Over the course of winter break, I’ve taken it upon myself to take a break from baking as well (except for the three days I spent decorating sugar cookies for our family get-together). However, at the news of a yearbook staff sleepover, I got back into the swing of things. And thus, maple and salted caramel cupcakes were born.

I won’t get into the details, but after about an hour of spending time with some of my fellow staff members, only about five of these cupcakes were left. So, needless to say, they were pretty dang good.

Maple and Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Start to finish: 2 hours

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Here’s what you’ll need:

For the cake:

One box of white cake mix of your choice

1 teaspoon Imitation maple extract

For the frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese

2 sticks softened butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4-5 cups powdered sugar

1 cup warm salted caramel

Here’s the fun part:

Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box, adding 1 teaspoon maple extract to the batter and mixing well.

Bake cupcakes are directed on the box.

Let cool for fifteen minutes in the pans, then transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Using a mixer on high, cream together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Gradually add 3 cups of powdered sugar, being sure to scrape the sides of the bowl and mixing thoroughly between additions.

Pour warm caramel into the frosting, mixing slowly until fully incorporated.

Add the remaining powdered sugar until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.

Using an offset spatula or piping bag with tip, spread or pipe the frosting onto the completely cooled cupcakes.

Here are some tips:

• Top the cupcakes off with some more caramel, drizzling it over the frosting to enhance the caramel flavor
• Add a teaspoon of dry rice into the bottom of the cupcake tins, under the cupcake liners. While baking, the rice will absorb the excess grease and keep the bottoms of your liners dry
• Pipe some caramel into the centers of the cupcakes for a surprise when you bite in

Guys, these cupcakes are really unique. If you time the caramel just right, the frosting turns out really smoky but really sweet at the same time, which pairs incredibly with the subtle smokiness of the maple in the cake. So, good luck resisting these, and until next week, my fellow foodies.

Junior Laken Wagner has been spending time in the kitchen since she was five years old, where both baking and cooking have always filled her extra time. She enjoys baking more than anything else and can frequently be found decorating cakes or trying out new recipes.