Caramel Apple Cupcakes

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These caramel apple cupcakes are TO DIE FOR. It’s an easy spiced cupcake with fresh apples stirred into the batther. And then topped with a salted caramel buttercream frosting. And more salted caramel drizzled over to send them completely over the edge. 

 I don’t know about you but no treat goes faster then a plate of cupcakes. And seriously who can blame them if these cupcakes are staring at them?

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Not sure it counts when they are stuffed into a cupcake and topped with a homemade salted caramel frosting, but worth a shot right?

So let’s get back to these caramel apple cupcakes. Mmm, these cupcakes.

Ingredients to make these caramel apple cupcakes

• all purpose flour – Nothing fancy here. Good old all purpose flour is what I use. I always have it on hand so I love that I can whip up these cupcakes whenever I want. 
• baking powder – this of course will help your cupcakes rise. Be sure that your baking powder is fresh and not expired. You can test the baking powder in a bit of hot water to see if it bubbles before you begin your recipe. Read Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda to learn more!
• salt – I used table salt for these cupcakes. A little bit of salt always helps to balance out the sweetness.
• cinnamon – Of course with apples I need my warm spices. And cinnamon never disappoints!
• nutmeg – I love a little nutmeg for extra spice in these cupcakes. But a little goes a little way. 
• unsalted butter – These cupcakes use melted butter so they come together quickly. I recommend unsalted so you can control the amount of salt. 
• granulated white sugar– Just good old sugar to help sweeten these!
• eggs (you will use 2 large eggs, and one additional egg white) – Make sure your eggs are large, and at room temperature before starting. Place them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before starting the recipe to make the eggs come to room temperature quickly. 
• milk – I used whole milk for the best richness and flavor and texture. But you could substitute other types of milk if you need to (low fat, almond, soy)
• vanilla extract – I reduced the amount of vanilla extract in this recipe so it didn’t overpower the flavors going on. 
• 2 apples (I used one Gala, and one Granny Smith) – The key to these cupcakes is shredding the apples in this cupcake so the apples don’t overwhelm the batter. You can use different varieties of apples if you have them. Give What Are The Best Apples For Baking? a read for more suggestions on which apples to use.

How to make these caramel apple cupcakes

 These cupcakes start off with an easy spiced cupcake.  I used my Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe and then stirred in cinnamon, nutmeg, and fresh apples turning them into a delicious apple cupcake.

Step One: Start by combining your dry ingredients

In a mixing bowl you want to whisk together your dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

Step Two: Combine Your Wet Ingredients

In a second mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, eggs and egg white. Stir in the milk and vanilla. 

Step Three: Combine Wet And Dry Ingredients

Now pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir to combine. 

Step Four: Add the shredded apples

Now you want to fold in the shredded apples. 

Pro Tip: Be sure to not over mix. Just fold in gently and stop stirring once the apples have been evenly mixed in. 

Step Five: Scoop and Bake

Now you want to scoop the batter into the pans. Be sure to fill these 3/4 of the way full (basically almost right to the top). Because these are made with melted butter and not creamed, filling these a bit more than I normally would for cupcakes is perfectly OK.  You should get 12-14 cupcakes. I like to use a large scoop to get even sized cupcakes. 

How to make the caramel buttercream frosting

Now onto the caramel frosting. This frosting is my go to frosting recipe. It is seriously hands down the best buttercream recipe I have ever made and tasted. 

Start by creaming your butter in your stand mixer. This frosting is much easier if made in your stand mixer, but can be done with a hand mixer but will take longer to cream. Then add in your powdered sugar and cream together.

Add in the heavy cream, vanilla and caramel.  You can use storebought caramel sauce, caramel sauce made from caramel candies or  homemade salted caramel sauce.

The key to this frosting is to mix for 8 minutes on medium speed. It makes it very light and fluffy.

For piping the perfect cupcake, read this post.

