I am finally back from a mini vacation at Oglebay Resort in West Virginia. I’m so not the outdoorsy type; therefore, it wasn’t my favorite idea for a vacation. However, it was a great way to spend time with family, so I put aside my girly ways and dealt with the whole “roughing it” vibe. Well, if you consider hanging out in a cabin “roughing it”. I’ll touch more on Oglebay in an upcoming post, because today is simply devoted to these incredibly decadent Rolo Cupcakes.

While I was away, Kristan and Amber took over MBA for a few days with their Rolo creations. Both of their recipes had me craving caramel and wishing that I brought along my baking gear to West Virgina.

Before I left town, I whipped up these super simple Rolo Cupcakes using my Snicker’s Cupcake recipe as inspiration. I started with my favorite doctored up cake mix recipe, nestled a frozen Rolo in the middle of the batter, topped the baked cupcakes with caramel infused buttercream and finished with a drizzle of ganache and a Rolo. Are you drooling yet?

If you aren’t a fan of boxed mixes, simply substitute your favorite from scratch chocolate cupcake recipe. I’m pretty sure you’ll still have amazing results. Be sure to stop back tomorrow for the finale to Rolo Week, which may have something to do with ice cream. Yes, I went there – and you won’t want to miss it.

Rolo Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Total Time: 47 minutes

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 18-22 minutes

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes

  • 1 (18.25 ounce) package Devil’s Food Cake mix
  • 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs; lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 24 frozen Rolos (freeze for at least 2 hours)

For the frosting

  • 4 sticks unsalted butter; room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ⅓ cup caramel syrup
  • 1 1/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar

For the ganache

  • 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into very small pieces
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 24 Rolos for garnish

Directions:

For the cupcakes

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Line (2) 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, water and vanilla until well combined and smooth.
  4. Evenly divide the batter amongst the prepared pans. {I use a large cookie scoop from OXO to scoop my batter; it holds 3 tablespoons}.
  5. Gently push a frozen Rolo into the center of the batter and smooth the surface making sure to cover the candy with batter.
  6. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch. A small divot may appear in the center of the cupcake, no worries though because you’ll cover that with frosting.
  7. Cool cupcakes thoroughly on wire rack.

For the frosting

  1. Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract, salt and caramel syrup and combine well.
  2. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, give it a taste and decide if you want to add in more caramel syrup. For thicker frosting you can gradually add in a little more sugar.

For the ganache

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until very hot, but not boiling.
  2. Place chocolate pieces in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in the honey, corn syrup, and vanilla. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Do not let the glaze sit for too long or it will harden up before you spoon it over the frosting.
  3. Spoon the glaze on the tops of the frosted cupcakes, allowing it to drip down the sides a little bit. Don’t add too much glaze or it will drip all over your liners.
  4. Top each cupcake with a Rolo.
  5. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator. Remove them to room temperature one hour before serving.

Notes:

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