Creme Brulee Cupcakes

You guys really picked a good one this time! At first, I was voting for Peche Melba, but when I realized it was going to lose by a landslide I changed my vote to Creme Brulee. (I quelled my desire for Peche Melba by making a peach stuffed French toast with raspberry sauce! You gotta try this.) Anyway, the recipe in Cupcakes Galore called for brown sugar buttercream (eww), so you know I changed it. To what? C'mon, you know me well enough by now. Why, a brown sugar Swiss meringue buttercream, OF COURSE! I haven't tasted these cupcakes yet because I'm on my way out the door to grab some dinner at Moe's Southwest Grill with the b/f... BUT my ex-b/f ate one earlier and said they are fantastic! (He helped me make them, so maybe he's a little biased.) I was worried they would just taste like a vanilla cupcake with brown sugar frosting, but in his words, "They taste like Creme Brulee if you think about it."
EDIT: I just ate one of these..... OMG!! Seriously, the BEST cupcake I've tasted since the Cookie Dough Cupcakes. The cake is perfectly light and moist. Very flavorful! My dad says they're the best yet! Extreeeemely delicious! :)
PS: We're almost at 100,000 page views!!

ingredients They always get that ugly brown ring when I use my Wilton pans. Brown sugar, egg whites, & salt for frosting! I'm in love with Swiss Meringue Buttercream! <333 Had to dust off my Crème Brûlée ramekins...

I bought a Bake & Destroy t-shirt, and Natalie sent me these toppers because she's awesome!

This one's for you lady!

Cupcake recipe from Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman.
Frosting recipe from Everyday Baking from Everyday Food.

Crème Brûlée Cupcakes
Makes about 24 cupcakes (the book said 16; I got 23)

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt, plus a pinch for the egg whites
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons caramel syrup (ice cream topping)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Alternately beat in dry ingredients and milk. Add caramel syrup and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
4. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff but not dry. Gently fold whites into batter.
5. Spoon batter into cupcake papers, filling cups about 2/3 full. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool.

BROWN SUGAR SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
1 cup light brown sugar
4 egg whites
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

Put sugar, egg whites and salt into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees). Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes total. Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and continue beating 1 minute to reduce air bubbles.