Tips to make these caramel apple cupcakes

• Be sure to measure your flour correctly by scooping and leveling. You can get a full tutorial on how to do that here.
• Use room temperature eggs so they are evenly incorporated and create an emulsion that will effectively trap air to help your cupcakes rise.
• Do not overmix once your dry ingredients have been incorporated. Too much mixing will activate too much gluten in the flour resulting in a tough cupcake. I finish stirring with a spatula so as to ensure not to overmix.
• Make sure to not overfill the cupcakes. Overfilled cupcakes will sink in the middle after they have been removed from the oven. Read this post for more reasons why your cupcakes sink in the middle. 
• I love using either a Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Cortland apple for the filling. You can also check out my post, What Are The Best Apples For Baking?

Can I Make These Cupcakes Ahead Of Time?

Absolutely you can! These cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature.

The frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.

If you have leftover cupcakes they also keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days.  You can also freeze these cupcakes, without filling, for up to 2-3 months. Then just thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then fill and frost as normal!

Can I Use Low Fat Milk To These Cupcakes?

I do recommend using whole milk for the best taste and texture, but you can use a low fat milk if that’s all you have. It may just slightly affect the overall texture. 

What kind of apples are best for these caramel apple cupcakes?

I used one Gala and one Granny Smith. But two Granny Smith would be great. Or two Gala apples. I also love using Honey crisp as well.

Here is a great post to read –> What Are The Best Apples For Baking?

To make these caramel apple cupcakes you will need:

• Cupcake Pans (I love and highly recommend these Chicago Metallic pans)
• Cupcake Liners (I love using these greaseproof liners)
• Cooling Rack (Never let your cupcakes sit in the pans once you take them out of the oven or they will continue to bake! These racks are a must.
• Caramel Sauce- You can make your own or you can buy some. I love this caramel sauce.

Ok so leftover caramel sauce not a bad thing am I right? Use it to drizzle some on the cupcakes as garnish!

More apple, more caramel, nothing wrong with that right? 

More apple recipes

Caramel Apple Snickerdoodles

Apple Cider Doughnut Muffins

Apple Crisp

Apple Cinnamon Scones with Apple Cider Glaze 

Homemade Apple Pie

Salted Caramel Apple Bars

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ipe Card

Print Recipe

Salted Caramel Apple Cupcakes

A caramel apple cupcake filled with a chunks of cinnamon apples topped with a salted caramel buttercream frosting and drizzled with more salted caramel sauce

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time1 hr 20 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: cupcakes

Keyword: apple, caramel, cupcakes, fall desserts

Servings: 12 -14 cupcakes

Calories: 358kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• 1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 apples (about 2 cups) shredded

For the Salted Caramel Buttercream

• 2 1/2 sticks butter softened to room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

For the cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cupcake pan with liners. .
•  In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Whisk to combine.
• In a second mixing bowl, whisk together butter and sugar. Add the eggs and egg whites until combined. Stir in milk and vanilla. 
• Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir to combine. 
• Fold in the shredded apples. 
• Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until lightly golden on top and toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean about 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack and let cool completely for about an hour before topping with buttercream.

For the Caramel Buttercream

•  In a stand mixer, or medium bowl with a hand mixer cream butter and powdered sugar together.
•  Add in vanilla, heavy cream, salted caramel. Cream on medium to medium-high speed for 8 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Store in an airtight container until ready to use. If you store in the refrigerator, you will need to whip again to bring back until the right consistency.

To assemble cupcakes

• Using a pastry bag and pastry tip pipe a swirl of buttercream frosting on top. I used the large closed star Atecco tip.
•  Drizzle salted caramel sauce over each cupcake. Cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. If you store in the refrigerator, bring cupcakes to room temperature before serving.

Notes

• Be sure to measure your flour correctly by scooping and leveling. You can get a full tutorial on how to do that here.
• Use room temperature eggs so they are evenly incorporated and create an emulsion that will effectively trap air to help your cupcakes rise. 
• Do not overmix once your dry ingredients have been incorporated. Too much mixing will activate too much gluten in the flour resulting in a tough cupcake. I finish stirring with a spatula so as to ensure not to overmix.
• Make sure to not overfill the cupcakes. Overfilled cupcakes will sink in the middle after they have been removed from the oven. Read this post for more reasons why your cupcakes sink in the middle. 

Nutrition

Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 7.2% | Vitamin C: 1.7% | Calcium: 5.3% | Iron: 5.5%