Salted Caramel Frosting

Salted Caramel

1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1.  Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in large saucepan.  Cover and cook over medium heat for three minutes.
2.  Remove lid and increase heat to medium-high.  Do not stir from this point on but swirl the liquid around so it doesn't burn every few min.  Cook until it reaches an even golden color.
3.  Remove from heat and pour in heavy cream.  It will be very hot and bubble up.
4.  Stir in the butter, lemon juice, and salt.  Mix well.
5.  Measure 1 cup of caramel into a 1 cup Pyrex measuring cup.  Set aside until cool, about 20 min.
6.  Extra caramel (apx. 1/4 cup) can keep in the fridge up to a week.  Use on apples or ice cream.

Salted Caramel Frosting

2 sticks butter at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
2 1/2-3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup salted carmel (recipe above)

1. Beat butter and cream cheese until creamy.
2. Add 2 cups powdered sugar.  Mix well.
3. Add salted caramel and beat until combined.
4. Add additional powdered sugar until the frosting tastes sweet enough to you.  Careful not to add too much.

This is great on chocolate cake or brownie cupcakes!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

I went searching for a chocolate cream cheese frosting recipe for Chase and Emmy's birthday cake yesterday. Here is what I ended up using. I thought it was pretty good, but am still open to suggestions if someone has something better. I took suggestions from several different posted recipes and the recipes were all over the place on the cream cheese, butter, sugar ratio. I ended up trying to stay close to Best Bites regular cream cheese frosting ratios.

Ingredients

8 oz. package cream cheese, room temp

1/2 c. butter, room temp.

1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

2 tbsp. heavy cream

1/2 c. coco powder

4 c. powdered sugar, approx.

Beat cream cheese, butter, and extract until light and fluffy. Add in cream, coco, and powder sugar and beat until smooth and fully mixed. Depending on desired stiffness add more or less powder sugar and frost away.

Cream Cheese Frosting*

1 8 oz. package cream cheese
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
Salt
4 cups powdered sugar

Blend all ingredients except powdered sugar. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating well each time, until desired consistency.