Apple Spice Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

In addition to the pumpkin cupcakes for the “fallen in love” bridal shower, I made these delicious apple spice cupcakes with salted caramel frosting.

Pumpkin and apple are both wonderful flavors of fall. I wanted an apple cupcake that had pieces of apple in the cupcake. The cupcake I settled on has apple sauce in the batter. Additionally, shredded apple is folded into the batter.

Once I had the cupcake, I had to decide on a frosting. Caramel and apple go well together, so I decided to make a caramel frosting. Now this isn’t just any caramel frosting, it’s a salted caramel frosting. I used an ice cream topping to get that great salted caramel flavor in there. The same base that I used for the maple frosting on the pumpkin cupcakes is what I used for the frosting. I just swapped the maple out for the caramel.

Apple Spice Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

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• Author: Laura

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Description

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup peeled and grated apple
• Frosting:
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
•  1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping (I use Smucker’s Salted Caramel topping)
•  1/8 tsp salt
•  3 cups powdered sugar
•  dash of milk or heavy cream if frosting becomes too thick

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Ingredients

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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cup with paper liners. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves together. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat brown sugar, vegetable oil, and applesauce together until well combined.
4. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Add in 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
5. Mix in buttermilk until just combined. Add remaining 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
6. Fold in grated apple until just combined.
7. Divide mixture evenly among two prepared muffin pans.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 18–25 minutes, or until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.  Allow to cool in pan for about 5–10 minutes. Remove to wire cooling rack, and let come to room temperature before frosting.
9. For frosting, place ingredients in a bowl and blend until smooth and well combined. Us to frost on top of the cooled cupcakes. Makes 24 cupcakes.

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Cupcake recipe adapted from I Heart Eating.