In the kitchen: Butterscotch Cupcakes

STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING
And make these cupcakes.

They may just look like plain ol' white cupcakes.
But hiding inside is a lovely little surprise.

Butterscotch Cupcakes
from Food Network here
Cupcakes
* 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 pinch salt
* 3/4 cup unsalted butter
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3 eggs
* 1/2 cup milk
Butterscotch
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 tablespoons water
* 2 tablespoons Scotch (or other whisky)
* 1/4 cup 35% cream, hot
* 2 tablespoons salted butter
(I used this recipe for butterscotch here instead since i don't use scotch)
Vanilla buttercream icing
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter
* 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3 tablespoons 35% cream, hot

Directions
Cupcakes
1. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Place paper or silicone liners in 9 or 12 muffin cups.
2. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with the vanilla using an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until the mixture is smooth. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly. Unmould and finish cooling on a rack.

Butterscotch
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Cook until the mixture turns golden-brown. Off the heat, add the Scotch, the cream and butter. Continue stirring until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.

Vanilla buttercream icing
1. In a bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cream in a thin stream and continue beating until smooth. Set aside.

Assembly
1. Using a apple corer or a melon baller, cut a pocket from the centre of each cupcake, removing about 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of cake without cutting through. Fill the pocket with 15 ml (1 tablespoon) butterscotch. Ice the cupcakes with the buttercream icing.

I made them for this little girl....

Who's just so happy to be 5.

And I'm glad to make them if that's what she wants.


And on a side note, when I told Alden I was going out to take pictures of Lucy for her birthday last night he said when do I get MY pictures? And I responded, when it's your birthday, remember how I did that for Eli on his birthday and I did that on your last birthday, etc? His response, "yeah but what about right NOW?" And I would have except the light was fading fast and we ran out of light. So coming up for his birthday week - pictures of him, his party, lots of ALDEN. :)

And seriously, make these cupcakes. They are my favorite thing I've made in a while. And I bake a lot. I MAY have had 3 and half today. :)