Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

I am by no means a cupcake expert. The only time I made some real frosted cupcakes I was totally disappointed with how they tasted (the quantity of butter in them made them taste horrible and the buttercream frosting just didn't do for me). So I let them be for a while. And to be honest, both me and the kids prefer a good muffin, the only preferance going from chocolate to fruit ones. Less mess, less fussing, less dishes to wash.
However, a couple weeks ago, I wanted to surprise my friend with something sweet and something with dulce de leche that she loves so much, she literally went crazy for this cake.
I chose a recipe from this book for the cupcakes and the frosting came together spontaneously since I really had few things in the fridge to work with. But I think it came out pretty good. The cupcakes are incredibly moist and soft, definitily a keeper.
Now, I'd like to have a couple of these again, to make the return from our long vacation easier and sweeter. And while I'm reading everywhere about kids going back to school, here we have to wait ten more days and that means kids are impatient, bored, and having them help in the kitchen is one of their favorite ways to kill the boredom. So, aprons and whisks, ready, steady, go!!! Are you joining us?

Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

(for 16 cupcakes)
* 110 g butter
* 260 g sugar
* 2 eggs
* 180 g flour
* 4 TBspoons unsweetened cocoa
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 120 ml milk
* 120 ml water

Dulce de Leche frosting
* 60 g butter
* 160 g cream cheese
* 160 g dulce de leche
* 40 g powdered sugar

For the cupcakes, beat the softened butter with sugar until creamy. Add one egg at a time and continue mixing.
Mix and sift together the flour, the cocoa, the salt and the baking powder.
Add half of the dry ingredients into the batter.
Mix in the milk and water before adding the remaining dry ingredients.
Line a muffin pan with paper cups and fill them with the prepared batter up to 3/4.
Bake the cupcakes in an oven preheated to 180°C, for about 20 minutes - check with a tootpik inserted in the middle- it should come out dry.
Let the cupcakes cool on a cooling rack.
For the frosting, Beat the softened butter with the cream cheese until creamy.  Add the dulce the leche and mix again until the mixture is homogeneous.
I suggest you taste the frosting befor adding the powdered sugar - I added it, but some people may find it already sweet enough.
Leave the frosting in the fridge for at least 1 hour, then fill a pastry bag and decorate your cupcakes.

Cupcakes al cioccolato e dulce de leche

(per 16 tortine)
* 110 g di burro
* 260 g di zucchero
* 2 uova
* 180 g farina "00"
* 4 cucchiai di cacao amaro
* 1 cucchiaino di lievito per dolci
* 1/4 cucchiaino di sale
* 120 ml di latte
* 120 ml di acqua

Crema al dulche de leche:
* 60 g burro
* 160 g formaggio philadelphia
* 160 g dulce de leche
* 40 g zucchero a velo

Per i dolcetti, sbattete il burro ammorbidito con lo zucchero finché diventi cremoso. Aggiungete le uova, uno alla volta continuando a sbattere.  
Setacciate insieme la farina, il cacao, il sale e il lievito.
Aggiungete metà dei ingredienti secchi nello composto di burro e uova.
Aggiungete il latte e l'acqua, e infine la farina rimanente.
Foderate uno stampo per i muffin con dei pirottini di carta e riempiteli fino a 3/4 di altezza.
Infornate i dolcetti a 180°C, per circa 20 minuti - controllate la cottura con uno stuzzicadenti inserito al centro, deve uscire asciutto.
Lasciate raffreddare i dolcetti su una griglia.
Per la crema, sbattete con uno sbattitore elettrico il burro ammorbidito con il formaggio philadelphia fino a renderlo cremoso. Aggiungete il dulce de leche e sbattete di nuovo per ottenere una crema omogenea.
Consiglio di assaggiare la crema prima di aggiungere eventualmente lo zucchero a velo, perché potrebbe già così risultarvi abbastanza dolce. Regolatevi secondo i propri gusti. 
Lasciate la crema rassodare in frigo per almeno un ora. Trasferitela in una tasca da pasticcere e decorate i cupcakes a piacere.

Čokoladni cupcakes s karamel kremom

(za 16 kolačića)
* 110 g maslaca
* 260 g šećera
* 2 jaja
* 180 g brašna
* 4 žlice gorkog kakaa
* 1 žličica praška za pecivo
* 1/4 žličice soli
* 120 ml mlijeka
* 120 ml vode

Krema
* 60 g maslacal
* 160 g krem sira (philadelphia)
* 160 g dulce de leche
* 40 g šećera u prahu

Za kolačiće, mutite mikserom omekšali maslac sa šećerom dok ne dobijete pjenastu smjesu. Dodajte jedno po jedno jaje i opet dobro umutite.
Pomiješajte i prosijte skupa brašno, kakao, sol i prašak za pecivo.
Dodajte polovicu suhih sastojaka u smjesu jaja i maslaca.
Zatim umiješajte mlijeko i vodu, i na kraju preostalo brašno.
Obložite kalup za muffine papirnim košaricama i napunite ih do 3/4 visine.
Ispecite kolačiće u pećnici zagrijanoj na 180°C, oko 20 minuta - provjerite čačkalicom ubodenom u sredinu kolačića, mora izaći suha.
Izvadite kolačiće iz kalupa i ostavite ih da se ohlade na rešetki.
Za kremu, stavite u zdjelu omekšali maslac i krem sir sobne temperature. Mutite mikserom dok ne dobijete pjenastu smjesu. Dodajte dulce de leche i opet umutite mikserom da se smjesa izjednači.
Kušajte kremu i po svom ukusu dodajte još i šećer u prahu (ja jesam) ili ga izostavite ako volite malo manje slatko (isto tako umjesto šećera možete povećati količinu dulce de leche).
Kremu ostavite u hladnjaku barem 1/2 sata do sat, a zatim napunite slastičarsku vrećicu za ukrašavanje i ukrasite cupcakes po želji.