A Pirate's Diet: "I Want This Forever" - Salted Caramel Buttercream

I live in an amazing part of Seattle. Three miles south, I've got ethnic food nirvana in White Center (Rat City), three miles north, the International District. To the east, there's a little mecca of Mexican food. Pho abounds, and I have my pick of dozens of Asian and South American grocery stores. We're also within "spitting distance" to a couple of awesome bakeries, and 2 amazing local ice cream shops, Husky Deli, and Full Tilt.

This story has to do with Full Tilt - at least it's role in introducing me to salted caramel. I've been exposed to salted caramel, but have always been hesitant to take the leap, even though I really love the marriage of sweet and salty. While trying to decide what I wanted for lunch, I stumbled across Full Tilt's website and noticed that on that very day, they were hosting a hip-hop show AND giving away free scoops! I read some reviews and heard they had a mean Mexican chocolate ice cream. I convinced Pitchfork that we should go there on the way home from Viva Mexico. Boy was it crowded! They've got pinball, and even if we had quarters, we couldn't have played, it was that packed. The music was grooving and everyone was having a good time.

We redeemed our free scoop tickets, I got the Mexican chocolate and Pitchfork got the -you guessed it- salted caramel. I batted my luscious lashes and I said, "IloveyoucanItasteyouricecream?" Over the sounds of hip hop, he didn't hear me, so I said it again, louder, "ILOVEYOUCANITASTEYOURICECREAM?" Eventually, he heard me and I had my first proper taste of something salted caramel. And I fell in love. I decided then and there that I would make chocolate salted caramel cupcakes for Pitchfork. And if a few fell into my mouth, well, accidents happen.

I took a few, along with some PB Hi-Hats (coming in a future post) RoachyPooh and Filthy J's house where they were participating in their girl-geek game to get a few opinions. After all, pretty much all the ladies I'd kill for were in that room, and I'd probably take a bullet for Filthy J, so I could expect them to be totally honest. Unfortunately, they were all pretty much in a sugar overload from gaming the whole weekend and eating some of The Historian's Dreamy Lemon Chiffon, so...

However, I had built the salted caramel up enough that RoachyPooh ran right into the kitchen and grabbed one. After her first bite, she said, "Mmmm... I want this forever". It made me happy, because I felt the same way!

And here's how I did it...

Step 1: Bake up a batch of chocolate (or vanilla, or caramel, or whatever you want) cupcakes. Hopefully they aren't sunken like mine. But, let me tell you, this cake was delicious, and once I frosted them, you wouldn't have been able to tell.

Step 2: Combine the sugar and the water in a sauce pan and stir over medium-medium high heat ONLY until it begins to bubble. DO NOT STIR PAST THIS POINT! (For the reason, check out this handy website: The Science of Cooking)

Step 3: If you really just can't handle not fussing with it, you can swirl it gently. GENTLY! Take a slightly damp pastry brush to the sides of the pan to gather up stray grains of sugar as they'll totally break this bubbling sugar syrup down into a grainy pool of yuck if they were to fall in!

Step 4: Soon, if you've been patient, the sugar will turn a beautiful caramelly amber color. This picture is from right before it was done. Like 5 seconds before.

Step 5: While the syrup is still on the heat, pour in your heavy whipping cream and vanilla, and stir, stir, stir, until you get a sweet looking caramel sauce. Take it off the heat. Now you can move on to the frosting while this lovely liquid is cooling off.

Step 6: Cream the room temperature butter in your mixer until it is smooth and fluffy.

Step 7: Add in the powdered sugar and beat until, well, smooth and fluffy (I hate reusing adjectives, but this phrase really describes it best!).

Step 8: Pour in the cooled, but still liquid, caramel sauce into the frosting and beat until combined. I forgot to take a picture of that, so you'll have to just use your imagination.