Turtle Cheesecake Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes from The Cakemix Doctor

• 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.
• Prepare the cupcake batter: Place the cake mix, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.
• Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, life the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

Dulce de Leche

Preheat the oven to 425° F (220° C).
Pour one can (400 gr/14 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) into a glass pie plate or shallow baking dish. Stir in a few flecks of sea salt.
Set the pie plate within a larger pan, such as a roasting pan, and add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pie plate.
Cover the pie plate snugly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 to 1¼ hours. (Check a few times during baking and add more water to the roasting pan as necessary).
Once the Dulce de Leche is nicely browned and caramelized, remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool, whisk until smooth.
Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Warm gently in a warm water bath or microwave oven before using.

 Cheesecake Filling

1 (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

           1/4 cup sugar

           1 tsp.vanilla

           1egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and the vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg, mixing on low speed  just until blended. Pour the batter into greased pie plate or cake pan.
3. Bake 40 to 45 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rims of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim.  Let this cool.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe 

           8 ozs cream cheese, room temperature

           1/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature 

           4 C  powdered sugar (You can decrease this amount if you don't care about it being as stiff for piping            1/2 C cocoa powder

1. Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
2. Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time.
3. Mix in cocoa powder.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (add more until it reaches your preferred consistency)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla (add more to taste)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• add 1/3 of the dulce de leche and blend.

Directions

1. Mix together sugar and butter until they are blended and creamy.
   
2. Add vanilla bean paste and milk and continue to beat for another minute.
   
3. If desired, add more vanilla bean paste to taste, or more confectioners' sugar to make it stiffer.

I make the Dulce de leche and cheesecake ahead of time, allow both to cool completely.
Mix cheesecake and 1/3 of the dulce de leche together and put into piping bag.
When cupcakes are completely cool, core with apple corer or knife. Pipe in cheesecake mixture.
Then pipe chocolate around the edge and vanilla buttercream in the center. Drizzle with remaining
dulce de leche and sprinkle with chopped pecans.