Vanilla Bean Latte Cupcakes

For the cupcake batter:
1/2 vanilla bean
3/4 cup milk
6 Tbs unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Scrape the vanilla bean and add with the pod and milk in a small pot. Heat the mixture and let it simmer for a few a minutes. Allow the vanilla to steep in the milk as it cools. Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffly. Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Sift together the dry ingredients. Remove the pod from the milk mixture. (You can wash and dry the pod for some other use.) Alternate adding the milk mixture and dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Mix each addition until combined. Fill the cupcake liners to half way. Bake at 350 °F for 15-18 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

For the espresso filling:
1 cup heavy cream
2 yolks
3 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp instant espresso

Heat half the cream and 2 Tbs of sugar and the espresso in a small pot until just boiling. Whisk together the yolks and remaining sugar. Add half the hot cream mix to the egg mixture while whisking. Return the egg mixture to the pot with the remaining cream and and bring it to a boil while continually whisking. Allow it to boil for several minutes while it thickens. Strain the mixture and let it cool in another bowl. Whip the remaining cream to medium peaks and fold it into the cooked cream.

For the vanilla espresso frosting:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cue confectioners sugar
1 tsp espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Dissolve the espresso powder in a tablespoon or two of water and add it to mixture along with the vanilla extract. Mix until combined.

Assembly:
Using a small paring knife, cut out the center of each cupcake at about a 45 degree angle so that you have cut out a cone shape with the wide part being the top of the cupcake. Fill each cupcake with a spoonful of the espresso cream. Now cut off the narrow part of the cupcake cone and replace the circular top of the cupcake. Frost each cupcake with a star shaped tip or any tip of your liking. To get the brown swirl effect, make a line of brown food coloring inside your piping bag before fill it with frosting. Use a toothpick so you don’t use too much. Finally you can dust it with ground vanilla beans for decoration.

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Salted Caramel Mocha Latte

Salted Caramel Mocha Latte 

Makes 6 12-ounce servings

**I have included instructions for making many servings, as well as instructions for a single serving**

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces or 375 ml) hot coffee (for stronger mochas, double the coffee, which will yield 6 14-ounce servings)
6 tablespoons (42 grams) cocoa powder
4 1/2 cups (36 ounces or 1250 ml) hot milk (I used non fat with excellent results, but use whatever you prefer, including soy, almond, or other dairy free milks)
3/4 cup (188 ml) caramel or toffee nut syrup (hazelnut is also excellent)

Whipped Cream (recipe below)

Salted Caramel Sauce

Pour the hot coffee into a heatproof pitcher. Sprinkle the cocoa powder in and stir to dissolve the powder. Next, add the hot or steamed milk, and stir. Finally, stir in the flavoring syrup.

Top with whipped cream, drizzle with syrup, and sprinkle with salted sugar (1 part coarse sea salt, 6 parts coarse sugar).

FOR A SINGLE 12-OUNCE SERVING

1/4 cup (2 ounces or 63 ml) hot coffee (for a stronger mocha, double the coffee, which will yield a 14-ounce serving)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
3/4 cup (6 ounces or 188 ml) hot milk (I used non fat with excellent results, but use whatever you prefer)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) caramel or toffee nut syrup (hazelnut is also excellent)

Whipped Cream (recipe below)

Salted Caramel Sauce

Pour the hot coffee into a large mug. Sprinkle the cocoa powder in and stir to dissolve the powder. Next, add the hot or steamed milk, and stir. Finally, stir in the flavoring syrup.

Top with whipped cream, drizzle with syrup, and sprinkle with salted sugar (1 part coarse sea salt, 6 parts coarse sugar).

Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino 

Make as directed above, mixing in a blender and using cold milk instead of hot. Add one cup of ice per serving. Blend until smooth. Top with whipped cream, caramel, and salted sugar.

Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes 
Makes 30 cupcakes

Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES
2 cups (16 ounces or 500 ml) strong brewed coffee, hot
1/2 cup (56 grams) cocoa powder

2 3/4 cups (349 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks or 226 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (400 grams) sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons (7 ml) vanilla extract

1 recipe Whipped Cream (below), Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream, or Whipped Vanilla Buttercream

1 recipe Salted Caramel Sauce

In a medium bowl, or a two cup measuring cup, stir the cocoa powder into the hot coffee until dissolved. Set aside until cooled to room temperature, or place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Once the cocoa/coffee mixture has cooled, preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C). Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined; stir in the vanilla. Sprinkle 1/3 of the flour mixture over the bowl and mix until just combined. Add 1/2 of the chocolate mixture, mixing again until just combined. Repeat with reamining flour and chocolate mixtures, ending with flour. Mix only until flour is just incorporated. Do not over mix.

Place 3 tablespoons of batter in each cupcake liner. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

While the cupcakes are baking/cooling, place about 3/4 cup of salted caramel sauce in a small sauce pan and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 3 to 5 minutes to thicken the caramel slightly before using it to fill the cupcakes.

Once cooled, fill each cupcake with about 1 teaspoon of the thickened salted caramel sauce, ice with Coffee Icing (optional), and frost with whipped cream, vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream, or another vanilla frosting. Garnish with more caramel sauce.

Fresh Whipped Cream 

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, whip the heavy cream on medium high speed until it starts to thicken. Reduce speed to low and sprinkle the sugar into the cream. Return mixer to medium high and continue whipping until firm peaks form. Stir in vanilla. Refrigerate until ready to use.