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These Caramel Apple Cupcakes are made with a spiced apple cupcake and topped with caramel buttercream. They melt in your mouth and are such a delicious apple dessert idea!
This recipe uses my Easy Salted Caramel Sauce as an ingredient. It’s the best caramel ever!
So today’s recipe is actually an update of a recipe from back in 2015. The older version was based on my very first vanilla cupcake recipe I shared on this site. It was a much denser cupcake. Today’s update is based on my new Easy Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes, which are light and fluffy and have been a favorite for a while now. Given that I love the new vanilla cupcakes so much, it seemed appropriate to update this wonderful fall dessert with my BEST version!
Despite the update, the flavors and such are quite similar. It’s the execution that’s a bit different. These cupcakes are still full of cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, apples and caramel. But they now use the more traditional creaming method and ultimately come out quite differently in texture.
Cupcake Ingredients
While you don’t really need to hear all about every ingredient, I thought I’d highlight the more significant ones:
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg: For the perfect fall apple flavors.
- Butter and Oil: I like to use a combination of the two so that you have both the great flavor of butter and the added moisture of the oil.
- Brown Sugar: This recipe uses regular granulated sugar and brown sugar. The brown sugar adds extra flavor and warmth to these cupcakes.
- Sour Cream and Milk: The combination of sour cream and milk, as opposed to just milk, helps to thicken up the cupcake batter to keep the apples from sinking to the bottom while baking.
- Apples: You’ll want to peel your apples and then dice them so that you don’t have huge chunks in your cupcakes. I used Granny Smith apples, but other varieties such as Honeycrisp would work well too.
Caramel Buttercream Ingredients
Naturally, this buttercream has plenty of butter in it. Additionally, you’ll find:
- Powdered Sugar: I’m often asked about reducing powdered sugar amounts and it’s hard to answer that sometimes. For me, a thicker buttercream is preferred so I’d say don’t. But if you are ok with a thinner buttercream that doesn’t hold up as well to some piping, you can certainly reduce it. It’s kind of a preference thing, in addition to a consistency thing.
- Caramel Sauce: I mentioned before that I used a homemade caramel sauce and that’s definitely what I recommend here. Often store bought sauces are much thinner and will thin out your frosting more quickly without adding as much flavor. My homemade sauce is thick enough and has lots of flavor so that you’ll end up with a flavorful buttercream that still has a nice consistency to it.
- Cinnamon: Optional, but I do love my cinnamon.
How to make Caramel Apple Cupcakes
As mentioned before, these cupcakes use the creaming method. So to get started, you’ll combine your butter, oil and sugars and cream them together for about three minutes. Don’t skimp on that time! It adds air to the batter that helps the cupcakes rise. You’ll actually be able to see a noticeable difference in the color and texture of the mixture when it’s ready.
Next, you’ll add the vanilla and sour cream, then the eggs one at a time.
After that, you’ll alternate adding your dry ingredients and milk.
Finally, you’ll fold in your chopped apples. Pretty straightforward, right?!
When your cupcakes are baked and cooled, you’ll make your caramel buttercream. Beat your butter until smooth, then add about half of the powdered sugar.
Add some of the caramel sauce next, then add the remainder of the powdered sugar.
Now that you know just how thick your powdered sugar is, you can add more caramel sauce until you have both the consistency and flavor you want. If you’re adding the cinnamon, you can do that too.
Finally, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and decorate them with a caramel drizzle and apple slice.
For an even more detailed look at how to make these cupcakes, check out the video below where I walk you through the whole process.
Watch How To Make Them
You might also like these apple dessert recipes:
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Blondie Trifle
Easy Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Caramel Apple Pecan Layer Cake
Caramel Apple Trifles
Caramel Apple Blondie Cheesecake
Caramel Apple Cookie Cups
Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Recipe updated 8/18/2020. For the previous version of the recipe, download the PDF.
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Caramel Apple Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 14-16 Cupcakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Caramel Apple Cupcakes are made with a spiced apple cupcake and topped with caramel icing. They melt in your mouth and are such a delicious apple dessert idea!
