Moist chocolate cupcakes crowned with a silky smooth caramel Swiss meringue buttercream, topped with toasted pecans, and drizzled in both chocolate ganache and rich caramel!
Chocolate Turtles are definitely one of the quintessential candies of the holidays. With gooey caramel, crunchy pecans, and rich chocolate, they truly are one of the most perfect confections to ever exist. It’s no wonder why I’ve dedicated so many different desserts to the Chocolate Turtle. I’ve made a Turtle Pie, Turtle Cheesecake, Turtle Ice Cream, Turtle Trifle, and even Turtle Drumsticks!!
However, surprisingly I still had yet to tackle cupcakes…until NOW.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes
Supremely Moist Chocolate Cupcakes: These cupcakes are moist, tender, and extra chocolatey! They’re also incredibly light and fluffy and not at all heavy or greasy. They have a richer, deep dark chocolatey flavor that’s not overwhelmingly sweet. Truly the perfect cupcake!
Silkiest Frosting EVER: These cupcakes are topped with a silky smooth Swiss meringue buttercream. Not only is it unbelievably silky, but it’s a lot less sweet and sugary than your traditional American buttercream.
Show-Stopping Dessert for the Holidays: These cupcakes are GUARANTEED to impress everyone at your next holiday gathering. Decked out in rich chocolate ganache and smooth golden caramel, your friends and family will be absolutely salivating when they feast their eyes on these.
Cupcake Ingredient Notes
Instant Espresso Powder: This ingredient intensifies and deepens the chocolate flavor of the cupcakes. Chocolate and coffee share similar flavor profiles (bitter, fruity), so the espresso complements and enhances the flavor of the cocoa powder. The subtle bitterness of the espresso also cuts through the sweetness of the chocolate, providing a more balanced flavor overall. Don’t worry, you won’t taste the coffee at all.
Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder: I prefer Dutch-processed cocoa powder over natural cocoa powder because of its richer hue and more intense chocolate flavor. It used to be tough to find in the grocery store, but thanks to Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, you can find it almost anywhere you shop nowadays. Mind you, if all you have is natural cocoa powder, that’ll work just fine in these cupcakes.
Vegetable Oil: Although butter provides more flavor, vegetable oil is better at achieving a lighter, fluffier texture that’s less dense. It also keeps the cupcakes moist and fresher for longer.
Sour Cream: Along with a little vegetable oil, sour cream helps to create that perfectly moist and tender crumb. It’s also essential for activating the leavening agents, helping the cupcakes rise properly as well as producing a light, airy structure. I recommend using full-fat sour cream for the best results. If you don’t have sour cream, an equal amount of full-fat plain Greek yogurt can be substituted.
Buttercream Ingredient Notes
Egg Whites: Make sure to use fresh egg whites and NOT the ones from a carton. Fresh egg whites produce a more stable meringue. Although you want the egg whites to be room temperature before heating, I recommend separating the whites from the yolks when they’re still cold since it’s much easier.
Granulated Sugar: The sugar is whisked with the egg whites over a double broiler, which is a bowl that’s set over a simmering pot of water. As the mixture heats up, the sugar will start to dissolve. Once the temperature registers 150ºF-160ºF, it’s ready to be whipped up. To ensure that you don’t end up with grainy buttercream, rub a small amount between your fingers to ensure there is no undissolved sugar.
Unsalted Butter: I use unsalted butter since it gives me control over the amount of salt added. The butter needs to be slightly cooler than room temperature before it’s added to the buttercream, so I advise placing it on the counter for 30-40 minutes. You want it to be cool to the touch, yet pliable. It should be soft enough to leave a slight impression when pressed, but not melty or greasy. Make sure to slice the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces for better incorporation.
Homemade Caramel: You can definitely substitute store-bought caramel for the homemade caramel in this recipe. HOWEVER, nothing compares to homemade caramel. Plus, it’s really not as difficult as you might think. In fact, I’ve made it extra fool-proof by listing all of my caramel tips below.
Tips For Making Caramel
Use a Stainless Steel Pan: This is absolutely vital to preventing crystallization, AKA grainy caramel. I’ve made A LOT of caramel over the years, and whenever I’ve used nonstick pans, it almost always resulted in gritty caramel. The nonstick coating doesn’t allow the sugar crystals to bond with the pan, which causes them to crystalize. Stainless steel conducts heat better and will ensure even cooking.
Order Matters: Pour the water into the pan FIRST, then carefully pour the sugar into the center of the pan, making sure none of the sugar crystals cling to the sides of the pan. The reason being that those sugar crystals won’t dissolve, thus when reincorporated with the sugar syrup, it results in a grainy caramel. If you do see unmelted sugar on the sides of the pan, use a wet pastry brush to wipe them down.
Add corn syrup: For added insurance, stir in a tablespoon of corn syrup. It helps to stabilize the sugar syrup and acts as an “interfering agent,” which means it prevents the sugar molecules from joining back together after it melts.
Leave it alone: Once the sugar is poured into the water, leave the pan alone as it cooks. There’s no need to touch it until the color starts to turn yellowish, and you don’t want to risk any sugar crystals splashing up against the sides of the pan.
Swirl. DON’T stir: Once it goes from clear to yellowish, simply lift the pan by the handle and use your wrist to swirl the sugar liquid around. Swirling not only ensures even browning, but it also prevents the possibility of any sugar crystals from splattering onto the sides of the pan, thus resulting in crystallization.
Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ⅓ cup hot water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 Tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Caramel:
- ¼ cup water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon corn syrup
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (sliced into 16 pieces)
- 5-6 Tablespoons caramel (from recipe above)
Chocolate Ganache:
- 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
To Decorate:
- 28 whole toasted pecans
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees, and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Add the espresso powder to the hot water, and stir until fully dissolved; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and both sugars until incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, sour cream, egg, and vanilla together. Pour into the dry ingredients along with the espresso liquid. Stir everything together until just combined.
- Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 of the way. Bake in the oven for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Caramel:
- Pour the water into a medium saucepan. Pour the sugar into the center of the pan, making sure none of the sugar crystals hit the sides. Add the corn syrup.
- Place pan over medium heat, leaving it alone for the first 5 minutes or until it the color begins to turn yellowish. Once you see some color, gently swirl the pan around occasionally as it boils. Continue boiling until the caramel reaches a golden amber color, about 4 to 7 minutes.
- Remove pan from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. Caramel will sizzle and bubble up. Stir in the salt and vanilla, and continue whisking until caramel is smooth. If needed, return pan over medium-low heat, stirring until caramel is smooth. Transfer to a shallow dish for quicker cooling. Caramel will thicken as it cools.
Make the Buttercream:
- Combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, and place the bowl over a simmering pot of water. Whisking constantly, heat mixture until sugar is dissolved and the temperature registers 150-160°F on a candy thermometer, about 3-5 minutes.
- Secure whisk attachment onto stand mixer, and beat the egg white mixture on high speed until fluffy and cooled to room temperature. Add the butter, one piece at a time, until smooth and creamy. If the mixture looks curdled, that’s totally normal–just keep beating until it becomes smooth and satiny.*
- Add 5 Tablespoons of the cooled caramel; beat until fully incorporated. Transfer buttercream to a piping bag, fitted with a star tip. I used Wilton's 2D tip.
Make the Ganache:
- Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the heavy cream into a glass measuring cup, and heat in the microwave until it just begins to simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit for a few minutes.
- Remove the plastic wrap and stir until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
To Assemble:
- Pipe buttercream on top of cupcake, then garnish with two whole pecans. Drizzle with the ganache and caramel. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.