Oatmeal cupcakes filled with layers of ganache and caramel create a cake form of the old time favorite bar cookies - Oatmeal Carmelitas. Plenty of pecans and streusel on top for crunch and flavor.
2 - 8ozpackages of Philadelphia cream cheese at room temperature
1stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
2cupsof pure cane confectioner’s sugar
1tbsvanilla
Instructions
Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Fit 24 cupcake pans with liners.
Add oats to a large bowl and pour the boiling water over them.
Set the mixture aside to cool.
Mix the dry ingredients and pecans - set aside.
In a mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla extract.
Add the eggs, one at a time.
With the mixer on low speed add the oats and dry ingredients.
Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix by hand to make sure that the batter is thoroughly mixed.
Fill each cup about ⅔ of the way.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then cool completely on racks.
Caramel
Melt the cream and the caramel together, stirring until smooth.
Ganache
Heat the cream just to boiling and then stir in the chocolate until smooth.
Streusel
Beat butter until creamy.
Add the sugar and beat well.
Add the flour and pecans and knead them in with the mixer or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly, and about the size of small pebbles.
Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until firm and slightly golden.
Let cool completely.
Frosting
Beat the cream cheese and butter together until totally blended.
Beat in the vanilla.
Beat in the confectioners sugar until frosting reaches a creamy spreadable consistency. You may need to use a little cream to achieve the correct texture.
Assemble
Remove some of the cake from the middle of the cupcakes, leaving at least ¼ inch of cake at the bottom.
Warm the caramel and ganache until they are slightly runny if they have cooled too much.
Spoon some of the ganache in the cake.
Top the ganache with caramel.
Frost the cupcakes.
Top with streusel and then drizzle with both the chocolate and caramel drizzle (you may need to add a little more cream to get the right texture.