additional chopped or cut Milky Way candy bars, for garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325F. Line 18 cupcake tins with paper liners.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the sugar and the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Add one-third of the flour mixture, beat to combine, then half of the buttermilk. Repeat with another third of the flour and the remaining buttermilk, followed by the remaining flour, beating just until combined between each addition.
Divide the mixture between the 18 cups, filling each about ⅔ full. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool completely.
To make the frosting,
bring a small saucepan with about 1 inch of water to a simmer. Combine the candy bars, butter and milk in a large heat-proof bowl and set over the simmering water. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently, until the candy bars have melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and beat with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) until the mixture is smooth. (You can do this by hand as well, but it will be a little more difficult.) Let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes until just warm to the touch. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. It’s easiest to pipe it from the middle and let the frosting spread out to the edges a bit. Immediately top with a candy bar piece.
Notes
*This frosting is very sweet, so feel free to go light on the frosting. You may have some frosting left over, but it’s delicious on it’s own.
*The frosting sets up more as it cools. If you frost the cupcakes immediately, it will spread and probably drip off the side of the cupcakes. I like to wait 10-15 minutes, when it is still barely warm, as it will still slightly spread but not much at all.
