What a treat!! These cupcakes were so delicious. They were a little bit tedious with the caramel but once you bite into that fudge-like cupcake with chocolate ganache and caramel gushing out from under the roasted pecans you’re hooked.

Here’s the process:

http://thesugarwaltz.blogspot.com/2011/06/2499-mud-turtle-cupcakes.html

Those look terrific!  I thought I recalled that some bakers thought the cupcake was a little crumbly on this one—I’m assuming based on your enthusiasm that you wouldn’t change a thing about them, yes?

Looks great! 

Yum! It looks scrumptious !!

Yummy!  Great job!

Here’s mine. I skipped the caramel and used leftover mystery ganache from the freezer (had no idea from which cake ).

It’s good! Eating one now. Very chocolate-y and love the pecans with it.

Loopy - it’s crumbly but not overly so, just enough crumb! I used cake flour. I think if you want it a bit less crumbly you can use bleached AP.

Oh my goodness Jenn those are beautiful!! Haha yeah I don’t blame you on skipping the caramel at all. It’s a beast!

Loopy- no i don’t think I would. Like Jenn said, it is crumbly but not in a bad way. I really liked the consistency of them.

Thanks for all your sweet compliments!

Thanks Jane! Yours look grand as well!

About skipping caramel, part of me is thinking maybe I’m missing out on some flavor. Perhaps next time (whenever that is) I will make some caramel to see.

Is the caramel pretty gooey?

Yeah the caramel was actually one of my favorite parts about it. I just ate another one and I was thinking to myself that next time it wouldn’t hurt to add even more caramel! I don’t know about gooey- i feel like that word has negative connotations. Yes, it’s soft and a bit sticky but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

Jane, I like gooey. I was just trying to get a feel of what it’s like. It would not be good if it’s hard, doesn’t match the cupcake’s texture.

Thanks for letting me know .

haha yeah that makes sense. well to be honest, the first batch of caramel that I got was REALLY hard in the end because I burned it… oops!! But you live and you learn, right? I guess it just depends on making sure it comes out at the right time. I’m sure with your 77 cakes under your belt though you shouldn’t have a problem at all!

Jane - 20 June 2011 07:11 PM

I’m sure with your 77 cakes under your belt though you shouldn’t have a problem at all!

Jane, thanks for the compliment, but it’s so untrue. I had actually gotten caramel burn on 2 fingers last year. I was on the phone while making the caramel (never do this!). It splashes back to me - I think I took it off the heat to check and the put it back too fast. It took over a week for the burn to heal and hurt like hell. After that, my next caramel experience, I pay closer attention and not get distracted!

Wow!  It’s a mud turtle extravaganza!!!  Fabulous blog post, Jane!  Jenn, you have outdone yourself on the photos!!!  That’s such great perspective on the one, and the cloth is just perfect with them—the pecan design on the cuppies with the colors and design on the cloth make it all seem like a flower patch with bumblebees.

I think it’s a very cool sort of synchronicity that our two bake-through babes made the same cake!!!!

OMG!  You both have blue writing-style heading your blog posts!  Maybe you were separated at birth!!!

Jenn, they look lovely!  I’ll admit, while looking at your blog, I kept staring at the mystery ganache trying to figure out what it was

I’ve made this caramel and I would describe the texture as soft, rather than sticky.  It is liquid enough that it isn’t chewy- it’s tender, if that makes sense.  But also just enough body that it won’t totally run off the cupcake.  I used this caramel as an all-over topper for barcelona brownies, it was sublime.

Anne, thanks! I’m really pleased with how the photo turns out. Glad you enjoyed it as well.

Julie, thanks for the description of how the caramel is. I’ve got to try it sometime. About the mystery ganache - I still wonder what it is!! I’ve gotten wiser now and label my leftovers .