk until butter is melted.
8. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour in the
heavy cream. Whisk until cream is incorporated and caramel is smooth. Whisk in
the fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt flakes.
9. Let the caramel sauce cool for about 10 minutes in the
pan. Pour the caramel into a large mason jar and cool to room temperature.
10. To make the frosting: beat the butter in the bowl of
a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until
light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add powdered
sugar, and mix until completely incorporated. Turn off the mixer, and then add
the salted caramel sauce. Beat frosting on low to combine, and then increase to
medium-high and beat until airy and thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes.
11. Frost the cooled pumpkin cupcakes with the salted
caramel frosting and and drizzle cupcakes with extra salted caramel sauce, if
desired.
