75 min
Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Recipe GLPRf99bceb1f3feee
Tender vanilla cupcakes filled with spiced apple pieces and topped with silky caramel cream cheese frosting. These elegant treats feature a homemade apple filling flavored with cinnamon and butter, combined with a rich frosting made from melted caramels, cream cheese, and butter. Perfect for fall gatherings or year-round celebrations.
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Ingredients
2 cups All-purpose flour
1 tsp Baking powder
¾ tsp Salt
2 tsp Ground cinnamon
½ tsp Ground nutmeg
6 tbsp Unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup Granulated sugar
½ cup Light brown sugar, packed
4 Large eggs
1½ cups Unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp Vanilla extract
3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
2 tbsp Granulated sugar for apple filling
10 oz Store-bought caramels
splash Whole milk
8 oz Cold cream cheese
4 cups Powdered sugar
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 20 wells of muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set this dry mixture aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the room-temperature butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together for 2-3 minutes until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
Reduce the mixer to low speed, pour in the applesauce, and beat until fully combined.
Slowly add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients while mixing on low speed, stirring just until the ingredients come together without overmixing.
Divide the batter evenly among the 20 cupcake liners, filling each well about two-thirds full.
Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 19-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. The cupcakes are done when a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean with no batter clinging to it.
Allow the cupcakes to cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cupcakes cool, prepare the apple filling. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
Stir the cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar into the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute, until the mixture becomes bubbly.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the diced Granny Smith apples, stirring to coat them evenly with the cinnamon-butter mixture.
Continue cooking the apples for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become tender but still hold their shape.
Remove the skillet from heat and set the apple filling aside to cool completely.
For the frosting, combine the caramels and a splash of whole milk in a saucepan over medium heat.
Stir the caramel mixture constantly until all the caramels have completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set it aside to cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cold cream cheese and butter together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla extract and the cooled caramel mixture to the cream cheese frosting and beat until well combined.
Slowly add the powdered sugar to the frosting while mixing on low speed, beating until all the sugar is incorporated and the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency.
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a coupler tip.
Using a sharp paring knife, cut a small conical well into the top center of each cooled cupcake.
Fill each well with a spoonful of the cooled apple filling.
Using the piping bag, pipe the caramel cream cheese frosting on top of each cupcake in your desired pattern to cover the apple filling.
Store the finished cupcakes in the refrigerator. Allow them to come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving for the best flavor and texture.
