Turtle Cupcakes

Today I decided to embark on an experiment I had thought of a while ago. Once again I "cheated" and used a boxed mix. I wanted to focus on the icing and filling.

I took the basic concept of turtle desserts and candies - chocolate, caramel and pecans. I used a dark chocolate fudge cake mix and baked it in my jumbo cupcake pan. I have become a big fan of the jumbo cupcakes. There are fewer to store and eat and they are easier to decorate as you have more surface area.

After the cupcakes cooled I used caramel ice cream topping to fill them. Using a bismarck tip and piping bag I injected the filling into the centers of the cupcakes. I then made a caramel buttercream for the top. It is similar to a basic buttercream but uses half vegetable shortening and half butter. Caramel ice cream topping is also added to the buttercream.

I then toasted whole pecans on a stoneware dish in the microwave and chopped them while they were warm. I sprinkled them over the tops of the cupcakes.

I recommend keeping these particular cupcakes in the refrigerator. The filling in the center makes them very moist and soft and the caramel in the buttercream keeps it from firming up.

Overall I am pleased with the results. The flavors go together well and no one item stands out and overwhelms the others. Next time around I will use at least another cup of powdered sugar in the icing to make it thicker and possibly add more filling to the cupcakes.