Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Our apple spice cupcakes are topped with luscious salted caramel buttercream icing and an irresistible caramel drizzle are the perfect pick for festive fall or Halloween parties and whenever you're craving caramel and apple flavors!
Servings: 24 Cupcakes
Calories:
Ingredients
Apple Spice Cupcakes
- 1 boxed Spice Cake + ingredients (3 eggs, ½ cup oil or melted butter, 1 cup water)
- 1 apple chopped
Salted Caramel Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, if using salted butter, omit the salt.
- ⅓ cup salted caramel sauce or caramel sauce
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt or sea salt
- Green and red food coloring
Caramel Drizzle
- 1 bag caramel bits
- 3-4 tablespoons water
- Optional: Pinch of salt or sea salt
Instructions
Apple Spice Cupcakes
- Heat oven to 350° and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, combine spice cake mix, eggs, oil or butter and water using an electric mixer on low for one minute, then mix on high for one minute. Add the chopped apple and combine.
- Divide batter evenly into cupcake liners, filling each two thirds full.
- Bake for 20 minutes and cool completely.
Salted Caramel Frosting
- With an electric mixer, beat butter on medium for 1 minute.
- Add the salted caramel sauce or caramel sauce and beat on medium for 2 minutes.
- Add powdered sugar and salt, and beat on low until powdered sugar is incorporated.
- Increase speed to medium, and beat until smooth and well-combined, about 2-3 additional minutes.
- Divide the frosting in half in separate bowls and mix some red food coloring into one and mix up to the get the red color you want, now repeat with green food coloring. I love the vibrant colors!
- Frost the cupcakes with each of the frosting colors either with an offset spatula or pipe onto cupcakes.
Make the Caramel Drizzle
- In a microwaveable bowl, melt the caramels and 2 tablespoons of water in 30 second increments, stirring each time and continue heating until the caramel bits are melted. If you want to add a pinch of salt, feel free.
- You now have caramel, however to make it the right consistency for the cupcakes, add one more tablespoon of water. Stir it in. You want it to be gooey and not as hard as the caramel on an apple. If it's still too thick, add one more tablespoon. Make sure not to add too much water or it will get too runny. If that happens, just melt more caramel and add it to make it thicker.
Decorating with Finishing Touches
- Let the caramel cool about 5 minutes if you don't want the caramel to drip over the sides too much, otherwise, spoon it on top or place the caramel into a pastry bag or ziploc bag and snip a small corner and pipe or drizzle a puddle of caramel in the middle of the frosting.
- Add a popsicle stick into the center of each of the cupcakes.
- If you want to add some additional yummies, add some salted peanuts, toffee, mini chocolate chips or some colorful mini m&m’s
- You can keep these yummy cupcakes at room temperature for 2 days, or keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
For Best Results For Caramel Sauce: When the caramel sauce is done, let it cool about 5 minutes and then pipe it onto the cupcakes so it doesn't melt into the frosting.