This salty-sweet phenomenon is well established, and salted caramels are now everywhere. Fleur de sel is a fancy sea salt, hand harvested from evaporating pools along the coast of Brittany in France. Similar "gourmet" salts can be found from just about everywhere on the planet, and they are definitely worth a few taste tests. You may discover something wonderful! If you don't have sea salt caramel candies on hand, it's fine to use generic caramel candies.
Topping Ideas: Crème fraîche, fresh peaches, salted peanuts, chopped pecans, or a drizzle of vinegar-caramel sauce.
Variation: Try this recipe using cajeta, the Mexican caramel made with goat's milk. Its unique flavor will hook you.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 2 mug cakes
Ingredients
Preparation
In a large mug, whisk together the butter and sugar with a fork. Stir in the egg, vanilla, caramel sauce, and milk. Add the flour and 1/4 teaspoon of the fleur de sel. Beat the batter until smooth. Divide the batter between two mugs. Top each mug with a pinch of the remaining fleur de sel. Microwave separately for 30 seconds each. Place two caramel candies on the top of each partially cooked mug cake, then continue cooking 1 to 1 1/2 minutes more until risen and firm.
