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Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes

July 27, 2016 by Lindsay Conchar

Our contributor, Lindsay Conchar, is sharing a chocolate turtle cupcakes recipe.  Rich chocolate cupcakes topped with caramel pecan frosting, caramel drizzle and chopped pecans.

Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes - from scratch recipe for rich chocolate cupcakes with caramel pecan frosting, caramel drizzle and chopped pecans | by Lindsay Conchar for TheCakeBlog.com

Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes - from scratch recipe for rich chocolate cupcakes with caramel pecan frosting, caramel drizzle and chopped pecans | by Lindsay Conchar for TheCakeBlog.com

One thing you will regularly find flying around my kitchen is caramel. It’s just heavenly. I have loved it since I was a kid and will never stop. You know how boxes of chocolates usually have at least one that’s filled with caramel? That’s the one with my name on it. My grandmother was known for her love of chocolates so it was sort of a tradition to get her favorite box for just about any occasion. I always lobbied to get the big box so that there were two levels of chocolates, meaning at least two caramel-filled ones. The caramel love runs deep and I’m dedicated to it.

Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes - from scratch recipe for rich chocolate cupcakes with caramel pecan frosting, caramel drizzle and chopped pecans | by Lindsay Conchar for TheCakeBlog.com

So it makes perfect sense that chocolate turtle is a flavor combination (and candy!) that I love. I regularly find a way to get caramel into desserts, and with turtle flavor, you also get chocolate and the crunch of pecans. It makes for a fun mix of flavor and texture. These cupcakes start with a wonderfully moist and fully chocolate cupcake. I’m a big fan of them. Sitting on top is the most wonderful caramel pecan frosting, drippy caramel sauce and chopped pecans. So, so good.

Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes - from scratch recipe for rich chocolate cupcakes with caramel pecan frosting, caramel drizzle and chopped pecans | by Lindsay Conchar for TheCakeBlog.com

The frosting is made with a combination of butter and shortening, which I prefer because I find it’s more stable and better at room temperature. If you prefer all butter frostings, feel free to swap out the shortening for more butter using a one-to-one ratio. I added caramel sauce to the frosting to give it a wonderful caramel flavor. I used my favorite caramel sauce, but you can use whichever sauce you prefer. The one I used is fairly firm at room temperature and doesn’t thin out the frosting too much, so keep that in mind as you choose a caramel sauce to use – thicker will allow you to add more caramel. And more caramel is definitely better!

Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes - from scratch recipe for rich chocolate cupcakes with caramel pecan frosting, caramel drizzle and chopped pecans | by Lindsay Conchar for TheCakeBlog.com

Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes - from scratch recipe for rich chocolate cupcakes with caramel pecan frosting, caramel drizzle and chopped pecans | by Lindsay Conchar for TheCakeBlog.com

After getting the caramel flavor just right, I added some chopped pecans to the frosting. It adds just enough crunch, without being too much and taking away from the caramel. With a little drizzle of caramel on top and few pecan crumbs, they finish off beautifully. These cupcakes were a huge hit! In fact, one taster (who has tasted his fair share of my recipes) declared it his new favorite. That’s quite an endorsement!

Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes - from scratch recipe for rich chocolate cupcakes with caramel pecan frosting, caramel drizzle and chopped pecans | by Lindsay Conchar for TheCakeBlog.com

CHOCOLATE TURTLE CUPCAKES
a cupcake recipe by Lindsay Conchar
(makes 14-16 cupcakes)

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons milk

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
  2. Beat butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add eggs one at a time, beating just until blended.
  4. Combine vanilla, water and cocoa powder in a separate bowl and whisk until smooth. Mixture will be thick.
  5. Add chocolate mixture to batter and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
  6. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
  7. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the batter. Begin by adding half of the dry mix, then mix well. Add the milk and mix well, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until smooth.
  8. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.
  9. Allow cupcakes to cool about 2-3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

For the Caramel Pecan Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
7 tablespoons caramel sauce
1-2 tablespoons water or milk, as needed
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Caramel sauce, as needed for drizzle
Chopped pecans, as needed for topping

  1. Combine the butter and shortening in a large bowl and mix until smooth.
  2. Add 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth.
  3. Add about half of the caramel sauce and mix until smooth.
  4. Add remaining confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth.
  5. Add remaining caramel sauce and mix until smooth, keeping an eye on the consistency of the frosting so it doesn’t get too thin. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water, if needed, to further thin frosting.
  6. Stir in the chopped pecans.
  7. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes using a large round piping tip.  (The pecans will get stuck in a star tip.)
  8. Finish off the cupcakes with a drizzle of caramel and additional chopped pecans.

Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes - from scratch recipe for rich chocolate cupcakes with caramel pecan frosting, caramel drizzle and chopped pecans | by Lindsay Conchar for TheCakeBlog.com

 


 
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:
Chocolate Turtle Cake
London Fog Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce
Banana Choco Hazelnut Cake
Chocolate Cheesecake Turtle Cupcakes
Apple & Goat Cheese Cake with Cinnamon Caramel

July 27, 2016 by Lindsay Conchar

Lindsay Conchar , CONTRIBUTOR

Lindsay is the recipe developer and photographer behind the blog Life, Love and Sugar. She has a special love of cakes, but will gladly sample any sweet treat. She is a lover of all things pink and collector of beautiful cake stands.

connect with Lindsay :

Make the most of citrus season with one of these cake recipes!

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Comments

  1. Bethany says

    July 28, 2016 at 7:48 pm

    These cupcakes look beyond amazing! Two great flavors coming together. 🙂 And such great shots of them, as well.

  2. D levy says

    August 6, 2016 at 10:44 pm

    I hate using shortening. Could I use all butter in the icing?

    • Carrie Sellman says

      August 8, 2016 at 7:26 am

      Sure, just swap out the shortening for more butter using a one-to-one ratio.

  3. Ashley says

    September 4, 2016 at 4:25 pm

    I’m making these for our annual fair. They are for sure going to be a hit!

  4. katelyn says

    September 18, 2016 at 5:41 pm

    how do you switch out shortening for more butter using a one-one ratio making these for annual fair for a cupcake wars want them to be great

    • Carrie Sellman says

      October 13, 2017 at 10:40 am

      Instead of using 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening — use 1 cup butter only.

  5. Jessica says

    January 4, 2017 at 7:23 am

    For this recipe can buttermilk be substituted for milk in this recipe? Either way wants the difference in using either of the two in a recipe?

    • Carrie Sellman says

      October 13, 2017 at 10:44 am

      Buttermilk is more acidic, so swapping it for whole milk can sometimes skew your results if there is not enough baking soda in the recipe to neutralize the acid of the buttermilk. The fat content is also a variable as well. You can read more about how milk and buttermilk affect a cake recipe in our article HERE.

  6. Frankie L Hooten says

    June 8, 2017 at 5:00 pm

    I added chocolate chips. They taste amazing. Thank yoy for the recipe

  7. amy says

    July 18, 2017 at 12:50 pm

    I would just like to say .. I have never made a cupcake from scratch in my life, always used boxed ugh … last night I decided to try this recipe and let me say … it was SO simple and so easy and it turned out great !!! thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe for others to try !!!!!

  8. Mayra says

    August 17, 2017 at 10:04 am

    Hello, does the butter for the cake portion need to be at room temperature or melted?

    • Carrie Sellman says

      October 13, 2017 at 10:45 am

      Slightly softened to room temperature is fine.

  9. raina says

    October 13, 2017 at 2:52 am

    what if I used 1/2 butter and 1/2 butter flavor shortening

    • Carrie Sellman says

      October 13, 2017 at 10:46 am

      You could certainly make that substitution! Or using 1 cup butter only works as well!

  10. Marian says

    September 8, 2019 at 1:12 pm

    Hello!
    Is the water in the cupcake recipe boiling hot or room temp water? Thanks!

Trackbacks

  1. Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes – Sweet ImPerfect says:
    December 24, 2018 at 2:53 pm

    […] Recipe source: thecakeblog.com […]

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