This is my first month with the Secret Recipe Swap group, and I am excited! Each month participants are given a blog. From this blog, we get to pick one of their recipes to make and share with our audiences. Now, we have to keep this a secret. I can’t tell (ahead of time) which blog I have been assigned. Then, we all reveal our posts on the same day! A big Thank You goes out to Jutta, from the Hungry Little Girl, who is our recipe swap leader!
This month I was given the blog “Feeding Big“. After going through Cynthia’s blog and drooling over her Best Shrimp Recipe Ever, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, and Best Ever Onion Strings, I decided on her Moist Caramel Apple Cupcakes! You know how fond I am of desserts! I made a few small changes to the recipe: I diced the apples instead of grating them (I was too lazy to get my box grater out) and I topped the cupcakes with a caramel buttercream frosting and a caramel drizzle instead of using melted caramels.
One Year Ago: Banana Boat Tarts
Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Equipment
- Line a cupcake pan
- Baking liners
- Large mixing bowl
- Small bowl
- Toothpick
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1¼ Cups Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking powder
- ½ Teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Cup Sugar
- ½ Cup Light brown sugar, packed
- 2 Eggs
- ½ Cup Vegetable oil
- 2 Teaspoons Pure vanilla extract
- 2 Granny Smith or Rome apples, peeled and finely diced
Homemade Caramel Sauce:
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Water
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
- ½ Cup Heavy cream
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
Caramel Buttercream Frosting:
- ½ Cup Butter, softened (1 stick)
- ¼ Cup Homemade caramel sauce
- 2 Cups Powdered sugar
- 1 - 2 Tablespoons Heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a cupcake pan with baking liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vanilla extract, and the eggs. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until everything comes together. Fold in the diced apples. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin liners. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let cool completely.
- To make the caramel sauce (can be made ahead of time):In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously. Once the mixture is boiling, stop stirring. Continue to boil until the sugar turns an amber color. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the butter and salt (this will bubble, so be careful). Whisk until all the butter has been incorporated, then add in the heavy cream. Again, the mixture will bubble, so whisk this carefully. If the caramel turns hard, put the pan over low heat and stir until the caramel has melted and the mixture is smooth. Strain the caramel sauce through a sieve into a heat-safe container. Refrigerate until needed.
- To make the caramel buttercream:In a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, cream together the butter and cooled caramel sauce. Add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Slowly add in the heavy cream until you have reached the desired frosting consistency.
- Spoon the caramel buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Frost the cooled cupcakes, then drizzle on additional caramel sauce. Enjoy!
