Caramel Apple Cupcakes

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These caramel apple cupcakes are TO DIE FOR. It’s an apple pie spiced cupcakes with cinnamon apple filling and topped with a salted caramel buttercream frosting. And more salted caramel drizzled over to send them completely over the edge. 

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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.

How To Make These Caramel Apple Cupcakes

 These cupcakes start off with an apple pie spiced cupcake.  You can buy a jar of apple pie spice or simply make a batch of your own apple pie spice. 

How To Make The Cinnamon Apple Filling:

These apple cupcakes then get cored and filled with a fresh cinnamon apple filling. This filling is delicious just on its own but why not throw it into a cupcake right? This filling is super easy. Only 4 ingredients. Some butter, brown sugar, apples, and a little salt to round it out.

All you need to do is saute this on your stove-top for a couple minutes until the apples are soft. You could even make this filling a day or two ahead of time and simply refrigerate and save yourself some time! 

Check out this post on how to core and fill a cupcake!

How To Make Caramel 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 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 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?

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.
• Candy thermometer– If you do decide to make your own, then invest in one of these and make your life easy.
• 10-inch skillet (You will need this for your apple filling! I own and use this Cuisinart Skillet)
• Kitchenaid mixer (you could use a hand mixer, but the frosting needs 8 minutes to whip! Invest in one today and you will keep it forever!)

Ok so leftover caramel sauce not a bad thing am I right? You could always whip up some of these apple bars as well.

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

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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 Time1 hr

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time1 hr 20 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: cupcakes

Keyword: apple, caramel, cupcakes, fall desserts

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons apple pie spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup yogurt I used plain greek non fat

For the apple filling

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 apples peeled, cored, and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

For the salted caramel sauce

• 1 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter chilled
• 1 Tablespoon fleur de sel any larger flaky salt will do

For the Salted Caramel Buttercream

• 2 1/2 sticks butter softened to room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 Tablespoons 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, baking soda, apple pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine.
• In a stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar on medium high until light and fluffy about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low add egg and egg white. Beat in vanilla.
• Combine the milk and yogurt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
• Add in the flour mixture 3 additions, alternating with milk beating until just combined; scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium high heat and beat just until no flour remains about 30 seconds. Do not overbeat.
• 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 filling with cinnamon apples and topping with buttercream.

To make the filling

• Using a 10-inch skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat. Add chopped apples, cook about 5 minutes stirring occassionally until softened. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar cinnamon and salt.
• Cook for an additional five minutes until tender. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

For the Salted Caramel

•  Pour water into a medium sauce pan. Pour your sugar into the center of the pan. Be careful not to let the sugar crystals touch the side of the pan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover and continue to boil until the syrup is thick and straw colored and your thermometer registers 300 degrees, about 15 minutes.
• Reduce your heat to medium and continue to cook until the sugar is deep amber and registers 350 degrees, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring your heavy cream to a simmer in a saucepan over high heat. If you cream begins to simmer before your sugar is ready, remove the cream from heat and set aside.
• Remove the sugar syrup from heat. Carefully pour about 1/4 of your cream into your sugar syrup. The mixture will bubble vigorously. Let the bubbling subside, and add in the remaining cream. Whisk gently until smooth, then whisk in your butter and your salt.
• Let cool until warm and serve. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to two weeks.

For the 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

•  Core the center of the cupcakes by using a knife. Cut at an angle to remove the center.
• Fill each cupcake with about a tablespoon of the apple filling.
• 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.