CHURRO CUPCAKES with DULCE DE LECHE FILLING and CINNAMON WHIPPED CREAM
Adapted via David Lebovtiz and AllThingsCupcake
Serves: 20 (yields about 2 dozen cupcakes)

Ingredients
For Dulce de Leche:
♦ 2 (14-oz) cans sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
♦ sea salt (or kosher)

For Cupcakes:
♦ 3 cups cake flour
♦ 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
♦ 1/2 tsp salt
♦ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
♦ 11 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
♦ 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
♦ 2 large eggs, at room temperature
♦ 2 tsp vanilla extract
♦ 1 1/4 cups whole milk, at room temperature

For Whipped Cream:
♦ 1 (16-oz) carton heavy whipping cream
♦ 1/4 to 1/3 cup powdered sugar
♦ 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
♦ cinnamon (for dusting)

Directions:
Make dulce de leche: Preheat the oven to 425° F. Pour two cans of sweetened condensed milk into a glass pie plate or shallow baking dish; stir in a few flecks of sea salt or kosher salt. Set the pie plate within a larger pan, such as a roasting pan, and add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pie plate.
Cover the pie plate snugly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. (Check a few times during baking and add more water to the roasting pan as necessary).

Once the Dulce de Leche is nicely browned and caramelized, remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool, whisk until smooth. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Warm gently in a warm water bath or microwave oven before using.

Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pans with baking cups. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter, cinnamon, and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mixing well after each addition. Add flour mixture in three additions alternately with milk in two additions, beating batter just to combine between additions; be careful to not overmix. Continue beating one minute. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about two-thirds full.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes (rotating the pans halfway), or until cake tester or wooden skewer inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean; cool 10 minutes. Turn out onto cooling rack; cool completely. Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 3 days at room temperature.

Assemble the cupcakes: using a paring knife or apple corer, cut out the center of each cupcake from the top (about halfway through). Place dulce de leche into a large plastic bag, and snip the corner; pipe into the cut cupcakes, filling up to the top.

Make the whipped cream: in a large metal bowl that’s been chilled in a freezer for at least 5 minutes, pour the carton of cream. Using a hand mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add the powdered sugar and finally the vanilla, being careful not to over-whip the cream. Pipe or dollop onto the top of the cupcakes, and dust with cinnamon (prepare the whipped cream as close to serving as possible). Serve immediately.

To read more about these cakes and my musical pairing, click HERE.