Chocolate Spice Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting

I went antique shopping the other day and came home with 2 new vintage cookbooks - one from 1940 and one from the 1950s. I have never seen the word “jellied” used so many times in one place. I eventually want to make something from every section of each of them. I originally was going to make the recipe word for word from the cookbook, but it looked like it had way too much liquid involved, so I ended up adapting it quite a bit. The buttercream frosting is of my own invention and is one of the tastiest frostings I’ve ever had. Not to brag or anything.

Spiced Devil’s Food Cake (adapted from The Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedia of Cooking and Homemaking; 1940 edition)

• 2½ cups sifted flour
• 1½ tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 ounces (squares) bakers chocolate
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ½ cup strong coffee (still hot)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Sift flour, spices, baking soda and salt together; set aside. Cream shortening with sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Melt chocolate on top of stove in a double boiler. Add beaten eggs and chocolate and beat thoroughly.Add sifted dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately in small amounts, beating well after each addition. Add hot coffee and blend.Pour into cupcake tins 3/4 full and bake 30-35 minutes.

Caramel Buttercream Frosting

• 4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 or more tablespoons heavy cream
• ½ to 3/4 cup caramel sauce (either homemade or store-bought; how much you add depends on how much you want the caramel flavor to show through)
• salt*

Cream butter at medium speed until fluffy, then slowly add the confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla, and one tablespoon of heavy cream. Gradually add the caramel sauce then turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the rest of the heavy cream, then turn the mixer to high speed. And whip until fluffy. Or add more cream if needed to achieve a more glaze-like consistency or whip more air into the frosting to give it more body and a “whipped” buttercream texture.
*add salt to taste and it will become salted caramel buttercream