marilynpeight
These cooler August days have me in the mood for all the fall and harvest recipes. I was not disappointed with the end result of these soft apple cupcakes with the warm spices of cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with that delicious salted caramel frosting which takes these spiced apple cupcakes to the next level of Yum! If you love fall recipes and wish to stockpile some for this fall, be sure to check out my Amish Cinnamon Apple Pumpkin Bread , Amish Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting, Amish Pumpkin Custard Pie or Amish Pumpkin Whoopie pies.
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Spiced Apple Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting
Equipment
- muffin tins (linked below)
- cupcake wrappers (linked below)
- Mixing bowls (linked below)
- Piping bag (linked below)
Ingredients
- 3 cups diced apples peeled and cored
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 batch Salted Caramel frosting
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
- Combine the diced apples with sugar and set aside for 30-60 minutes *see note below recipe card. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices together in a medium sized bowl.
- Add egg, milk, oil and vanilla extract, then mix until combined, but just so (do not overmix to prevent the cupcakes from being tough). Fold in the sugared apples, mixing just until the batter is moistened and well combined. The batter will be thick like muffin batter vs cupcake batter, because the apples will release some of their juices while baking.
- Line the muffin tins with cupcake wrappers then scoop the apple batter into the lined tins, filling them until around 2/3 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. *see tips on checking for doneness below.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then pipe the easy salted caramel buttercream frosting (recipe is linked in the ingredients list) on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Equipment needed for these spiced Apple Cupcakes with Salted Caramel frosting:
- Muffin tins you will need two regular sized, one dozen muffin tins for the amount of cupcakes this recipe produces.
- Cupcake wrappers lining the muffin tins with cupcake wrappers is the easiest way to remove cupcakes from the tin without losing some of their shape. You can use fun colors and designs to make the cupcakes look even more festive!
- Mixing bowls I prefer to use stainless steel mixing bowls and measuring cups for mixing up cakes, cookies and more.
- Piping bag The easiest way to pipe uniform frosting onto these apple spiced cupcakes is to use a piping bag. I also prefer to use the 1M wilton tip for getting nicely defined lines on the frosting.
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Ingredients needed for these apple spiced cupcakes: Oil, milk, eggs, flour, vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, apples and sugar.
Ingredients for the salted caramel frosting: Butter, Caramel topping (not caramel syrup or the frosting will be too runny), milk, salt and confectioner’s sugar.
Step 1: Combine the diced apples with sugar and set aside for 30-60 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices together in a medium sized bowl.
Why do the apples need to sit in sugar for a bit?
Allowing the apples to sit in sugar causes the apples to macerate (soften) and release some of their juices. This is needed to help thin the batter for easier mixing and to get the muffin batter texture.
Step 2: Add egg, milk, oil and vanilla extract, then mix until combined, but just so (do not overmix to prevent the cupcakes from being tough). Fold in the sugared apples, mixing just until the batter is moistened and well combined. The batter will be thick like muffin batter vs cupcake batter, because the apples will release some of their juices while baking.
Step 3: Line the muffin tins with cupcake wrappers then scoop the apple batter into the lined tins, filling them until around 2/3 full.
Step 3 continued: Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. *see tips on checking for doneness below.
Tips for checking these Apple cupcakes for doneness:
I read somewhere that as soon as the cupcakes are golden on the edges but still sunken in the center that it is time to pull them out. I tried this with my first batch of apple cupcakes and lets just say, it was not successful. For these apple cupcakes, it is best to check by how dry the cupcakes are on top and also with the toothpick test method. If the cupcakes are golden on the top, slightly domed/dry in the center, a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (with little to no crumbs), then they are done. Be sure to test several areas of the cupcake because there may be a sneaky little apple hiding inside the cupcake that also leaves no crumb when punctured with the toothpick.
Step 4: Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then pipe the salted caramel buttercream frosting on top. Enjoy!
Storage for these Spiced Apple Cupcakes:
Because these spiced apple cupcakes are made with a buttercream frosting, they can be left at room temperature for several days. However, if your home is pretty warm and the frosting turned out to be a little soft, then I recommend keeping these cupcakes refrigerated. If you prefer your cupcake soft and at room temperature you can always pull it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes or so before enjoying. You can also freeze these cupcakes for several months, but for the freshest taste I would opt to frost them after they are thawed.
Feel free to pin this recipe for later and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram with a photo of your own creation of this recipe. Thank you for your support !