Ingredients
APPLE SPICE CUPCAKES
- 1 1/2 cups (195g) all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup (52g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (112g) packed brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp (43g) sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
- 1 cup finely chopped apple
CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM
- 1 1/4 cups (280g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 cups (575g) powdered sugar
- 4–6 tbsp caramel sauce
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- Additional caramel sauce, for drizzling
- Apple slices, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Combine the flour, baking powder , cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter, oil and sugars to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
- Add the vanilla extract and sour cream and mix until well combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until combined.
- Slowly add the milk and mix until well combined. The batter might look a little curdled, but that’s ok.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix just until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
- Gently fold in the chopped apples.
- Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove cupcakes from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
- To make the caramel buttercream, add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
- Carefully add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add about 4 tablespoons of the caramel sauce to the frosting and mix until well combined.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional caramel sauce as needed to get the right consistency and taste.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Decorate with a drizzle of caramel sauce and apple slice
- Cupcakes are best when stored well covered in the fridge for 2-3 days. Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cupcake
- Calories: 440
- Sugar: 50.3 g
- Sodium: 75.2 mg
- Fat: 21.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 61 g
- Protein: 2.8 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
Categories
Enjoy!
Can you substitute milk for buttermilk?
I believe that would be fine.
Would like to know how can you preserve Apple slices for décoration so they don’t get brown?
You could try rubbing them with some lemon juice, but they will brown with time. These were added shortly before photographing. That said, if you want something that you could add ahead of time, you could use dried apple slices or apple chips.
I haven’t made it yet but I’m wondering how to make the Carmel drizzle? I might of missed it in the recipe but I didn’t see it
The caramel sauce that is used in the frosting makes enough to also use it for the drizzle.
When do you add the finely chopped apple?? I don’t see it in the recipe??
The apples are added in step 9.
is there an ingredient missing in the buttercream recipe? with just butter powdered sugar and caramel it was a dry clumpy mess. i had to add milk to make it creamy
No, the caramel is meant to act as the “milk”. If your buttercream needed more, I’d just add more caramel sauce. But milk or cream works too.
Can I freeze these cupcakes until I’m ready to decorate them?
Sure, the apples may just get a touch more mushy after thawing.
I did the recipe twice I loved it my family loved it thank you for this recipe
I’m so glad they were a hit!
Is there a way to cut some of the sweetness without sacrificing flavor? It’s really good, but I can only do half of one.
You could try reducing the sugar in the cupcakes, but it can affect the moisture and texture of the cupcakes. You can also try reducing the powdered sugar in the frosting, but it won’t be as thick. You could also try another type of frosting that isn’t as sweet, such as ermine frosting.
Amazing recipe! I got so many compliments on these cupcakes!! Thank you!
Awesome! So glad they were a hit!
Loved this recipe, a quick thing I did was use a box grader to sherd the apples. This made it really fast and the apples were in very small pieces.
So glad you enjoyed them!
Do you need to need to peel the apple first? Thanks!
I would peel the apples in the cupcakes.
Hello! I’m going to make your beautiful apple cupcakes for a friends daughters 21st. I just wondered if they can be made ahead of time and frozen? Thank you. Shirley
That should be fine. I’d probably freeze just the cupcake and add the frosting before serving.
Can you make this as a cake if so how long should it bake
You should be able to make it as a cake. I’d double it and bake it in three 8 inch pans. Not sure of the exact bake time, but probably 25 minutes-ish.
This was an amazing recipe. I did add a Tbsp of heavy whipping to the buttercream and I made a white chocolate candy apple flavored with apple flavoring for the decoration. I took pictures but unable to show you mine
They sound beautiful! Glad you enjoyed them!
This is a keeper, really impressed by how yummy these cupcakes are! Would love some tips on how to get the icing looking as great as yours.
So glad you enjoyed them! There’s a video above the recipe card where you can watch me decorate them and here’s a post for How To Frost Cupcakes. I hope those are helpful!
So good and easy to make! I (teenager) was able to make them all on my own with not much prior baking experience. I got so many compliments from family and friends!! I’m being asked to bring these to every school party/event. I baked some two days ago and now I’ll have to bake some more next week! My father even wants me to make a cake version of this for his birthday. The best part is eating the leftover frosting and caramel after the hard work of piping!
Awesome! So glad they’ve been a hit!