It's apple season, and these caramel apple cupcakes should be at the top on your fall baking list. Apple spice cupcakes filled with salted caramel apple compote, and topped with brown butter cream cheese frosting, salted caramel drizzle and rolled in roasted, salted peanuts. So cute and so delicious.
These cupcakes are perfect fall comfort treat. They're loved by both kids and adults alike and are packed with the fall flavors of apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. My apple crisp bars, and apple cinnamon coffeecake are also delicious fall treats.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Made with apple sauce, these apple cupcakes are moist, flavorful, lightly spiced and so delicious.
- The brown butter cream cheese frosting is out of this world. It's tangy, fluffy and nutty. I love to use it on cinnamon rolls too.
- Apple compote filling is so good, it's hard to not eat it all straight from the pan. The apples are soft but not mushy, sweet and spiced and complex with a splash of bourbon (optional).
- Easy to follow recipe with step by step instructions for perfect cupcakes every time.
Recipe Ingredients
All purpose flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Fine sea salt
Spices - cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
Unsalted butter - flavor and moisture
Granulated sugar
Light brown sugar - Adds an extra caramel, toasty flavor
Eggs - room temperature
Vanilla extract
Applesauce - unsweetened, plain
Apples - Granny Smith or Honeycrisp are my preferred apples to bake with.
Lemon juice - Prevents the apples from turning brown (oxidating), and also breaks up the sweetness and can help balance flavors.
Cream cheese - Use block cream cheese and not cream cheese in a tub. The tub cream cheese is filled with additives and extra liquid to keep it soft.
Confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
Peanuts - roasted and salted, finely chopped
Salted caramel sauce - homemade or store bought works
Recipe Instructions
- Stir together the diced apples and lemon juice.
- In a skillet, combine the butter and the caramel and cook until melted and bubbling.
- Whisk in the salt and cinnamon.
- Add the apples. Cook until the apples have softened, slightly translucent, and the sauce has thickened, about 5-6 minutes. Cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- Beat together the butter, sugar and brown sugar for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the applesauce in two additions. Start and end with the flour.
- Divide the batter into the liners.
- Bake for 16-20 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.
- Brown the butter in a light colored skillet until golden brown, with brown toasted milk solids and it nutty and toasty.
- Allow the butter to cool until solid, but still soft, like a thick paste.
- Beat together the cooled brown butter, and the cream cheese. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Beat in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt until combined. Then whip the frosting for another 5 minutes, stopping to scrape bowl every so often.
- Using a sharp knife, cut a hole into the center of the cooled cupcakes to create a space for the apple filling. The piece you removed will be the shape of a cone.
- Spoon the apple mixture inside each cupcake. Fill the cupcake with apple filling.
- Use a large ice cream scoop to scoop heaping portions of the frosting onto each of the cupcakes.
- Use an offset spatula to spread out the frosting to the edges of the cupcake, but also while keeping the dome shape. The dome shape gives these more of an apple-like look.
- Roll the sides of the cupcakes in the chopped peanuts and drizzle with caramel sauce.
- Insert branch cake pop sticks into the top of the cupcakes to resemble caramel candy apples.
Baking Tips
- Avoid coring the cupcakes all the way down to the bottom of the cupcake so that the filling doesn't spill out once the wrapper is taken off.
- Make sure to use room temperature ingredients. Using cold butter, eggs or milk could leave you with split batter and frosting.
- Beating the cream cheese until completely smooth with the butter is important so that you don't end up with lumpy frosting.
- Use all of the brown butter, including the toasty milk solids on the bottom of the pan. Lots of flavor in the milk solids.
Substitutions and Variations
Almonds, pecans or walnuts can replace the peanuts.
Pears can be used in place of apples.
Store bought caramel sauce can be used in place of homemade.
Store bought apple spice can be used in place of the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
For brown butter buttercream, replace the cream cheese with room temperature butter.
Storage and Freezing
Caramel apple cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Apple filling and brown butter cream cheese frosting can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow the frosting to come to a cool room temperature and beat on low to smooth and blend. Apple compote should also be brought to room temperature before using.
Cupcakes can be made up to 2 days in advance, stored in an airtight container.
I do not recommend freezing filled and frosted cupcakes.
Serve the cupcakes at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
I prefer to use a combination of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples, but any combination of baking apples work. Braeburns, Cortlands, and Pink Lady work especially well.
While, the flavor and texture of this homemade apple filling can't be beat, you can use apple pie filling to save on time, if you would like.
(Update 2023) The branch sticks that I used by Wilton are no longer made. Both this cake pop stick and this wood cake pop stick would also work well.
Did you make this recipe? Share it with us! Tag @littlevintagebaking on Instagram and leave a star rating below if you LOVED this recipe. For more baking and decorating ideas follow me on Pinterest.
More Fall Recipes to Try
Recipe
Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Equipment
- Electric Stand Mixer (or hand mixer)
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 2 cups apples, diced in small pieces (Two large sized apples)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons salted caramel sauce
- â…› teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Apple Spice Cupcakes
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- â…› teaspoon cloves
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup cream cheese, room temp
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup roasted, salted peanuts, finely chopped
- salted caramel sauce
- 12 Branch cake pop sticks
Instructions
Apple Filling
- Combine the diced apples and lemon juice, and stir to combine.2 cups apples, diced in small pieces, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- In a skillet over medium-low heat, combine the butter and the caramel and cook until melted and bubbling. Whisk in the salt and cinnamon.2 tablespoon unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons salted caramel sauce, ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- Add the apples to the caramel mixture. Cook until the apples have softened, and are a bit translucent, and the sauce has thickened, about 5-6 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla. Allow the mixture to cool completely.½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Apple Spice Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and whisk to combine. Set aside.1½ cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.½ cup unsalted butter, softened, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until they're fully mixed in. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.2 large eggs, room temperature, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add the flour mixture into the mixer in three additions, alternating with the applesauce in two additions. Start and end with the flour. Mix until just combined.¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is fully mixed and incorporated.
- Divide the batter into the liners. You will use every bit of this batter. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before filling.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place the butter in a light-colored skillet. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring occasionally.½ cup unsalted butter
- After 5-8 minutes, the butter will begin browning. There will be lightly browned specks forming at the bottom of the pan and it will have a nutty aroma.
- Once browned to an amber color, remove from heat immediately and allow the butter to cool until solid, but still soft, like a thick paste.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cooled brown butter, and the cream cheese. Mix until thoroughly combined.1 cup cream cheese, room temp
- Mix in the confectioner's sugar, a cup at a time, mixing after each addition until combined.4 cups confectioners sugar
- Add the salt and the vanilla.¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Turn the mixer up to medium speed, and whip for 3 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Whip again for another 2 minutes.
- Using a sharp knife, cut a hole into the center of the cooled cupcakes to create a space for the apple filling. The piece you removed will be the shape of a cone.
- Spoon the apple filling inside each carved out cupcake, filling the cupcake to the top. Slice off the pointy end of the cone piece you removed so that it can fit on top of the filling. Place on top of the filling.
- Use a large ice cream scoop to scoop heaping portions of the frosting onto each of the cupcakes.
- Use a small, offset spatula to smooth out the frosting to the edges, while still maintaining the dome shape.
- Place the peanuts in a shallow bowl. Roll the sides of the cupcakes through the peanuts.¾ cup roasted, salted peanuts, finely chopped
- Drizzle the salted caramel sauce over the cupcakes. Insert a popsicle stick or cake pop stick into the center.salted caramel sauce
Fiona
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