Dulce de Leche cupcakes

Pic from  the www.joythebaker.com

I've been thinking about making these Spanish/Mexican themed treats for some time now.  When I heard about our themed Relief Society activity, I knew that would be a perfect venue to try out these cupcakes. Carpe Diem!
I also know that my children are less than receptive to the idea of a new and interesting flavor besides plane jane chocolate or vanilla. I knew I could bring my little experiments to church with me, and pawn them off on unsuspecting ladies. Who doesn't like cupcakes?

Step 1: Ducle de leche
Making dulce de leche is deceptively simple. Crazy simple.
Open a can of sweetened condensed milk. Pour it into a glass pyrex dish. Cover with a glass lid or aluminum foil. Place dish in a larger baking vessel, i.e. 13x9 pan. Fill the larger baking vessel with water so that the wall of the pyrex is submerged 1-1 1/2 in. Bake 425 for 1hr. 15 min. Once done, remove from oven, drain water, stir dulce de leche until it is smooth. I got the idea from here. Scroll to the directions for buttercream frosting. That's where you get the scoop on making your own dulce de leche. Make it first. It needs time to bake and time to cool.

Step 2: Cupcakes
Here's the link for the recipe. I was too busy to take a photo of my handiwork.
I am pretty happy with the results. The only change I might try to make in the future, is to find a recipe for a less dense cupcake. The cupcake from the above recipe resembles pound cake more than a cupcake, it is a buttermilk brown sugar cupcake- very nice, eh? I love using buttermilk in recipes. Buttermilk not only adds a depth of flavor but moisture.

Enjoy!