Winning Recipe Caramel Apple Cupcakes With Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting Recipes

CARAMEL APPLE PIE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 180 C° (350 F) and line cupcake trays with paper cases.
• Beat the softened butter, vanilla and sugar together until pale and soft. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition.
• Add half of the flour and stir to combine. Add the yoghurt, milk and remaining flour and stir until just combined.
• Spoon the mixture evenly into the 14 patty cases and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cupcakes are completely cooked through. You can test this by inserting a wooden skewer into the middle of a cupcake. If it comes out clean, the cakes are cooked.
• Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.
• Add the cubed apples into a small saucepan with the vanilla, butter, sugar and cinnamon and 1-2 teaspoons of water (or apple juice can be used instead). Slightly simmer over low heat, covered, for 5-7 until the apples soften. Remove the lid and continue to simmer over low-medium heat until and the caramel reduces and most of the liquid disappears.
• Transfer the apples to a small bowl to cool. You can drain the excess liquid off.
• Beat the cream cheese, lemon and icing sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and completely combined. Add a little extra icing sugar or lemon juice to make the frosting a little thicker or thinner if required.
• Cut the top of the cupcakes to create a hole, approximately half of the cupcake deep. Spoon the apple filling into the centre of the cupcakes. The top of the apple filling should be level with the top of the cupcake.
• Pipe the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cupcake. Stir the cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle the frosting with the cinnamon sugar.
• Drizzle with the homemade salted caramel sauce (see link below for recipe, or use store bought).
• These cupcakes are best served immediately, but they can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy!

CARAMEL APPLE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Cupcakes:
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard cupcake pan with twelve paper baking cups, and a second pan with six baking cups, or grease pans with butter if not using baking cups.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt on a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper and set aside.
• Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy. Stop to add the sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly on medium speed, after each addition. It's important to add them one at a time so that they will completely incorporate into the batter and you don't put too much weight on your batter at once. This would collapse all the little air bubbles you created when you creamed the butter and sugar.
• Reduce the speed to low. At this stage, it's always important to mix as slowly and as little as necessary since you don't want to traumatize your batter. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add one third of the hot water, beating until well incorporated. Add another third of the flour mixture, followed by one third of the hot water. It's important to add the flour and water little by little like this, so that your batter does not have too much weight thrown on it and that you allow each amount of flour and water to completely mix into the batter. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining hot water, and beat just until combined.
• Using a spatula, fold the grated apple into the batter. Take care not to overmix the batter. If you overmix the batter, the cupcakes will not be light and fluffy but instead very dense.
• Use a standard-size ice-cream scoop to fill each baking cup with batter, so the cups are two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. After 5 minutes, transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely for approximately 20 minutes. It's always best to cool the cupcakes at room temperature. Putting them in the refrigerator to cool can dry out the cake.
• Vanilla cream-cheese frosting:
• Place all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until well combined. Be sure to beat on high speed at the very end for at least 2 minutes to ensure that the frosting is light and fluffy.
• Caramel:
• Pour the sugar and water into a large saucepan. Heat on medium-high heat and stir constantly until the sugar completely liquefies. Stir constantly and be careful not to burn the sugar. After all the sugar has dissolved, add the butter and vanilla extract to the saucepan and mix thoroughly. Once the butter has melted and the butter and sugar are completely mixed, remove from heat and, using a whisk, slowly whisk in the heavy cream until you reach a beautiful golden brown caramel color. Set aside and let cool and thicken for 5 minutes at room temperature. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to thicken further before you use to fill or decorate.

VANILLA FROSTING

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla, lemon juice, and zest.
• In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer and a bowl, combine the butter and sugar and mix on low until incorporated. Raise the speed to high and mix until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula.)
• Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the milk mixture in 3 batches, waiting for each batch to be fully incorporated before adding the next (scrape the bowl down occasionally). Raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy. Use as desired. May be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days.

VANILLA BEAN CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Split vanilla beans lengthwise; using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape seeds from the center into creamed mixture. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition., Fill prepared cups half full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until blended. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles and coarse sugar as desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Freeze option: Freeze cooled cupcakes in resealable freezer containers. To use, thaw at room temperature. Frost as directed.