INGREDIENTS
Chocolate Cupcakes:
Butter, for greasing pan (or paper muffin cups)
Flour, for flouring pan
1 1/3 cups hot water
2 tablespoons instant coffee crystals
1 (18.3-ounce) box chocolate fudge cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
12 soft caramel candies, unwrapped
Frosting:
1 (16-ounce) container chocolate frosting
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow creme, refrigerated
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (or crushed peppermint candies)
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Directions
Butter and flour 2 (6-cup) cupcake pans. Stir hot water and coffee crystals in large bowl until crystals dissolve. Let cool. Add cake mix, oil, and eggs to coffee in large bowl. Beat by hand or with a hand mixer for 2 minutes, or until well blended. Fill each muffin cup halfway with batter. Place 1 caramel candy in the center of each. Pour remaining batter over caramels. Bake for 12 minutes, or until cakes have puffed. Cool cupcakes in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully remove cupcakes from pans and let cool completely before frosting.
Cut off tops of cupcakes, reserving both the tops and bottoms. Frost cupcake tops with chocolate frosting. Spoon 1 tablespoon of chilled marshmallow creme atop each cake bottom. Place cake tops back on top of cake bottoms. Dust tops with cocoa powder and sprinkle with coconut.
