Chocolate Caramel Spice Frosting

Hello Friends!

Can you believe that March is almost over, Spring is here, and Easter is right around the corner! I honestly didn’t even realize just how close Easter was until I actually looked at a calendar. I plan to work on some fun Easter cupcakes this weekend so I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures and share with you some of my tips for creating the perfect Easter cupcake treats. For today though, I want to share a recipe for some sinfully delicious frosting.

Chocolate Caramel Spice frosting is perfect for almost any cake flavor. I suggest making a batch of the frosting first, tasting it (try not to eat it all) and then deciding what flavor cake you think it will best accompany. So far my favorite cakes to use with this frosting have been:

• Chocolate Coffee Cake
• French Vanilla Cake
• Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cake

I’ve worked hard on perfecting the recipe and am so happy to finally be able to share it with you!

Chocolate Caramel Spice Frosting

What You’ll Need:

1. 2 sticks of unsalted butter (room temperature)
2. 1/3 cup of cream-cheese (room temperature)
3. ¼ cup of milk chocolate chips
4. 15-20 caramel squares
5. 2 tbs of heavy cream
6. 2 cups of powdered sugar (sifted)
7. 2 1/2 tbs of cinnamon

The Process

• Start by unwrapping all of your caramel squares. Place them in a pan on the stove over medium heat.
• Stirring the squares constantly, add the heavy cream.
• Continue cooking until the caramel is melted and you have a nice caramel sauce. Let cool (do not put in the fridge though)
• In a mixer, cream together your butter and cream-cheese until it is light and fluffy.
• Add in 1 ½ cups of the powdered sugar and all of the cinnamon – continue mixing for 1-2 minutes until well combined.
• In a microwavable bowl, melt the chocolate chips (usually 40 seconds does it) Make sure the chocolate is melted smooth and does not have any chunks left in it.
• Pour the melted chocolate in the mixer and mix for 1 minute.
• Add in the remaining ½ cup of powdered sugar – mix well.
• Pour in the cooled caramel sauce – mix for 1 minute or until frosting is smooth.

** If your frosting is too thin – add more powdered sugar. **

There you have it – another great “go-to” frosting recipe! If you have questions about the recipe, let me know. I hope you all enjoy the recipe as much as I do.

Stay Sweet!

xo, Jill

Banana Nut Crunch Cupcake Topping

Happy Thursday!

Need a quick trick to spice up your Vanilla cupcakes? How about a Banana Nut Crunch topping that bakes right into your delicious cupcake?

This topping is so simple and turns a traditional vanilla cupcake into a yummy banana treat.

Banana Nut Crunch Cupcake - Unfrosted

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 Cups of Pecans
• 1 Banana
• 2 Cups of Dried Banana Chips
• ½ cup of honey granola
• 1 tbs of cinnamon
• 2 tbs of Brown Sugar

What to do:

1. Using a food processor, grind the pecans to small little chunks
2. Slice your banana into small cubes
3. Place your dried banana chips in a ziplock bag and lightly crush them with the palm of your hand. You do not want these pieces too small.
4. Combine a all of your ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well
5. After you have poured the batter for your vanilla cupcakes – place a spoonful of the topping mixture on top of each unbaked cupcake
6. Bake according to your cupcake recipe
7. When your cupcakes are done baking, the mixture will be baked on top of your Vanilla cupcake! Crunchy and delicious!  I like to top these with Peanut Butter or Cream Cheese Frosting!

Enjoy!

Xoxo, Jill