Milky Way Cupcakes for My Girl Paula

Run, don't walk, to the kitchen and make this cake! It's that good! I made these little cupcakes today and I am already guilty of eating two of them!! This Milky Way cake/cupcakes is this week's recipe for My Girl Paula, a group who is cooking recipes from Paula Deen's Lady & Sons Too cookbook. I knew the recipe would be good, but I didn't know it would be SO DARN DELICIOUS!!

The cake has a melt in your mouth quality (probably all that butter) and is quite dense. Both the cake and the frosting have a caramel flavor. I happen to love caramel, especially with bites of chocolate throughout. I am also sharing this information for those of you who might think "milky way cake" sounds like it would be a chocolate cake, which was my initial thought. Paula's recipe calls for pecans in the cake and also pecans in the frosting, but I didn't include them and I am very happy that I left them out. The frosting is cooked on the stove and is very ooey, gooey and sticky. It is kind of a buttercream meets a fudge. It is a little on the runny side(see pics above & below) when first applied to cupcake/cake, but will harden as it sits.



This is probably the most fattening of all Paula's desserts. There are 3 sticks of butter in the actual cake, and another stick of butter in the frosting. This is part of the reason why I left the pecans out, but I also enjoy a smooth cake and frosting. In addition to all this butter, there are 8 whole milky way bars in the cake. This is not for someone watching their waistline, unless they want a total indulgence! For all these reasons, I chose to make cupcakes again. I like to spread the calories around!!

MILKY WAY CAKE- adapted from Paula Deen's Lady & Sons, Too
Cake:
Confectioners' sugar for dusting pan/or make cupcakes with liners
Eight 1-3/4 oz. Milky War Bars
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter ** Yes, 3 sticks : )
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, well beaten
2 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans, if using

Icing:
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup marshmallow cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
6-ounces chocolate chips -I used milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, if using
additional Milky Way bars - for garnishing (it adds a wonderful bite to the cupcake)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease 3 9-inch cake pans and dust with confectioner sugar OR make cupcakes and use liners. To make the cake, melt the Milky way bars with 1 stick of butter. Remove from the heat and let cool. Cream the remaining 2 sticks of butter with the granulated sugar. Add the beaten eggs and the cooled chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and the baking soda together. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk to the batter, blending well. Add the nuts and vanilla. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes (Note: I also baked my cupcakes about 30 -35 mins), or until firm to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes, remove from the pans, and place on cooling racks. While the cake cools, prepare the icing: Combine the sugar and milk in a heavy saucepan. Cook to the soft-ball stage (234 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove the pan from the heat and add the marshmallow cream, butter, and chocolate chips, stirring until melted. Add the pecans (optional). When the cake has cooled completely, frost each layer, sides and the top of the Milky Way Cake.

Enjoy a very decadent and extremely indulgent treat!!

Don't forget to vote for the winner of the pitch your own Food Network Show contest here. You can vote by leaving a comment at the end of the post, or by sending an email to tony.tracy@att.net.

Lastly, I was tagged by Sylwia of Unsifted and am sharing the ABC's of me below. If I tag you, and you choose to play along, here are the guidelines:
1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share the ABCs of you.
4. Tag 4 people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let the 4 tagged people know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so that there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag.

So...here it goes:
1. A – Available/Single? Married
2. B – Best friend? I have a ton of best friends. My children, my parents, my husband, and my three childhood friends
3. C – Cake or Pie? Pie
4. D – Drink of choice? Diet Pepsi or Diet Coke or Crystal Light Peach Iced Tea
5. E – Essential item you use every day? Chapstick and Lotion (I'm addicted)
6. F – Favorite color? Probably gray, but I love black and white (are those colors?)
7. G – Gummy Bears Or Worms? Gummy Bear
8. H – Hometown? Elyria, Ohio
9. I – Indulgence? Chocolate, Pasta and various bath and body products
10. J – January or February? February - I love Valentine's Day
11. K – Kids & their names? Olivia Faith and Jackson Anthony
12. L – Life is incomplete without? Family and Friends and Food!!
13. M – Marriage date? April 19th - Las Vegas
14. N – Number of siblings? I have no siblings, however my 3 childhood friends are much like sisters to me.
15. O – Oranges or Apples? Apples
16. P – Phobias/Fears? being without my chapstick
17. Q – Quote for today? Butter is better!! (hey, I did cook a Paula recipe)
18. R – Reason to smile? My 2 year old telling me that I'm his favorite person
19. S – Season? Fall/Autumn
20. T – Tag 3 People? Joanne of Eats Well With Others, Libby of Cooking with Libby, CaSaundraLeigh over at A Pinch of This, and a Dash of That
21. U – Unknown fact about me? I can't fix anything that is broken. I give it to hubby.
22. V – Vegetable you don't like? Okra
23. W – Worst habit? Playing with my hair
24. X – X-rays you've had? Lower back x-rays
25. Y – Your favorite food? Pasta, chocolate, bread, peanut butter, biscuits.... I heart Carbs!!
26. Z – Zodiac sign? Virgo - yesterday was my birthday