Caramel Shards Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cupcakes: Line cupcake tins with baking cups. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 3/4 teaspoon salt into a medium bowl. Combine milk and vanilla in a measuring cup.
• Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium, and gradually add granulated sugar in a slow, steady stream. Beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
• In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the whites into the cupcake batter. Fold in remaining egg whites in 2 batches.
• Divide batter among baking cups, filling each halfway full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of each comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly touched, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely in tins set on wire racks.
• Meanwhile, make the caramel: Bring granulated sugar and water to a boil in a small high-sided saucepan, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-high, and cook until mixture just starts to turn pale gold around edges. Remove from heat, and immediately pour caramel onto a rimmed baking sheet. Working quickly, tilt pan to spread caramel to edges to make a very thin layer. Let cool to harden.
• Make the frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy and spreadable.
• Frost each cupcake using an offset spatula. Twist pan to release and break caramel in order for it to resemble broken glass. Place a shard or 2 of caramel "glass" in the center of each cupcake. Drizzle or pipe cherry preserves where caramel has entered the cupcake.

Steps:

• Lightly oil a 12-inch square of foil. In a heavy saucepan boil 1 1/4 cups sugar and 1/4 cup water over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup without stirring, washing down sugar crystals on side of pan with a brush dipped in cold water, until pale golden. Continue cooking syrup without stirring, swirling pan, until deep golden. Immediately pour caramel onto foil and cool completely, about 20 minutes. Break caramel into shards. Shards keep, layered between sheets of wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature 1 day. Recommended for garnish on chocolate and coffee desserts.

Steps:

• For the ganache, put the chocolate into a large bowl. Heat the cream in a pan until just boiling, then pour it over the chocolate. Leave for 5 mins, then stir until smooth. Put the ganache to one side to thicken and cool, then chill until needed.
• For the caramel sauce, heat the sugar and butter in a pan until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Add the cream, bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
• For the brittle, line a baking tray with baking parchment, then put the sugar and 4 tbsp of water in a heavy-based frying pan and heat, without stirring, until golden brown. Stir through the nuts, and pour (in a thin layer) over the parchment. Sprinkle with ½ tsp flaky sea salt and leave to set.
• To serve, drizzle each plate with sauce, heat a large spoon in a cup of hot water, then scoop out a curl of chocolate ganache for each plate. Break the brittle into shards and push a piece into each scoop. Sprinkle with crumbled brittle and add a pinch of sea salt.