Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes

More candy flavored cupcakes. Milk chocolate, homemade caramel sauce and pecans make delicious candy and even better cupcakes :) Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Cake
1 cup butter
5 eggs (separated)
1 cup buttermilk
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
⅛ tsp salt
3 cups sugar
½ cup half and half
2 tsp vanilla
Caramel Sauce
1 cup sugar
6 tbs butter
½ cup cream
1 tsp salt
Frosting

½ cup butter
⅔ cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
⅓ cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Separate eggs into two bowls. Let eggs, butter and buttermilk sit at room temp for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 325˚F. (Meanwhile make caramel flavor by melting ½ cup sugar until a deep brown, immediately add ½ cup half and half and stir until combined. Set aside.).  In a bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. Beat butter until fluffy then add sugar until well combined. Beat in egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, starting and ending with flour. Add 5 tbs of caramel flavor and vanilla, gently stir into batter. Clean off beaters and beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Stir in one cup of whites into batter completely, then stir in the rest. Fill cupcake papers about ⅔ full and bake for 10-15 minutes. 
For caramel, add sugar to a pan with high sides and melt until it becomes a deep brown color. Remove from heat, add butter and stir until completely melted (will foam up). Then pour in cream and stir until sauce in consistent. Stir in half salt, cool completely, stir in remaining salt. Jar and refrigerate. 
For frosting, melt butter and stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and sour cream beating until spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla.
To decorate, arrange 4 pecans on the top of each cupcake and put about ¼ to ½ tsp caramel sauce in the very center finally pipe frosting over sauce and pecans.