Fall Frosting Flavors and the Easiest Caramel Sauce You Will Ever Make

Today's post is just about perfectly warm and fuzzy flavors for the Fall season: 

Chocolate, Pumpkin, and Caramel. 

Chocolate cupcakes (click here for recipe) with 

Pumpkin spice and Buttery Salted Caramel Swiss meringue buttercream.

Pumpkin Spice SMBC

2 cups vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream
2 Tsp pumpkin spice extract ( I use Lorann bakery emulsions)
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 Tsp pumpkin pie spices
Orange gel color (optional)

Blend together, pipe onto cupcakes or frost cake. Garnish with ginger snap cookies (or crumbs!)

Buttery Salted Caramel SMBC 

This caramel sauce incorporates brown sugar, it comes out smooth and with a butterscotch flavor but not overpowering. Mix everything into a saucepan. No thermometers, no worrying about sugars crystallizing or burning. Easy Peesy.

2 cups vanilla swiss meringue buttercream
1 cup caramel sauce:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla 
• Fleur de sel to garnish (or coarse sea salt)

1. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. 
2. Add in sugar, brown sugar until well combined, use a whisk.
3. Continue to whisk slowly on medium low hear until sugars are dissolved and consistency can coat a spoon. Add in whipping cream.
4. Remove from heat, add in vanilla, and mix well, and allow to cool at room temperature.
5. When cooled, slowly incorporate into buttercream.
6. Pipe onto cupcakes or frost cake.
7. Drizzle with extra caramel sauce, and sprinkle Fleur de sel right before serving (or else it will dissolve).