Caramel Macchiato Cupcakes

tarbucks now makes flavored Via (instant coffee). I heard tales of using it in waffles and I thought I'd try my hand using it in cupcakes. The recipe is based on a caramel macchiato which is vanilla syrup, milk, and espresso topped with caramel.

For this recipe, I used:

-a box of Betty Crocker French Vanilla cake mix

-3 packs of vanilla flavored via

-2 packs of caramel via

-a tub of vanilla icing
Mix the vanilla via in with the cake mix. I first tried using two packets of via, but it didn't taste strong enough. The addition of a third packet definitely helped! Follow the instructions for baking the cupcakes. In the meanwhile, make the caramel icing!
I emptied the entire tub of icing into a bowl and mixed in one packet of caramel via. There was something off about the flavor and the texture was too crunchy. I took a second packet of caramel via and dissolved it with hot water in a demitasse cup and then mixed it all together. After that the icing was perfection! The texture and flavor were just right.
The first batch I made was bite sized. I have to say, I don't really like baking. But I enjoyed the adventure of creating my own recipe (even though I didn't make them from scratch) and they turned out really well!