Comforting flavors like nutmeg and cinnamon dot every chunk of those moist and flavorful apple cupcakes. The tiny and tender items of tart Granny Smith apples hiding inside soften in your mouth. Wealthy, fudge-like salted caramel frosting is the right crowning glory and when you’re up for accessorizing (go for it!), add a drizzle of salted caramel sauce, too. What a cupcake!
When the beginning of fall rolls round, some reader-favorite recipes embrace these pumpkin cookies, apple cider donuts, and basic pecan pie. It’s the time of yr when pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon take over the kitchen and certainly one of my prime fall baking decisions has all the time been right this moment’s apple cupcakes. One chunk is all it takes to persuade even probably the most die-hard summer season spirit that the flavors of fall reign supreme. (Although there’s no contest in the case of peach pie… yum.)
The cupcakes are mushy and cakey, remind me of salted caramel apple pie, and style further particular with caramel frosting on prime. They’re the indeniable champion when you’re on the lookout for a festive fall cupcake!
Inform Me About These Apple Spice Cupcakes
- Taste: Whereas they aren’t filled with chocolate ganache or adorned with sweet bars, these modest-looking apple cupcakes pack sufficient cinnamon and apple taste that there’s no want for frosting. (That doesn’t imply we shouldn’t add any, we aren’t loopy.)
- Texture: These have extra texture than, say, class vanilla cupcakes. Each chunk is a stability of sentimental, cakey, wealthy, and creamy. They’re further moist like banana bread, however not practically as dense. Consider a mushy and cakey muffin full of tender items of apple and topped with thick frosting.
- Ease: The cupcake batter comes collectively with out a lot effort. Put aside a while to peel and finely chop your apples. The frosting requires extra exact consideration, plus a range and a few endurance. A sweet thermometer guarantees success.
Salted caramel turns these right into a salty candy cupcake, however when you’re on the lookout for one thing totally different, some readers have used the cinnamon cream cheese frosting from these banana cupcakes earlier than.
All the elements required are common baking staples like flour, brown sugar, egg, milk, and so on.
Finest Apples to Use
You solely want 1 giant apple. Peel and finely chop it to yield about 1 and 1/2 cups (180g). Tart Granny Smith is greatest right here because the frosting might be so candy, however you should use a candy selection if you want akin to Honeycrisp or Fuji. I like utilizing a mixture of each tart and candy in recipes like apple crisp and apple pie, however that doesn’t matter as a lot right here because you solely want 1 apple.
A Few Success Suggestions
- Prepping your pan. This apple cupcake recipe yields barely greater than a dozen, so have a 2nd muffin pan useful or bake in batches. I all the time use and suggest these parchment paper cupcake/muffin liners. And this muffin pan and this muffin pan have each held up effectively with very common use.
- Cupcake batter thickens. You’ll use melted butter on this cupcake batter and since butter is stable at room temperature, the batter will start to thicken. Ensure you bake the batter immediately.
- Don’t overfill your liners. Fsick your liners about 3/4 full with apple cupcake batter.
Are you on the lookout for a cake recipe as a substitute? Do that contemporary apple cake and even my apple Bundt cake.
Salted Caramel Frosting
Salted caramel is a pure alternative with apple, however don’t let “salted” idiot you—that is nonetheless a reasonably candy frosting. The frosting is a well-liked recipe and I’ve a separate Salted Caramel Frosting publish if you wish to learn extra about it and see some FAQ. The instructions to make it are additionally included within the recipe beneath. You’ll cook dinner a do-it-yourself brown sugar caramel on the range earlier than beating in heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar. A sweet thermometer and sieve/sifter are instruments for fulfillment.
As soon as the frosting has thickened, you’ll be able to pipe it onto your cupcakes—or be at liberty to unfold it on with an icing spatula or knife. I used Wilton 2A Piping Tip on the pictured cupcakes and in some photographs and the video tutorial beneath, you’ll be able to see I used an icing spatula to create slightly dip/divot on prime of the piping. (Extra room for salted caramel sauce garnish!)
Like caramel apples in cupcake type.
Different Frosting Choices for Apple Cupcakes
If you desire a totally different topping choice, be at liberty to strive peanut butter frosting, cream cheese frosting, or the cinnamon cream cheese frosting from these banana cupcakes.
Extra Fall Baking Recipes
Description
These are moist & flavorful apple spice cupcakes with salted caramel frosting on prime. The cupcakes are pretty straightforward and most time shall be spent on the caramel frosting. A sweet thermometer ensures success in step 5.
Cupcakes
Salted Caramel Frosting
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners—this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Put aside.
- Make the cupcakes: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg collectively in a big bowl. Put aside.
- Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar collectively in a medium bowl till mixed. Whisk within the eggs and vanilla extract, then whisk within the milk. Slowly add the moist elements to the dry elements and stir gently till mixed. The batter may have a number of lumps. Fold within the apples.Â
- Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the best way full with batter. Bake for 21–23 minutes, rotating the pan midway via baking. A toothpick inserted within the heart will come out clear when finished. Take away from the oven and permit to chill fully earlier than frosting.
- Begin the frosting: (This frosting is in style, so we’ve got a separate salted caramel frosting publish when you want extra assist making it.) Mix the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium warmth. With a rubber spatula or picket spoon, stir continuously because the butter melts. As soon as butter has melted, swap to a whisk to ensure the 2 are actually mixed. (In any other case, you would possibly see an oily layer across the edges the place they’re nonetheless a bit separated; you do not need that.) As soon as melted butter and brown sugar are mixed, add 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream and the salt. Whisk to mix, then cease whisking and fasten a sweet thermometer to your pan, ensuring the bulb isn’t touching the underside of the pan. Let the caramel boil, giving it a fast whisk each 30 seconds or so, till the temperature reaches 230°F (110°C). On my range, it takes just below 2 minutes.
- Take away the saucepan from warmth, give it one other fast whisk, and let cool for a minute. Rigorously switch the salted caramel to a heat-proof mixing bowl set on a cooling rack and funky for simply 15–20 minutes earlier than persevering with. The caramel sauce thickens throughout this time.
- End the frosting: Sift in confectioners’ sugar and add remaining 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat on medium-low pace till the elements are integrated. Flip mixer as much as excessive pace and beat for 1 minute. Keep away from over-mixing or the frosting will start to “break” and separate. Let it sit for at the very least 20–half-hour earlier than filling your piping bag, to provide it an opportunity to thicken as much as a pipeable consistency.
- Frost cooled cupcakes and drizzle with salted caramel, if desired. I used Wilton 2A piping tip on the pictured cupcakes.
- Cowl and retailer leftover cupcakes at room temperature for as much as 1 day or within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Key phrases: apple spice cupcakes
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