Cupcakes
Preheat your oven to 350˚F and prepare your cupcake pan with liners.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Gently melt the butter and chocolate together in a bain-marie or in the microwave, using a microwavable bowl. Set aside to cool until lukewarm (80–110˚ F).
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until slightly frothy.
Next, add the yogurt into the egg mixture and whisk to combine well.
Add the stout to the egg mixture and combine until it is evenly mixed. The mixture will look frothy from the carbonation.
Take your flour mixture and place half of it into the egg mixture and combine until the batter is smooth. Once the batter is lump-free, add remaining flour and mix until it is incorporated.
Add your cooled chocolate/butter mixture into the batter and combine until the batter is evenly colored. The batter should look very mousse-like.
Place about 55g or ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner and bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
When the cupcakes are done, allow them to fully cool on a rack before frosting.
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks have formed. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until it is slightly fluffy.
Using a spatula, add half of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and mix until it is combined well.
Add the remaining whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and fold until the mixture is combined. The mixture should be soft and smooth, yet able to hold its form if piped.
Place the frosting into a piping bag and keep cold until the cupcakes are completely cooled and ready for frosting.
Caramel Sauce
Place the sugar and water into a small saucepan over medium / med-high heat. While the sugar is cooking, resist the urge to stir the mixture.
If sugar crystals start to form before the sugar caramelizes, use a wet, heatproof brush and brush the edges of the pot with a little water to help the crystals dissolve.
Let the sugar cook for about 6 to 8 min or until the sugar begins to change to a light-medium honey color. If the sugar is not coloring evenly, gently move the pot in a circular motion to swirl and encourage even heating.
Once the sugar has reached the light-medium honey color, remove the pot from the heat. Using a heat-proof spatula, slowly and carefully stir the heavy cream into the caramelized sugar.
Finish the caramel by adding the butter and mix until the caramel is smooth. Allow this to cool.
Once it has cooled, take a spoon and carefully drizzle the sauce over the frosting. If the caramel has become too hard to drizzle, it can be warmed up in the microwave in 10-second intervals or with the stove on low heat until it is more manageable.
