Happy National Chocolate Cupcake Day!

Betcha didn’t know today is National Chocolate Cupcake Day!  Please don’t get this confused with National Vanilla Cupcake Day (November 10) or National Cupcake Day (December 15 – although, there appears to be some debate about this one).  Nope, today is dedicated to the chocolate cupcake only.

In honor of this monumental day, I am debuting a new cupcake flavor.  Are you ready for this?  Please welcome the Snickers cupcake to Kristina’s Confections!

A chocolate base with bits of real Snickers, topped with a caramel buttercream and finished off with roasted peanuts, a caramel drizzle AND a milk chocolate drizzle.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a serious cupcake (okay, as serious as cupcakes can get).  Rich, decadent and oh, so delicious!

Perfect pairing: Halloween party (forget those fun size candy bars), chocolate dessert party, lunchtime treat, kiddo sleepovers

Flavor Focus: Triple Salted Caramel

When I was little my family went to the beach every summer.  One of the highlights that I waited for all year long was my one night out… to make my own sundae!  (Trust me, “a night out” for everyone else was something entirely different.)

My sundae was decadent and the same every time – vanilla ice cream, slathered with hot fudge and caramel and topped with colored jimmies (or sprinkles – a debate for the ages).  If I were to indulge now, the only change would be to add a dollop of whipped cream.

Although a bit more gourmet than the Candy Kitchen caramel sauce from my childhood, this Triple Salted Caramel cupcake evokes the same decadent excitement for me.

With a hint of fleur de sel (er, sea salt), the caramel sauce shines in the frosting, the caramel lava center and in the drizzled topping.  The cupcake base uses brown sugar, adding that caramel depth you don’t get with just plain white sugar.

A perfect treat for these cooler nights!

Perfect Pairing:  corn mazes, fall festivals, gourmet dinner at home