These Caramel Apple Cupcakes are fluffy cinnamon cupcakes stuffed with caramel apple filling and topped with a creamy vanilla frosting drizzled with caramel. The perfect cupcake to get you ready for fall.
When it comes to the fall season, I go all out. I get my PSL of the season the moment it comes out.
I decorate the first slightly chilly day in all autumn leaves and mini pumpkins. The whole family goes apple and pumpkin picking while sipping on apple cider.
Pumpkins are carved, and Halloween movies are watched over bowls of butter and caramel popcorn.
And I bake all.the.things.
Yes, I love pumpkin spice and pumpkin everything, but apples are definitely my favorite of the season.
Caramel apples are my weakness to the point where I rarely keep them in the house because I will eat them all. But that doesn’t stop me from having caramel apple-flavored things all the time.
I’ve been dreaming about these caramel apple cupcakes for ages.
I was just waiting for the time when it would be more appropriate to make them and share because no one besides me is thinking about caramel apple anything in the middle of summer.
Originally, I thought I would make an apple-infused cupcake, but then I realized I really wanted to balance the apple and caramel flavors, so it is really like eating my favorite fall treat.
Instead, I opted for a fluffy cinnamon cupcake. It’s moist and incredibly warm with spice.
I then made the filling by cooking down shredded apple with butter, cinnamon, vanilla, and a touch of sugar.
Once cooked down, I coat with caramel. I love using my salted caramel sauce, but apple cider caramel is just dreamy here too.
The trick is to really pack in that caramel apple filling. It may be just me, but I like it when I almost overstuff the cupcakes with the filling. It’s soooo good.
Again, because I didn’t want to overwhelm the cupcakes, we top them with a simple fluffy vanilla frosting and a drizzle of more caramel sauce.
It’s like the full embodiment of fall in a single bite.
If you want to get fancy, you can top them with dried apples, or even small slices of apples drizzled with more caramel.
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Caramel Apple Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Cake Flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 large Egg room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk room temperature
- 1/2 large Granny Smith Apple shredded
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup Caramel Sauce
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 3 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2-3 tablespoons Heavy Cream
- 3 tablespoons Caramel Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake tin with liners and set aside.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and stir to combine well.
- Add the sugar and butter to your mixer and beat until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes.
- Add in the eggs one at a time and beat the mixture for about 2 minutes after you add each egg. Beat in the vanilla.
- Alternate between adding the flour – in three additions – and the buttermilk – in two additions. Begin and end with the flour. Stir until just combined.
- Evenly divide the batter among the cupcake liners and bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middles of the cupcakes comes out with only a few crumbs sticking to it.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- As the cupcakes are baking, shred your apple (you do not need to peel the apple). Add to a skillet along with the butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Cook until the apples are soft and there is not much liquid in the skillet. Stir in the vanilla and caramel sauce.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. Beat the butter until creamy. Add in the powdered sugar and salt and mix for about 3 minutes. The mixture will look clumpy and that is okay. Slowly beat in the vanilla, then the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until the mixture becomes a silky, pipeable consistency.
- Fit a piping bag with your favorite tip, then fill with the frosting.
- Cut out holes in the cupcakes and stuff with the caramel apple filling. Frost with the vanilla frosting, then drizzle with the caramel.