Turtle cupcakes are a delicious combination of chocolate, caramel, and pecans! Moist chocolate cupcakes swirled with chocolate buttercream frosting, drizzle with chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, and chopped pecans. If you love turtle candies, this cupcake is for you!
Ingredients for Turtle Cupcakes
Chocolate cupcakes
- Dark cocoa powder: My favorite is the Hershey’s Special Dark 100% Cacao Dutched Cocoa as it is the most cost effective and delicious!
- Chocolate chips: Use semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips.
- Boiling water: Boiling water melts the chocolate chips and blooms or hydrates the cocoa powder.
- All-purpose flour: Regular all-purpose flour works perfectly.
- Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar to sweeten the cupcakes.
- Baking soda: A leavening agent to help the cupcakes rise.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor of the chocolate cupcakes.
- Vegetable oil: Provides moisture to the cupcakes.
- Egg: Room temperature.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract enhances the flavor of the chocolate!
Chocolate buttercream frosting
- Unsalted butter: Room temperature butter.
- Powdered sugar: No need to sift unless the powdered sugar is super lumpy.
- Salt: To enhance the vanilla flavor and provide a bit of contrast to the sweetness.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream dissolves the sugar a bit, making the buttercream smooth.
- Dark cocoa powder: Dark cocoa powder adds a rich, chocolatey flavor to the frosting.
Additional ingredients
- Chocolate chips: Semisweet or bittersweet to make chocolate ganache.
- Caramel bits: Tiny bits of caramel to combine with heavy cream to make a caramel sauce.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream is added to both the chocolate chips and caramel bits.
- Pecans: Chopped pecans.
Tools & Supplies for Making Turtle Cupcakes
How to Make Turtle Cupcakes
Chocolate cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F & line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Combine chocolate chips, dark cocoa powder, and boiling water. Allow to stand for a few minutes. Mix until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Add melted chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Add in vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine but do not overmix.
- Portion the cupcake batter into cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop, about 3/4 full.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the cupcakes bounce back when gently touched or an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes in the cupcake pan for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate buttercream frosting
- Whip the room temperature unsalted butter for about 5 minutes until light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add in half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed until the sugar is combined with the butter. Then add the remaining half and continue to mix on low speed.
- Add the vanilla extract and salt.
- Add in the dark cocoa powder and continue to mix on low until combined.
- Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl after this step to ensure everything is well mixed.
- Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and whip the buttercream for about 3 minutes.
- (Optional) Switch to a paddle attachment and mix on low speed for an additional 5 minutes to remove air bubbles and made the buttercream silky smooth.
Caramel and chocolate drizzles
The chocolate ganache and caramel drizzle are made in the microwave. Keep your eyes on the microwave so the chocolate ganache or caramel sauce do not boil over the bowl.
- Chocolate ganache: Combine chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted and combined.
- Caramel drizzle: Combine caramel bits and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted and combined.
Turtle Cupcakes Recipe Tips
Bake perfect cupcakes
Check out my baking tips blog post on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes to learn simple tips and tricks to baking the best cupcakes.
Assembling the cupcakes
Swirl on the chocolate buttercream using a Wilton 1M tip. Chill the cupcakes for 30 minutes. While the cupcakes are chilling, make the ganache and caramel. Drizzle on the caramel using a piping bag in a zig-zag motion. Drizzle on the chocolate ganache using a zig-zag motion in the opposite direction. Sprinkle on chopped pecans.
Temperature of drizzles
Be sure that the chocolate ganache and caramel sauce are warm and not too hot. If they are too hot, they will melt the buttercream frosting. One way to mitigate this risk is to chill the frosted cupcakes for 30 minutes before adding the drizzles. Add the pecans onto the drizzles right away so they easily stick to the cupcakes.
Storing and serving
Turtle cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To serve, bring the cupcakes to room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Turtle Cupcakes
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- ¼ cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup dark cocoa powder
- ¾ cup boiling water
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- â…“ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- â…“ cup dark cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
Chocolate Ganache
- ¼ cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
Caramel Drizzle
- ¼ cup caramel bits
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
Toppings
- ¼ cup pecans chopped
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a small bowl or a glass liquid measuring cup, stir together chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and boiling water until the cocoa powder is dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Mix the chocolate mixture again to ensure that the chocolate chips are melted. Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk gently until just combined.
- Add vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully combined.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the 12 cupcake liners.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back slightly when touched.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add in room temperature unsalted butter. Whip the butter for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides occasionally. The butter will be light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add one half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed setting until fully combined. Add remaining powdered sugar and continue to mix on low until incorporated.
- Add vanilla extract and salt and mix on low until combined.
- Add dark cocoa powder and continue to mix on low speed until combined.
- Increase speed to medium on the mixer and slowly drizzle in the heavy cream. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure the frosting is well mixed.
- Once the heavy cream is added, turn the speed on the mixer to high and whip for an additional 3 minutes.
- If desired, switch to a paddle attachment on the stand mixer and mix buttercream on low speed for 2 additional minutes or mix by hand with a spatula to remove air bubbles to create smooth frosting.
Chocolate Ganache
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and heavy cream.
- Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir. Microwave on 15 second intervals, stirring in between until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Caramel Drizzle
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine caramel bits and heavy cream.
- Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir. Microwave on 15 second intervals, stirring in between until the caramel is melted and smooth.
Assembling the Turtle Cupcakes
- Allow cupcakes to cool to room temperature before icing and drizzling.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M tip with chocolate buttercream frosting. Swirl the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes. Chill the cupcakes for 30 minutes.
- Drizzle the chocolate ganache and caramel sauce over the chilled cupcakes. You can use a piping bag or a squeeze bottle.
- Sprinkle chopped pecans onto the cupcakes.
Notes
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