Chocolate Berry Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting and Caramel

recipe from not without salt

yield: 56 cupcakes

Cupcakes

2 lb 4 oz all-purpose flour
4 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 c vegetable oil
1/8 c white vinegar
4 tsp vanilla
2 c warm water, with a heaping tsp of instant coffee dissolved in
8 cups fresh blackberries, or large bag of frozen mixed berries (1/2" dice)

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl until everything is well blended.

Add the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Fold in the berries.

Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full.

Bake for 21 minutes or until the tops slowly spring back when gently nudged.

Let cool in the pan for five minutes before finishing the cooling on a rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 lb 6 oz cream cheese, room temp
10 oz unsalted butter, room temp
13 c powdered sugar, sifted
1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
2 vanilla beans, seeded
2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Stop the machine and add the 7 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, salt, and vanilla. Turn on low and mix until combined. Turn up the speed to medium and beat 1 minute more.

Add the last 6 cups of powdered sugar; mix on low to combine and then turn on med-high and beat 1 min more until thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust as needed for flavor and consistency.

The frosting can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored, covered, in the fridge.

Caramel

2 c sugar
1/2 c water
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1 c heavy cream
Flake salt

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring a boil and let the sugar caramelize until it’s smoking and deep copper in color. 

Carefully add the cream (it will bubble up vigorously) then stir to combine.

Let cool. Frost the cupcakes when they are completely cool. Drizzle on the caramel then top with flake salt and a fresh blackberry.