Pumpkin Spice Apple Cupcakes with Caramel

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Pumpkin Spice Apple Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Caramel

These are the most delicious pumpkin spice apple cupcakes. Made with fresh apples and warm pumpkin spice flavor. These caupcakes will have you craving for more. Frosted with Swiss meringue buttercream and a caramel drizzle makes these cupcakes perfect for the fall season. A surprisingly simple and easy recipe that gets done in no time at all. They are also great on their own, without any frosting.

Today, I have some really awesome fall-inspired cupcakes to share with you. Actually, 10 fall-inspired cupcakes to share with you!! No, they are not all my recipes, but rather recipes from my talented food blogger friends.

Yes, this is a little collaboration we did to bring you something different and new. We are 10 food bloggers from around the world who got together to each create a cupcake inspired by the flavors of fall.

I made these pumpkin spice apple cupcakes. They are so perfect for this weather. What could be more comforting than a cupcake that warms you up from the inside with wonderful warm spices? It gets you all cozy for the fall weather. Right? And of course, who doesn't love apples? They are also in season!!

Let's talk ingredients and substitutes  (Save/Pin)

• Pumpkin spice-mix - You can certainly use store-bought pumpkin spice. And yet, if you have not seen it yet, I do have a recipe for homemade pumpkin spice that takes just 2 minutes to make. And you probably already have the spices in your pantry.
• Brown sugar - I love the addition of molasses that comes with the brown sugar. It adds up to the warmth of this recipe. And yet, if you cannot use brown sugar go ahead and use white sugar and a tablespoon of molasses.
• Apples - Technically you can use any apples you like. Personally, I prefer Gala or Granny Smith. Because they are firmer and more tart which works wonderfully with the sweet batter.
• Sour cream - I love adding sour cream in this recipe. It adds a nice tender texture. And yet, if you don't have sour cream you can use buttermilk instead. Also, you can make  homemade buttermilk in 5 minutes. Today I have used buttermilk in the video.

Useful Tips and Tools

• If you bake often, it would be a good idea to invest in a cake mixer. Because often we try to mix by hand and then we are too tired to give it enough creaming or mixing. So, if you are making this buttercream go head and remove that K-Mix or Kitchen Aid from your kitchen cabinet. And, you don't have to buy an expensive stand mixer, a simple hand mixer works great too.
• Having said that, a simple Bowl, whisk and Spatula with a little extra elbow grease will do too.
• Personally, I believe in measuring ingredients by weight, which makes my kitchen scale one of the most valuable items when baking. The same goes for mymeasuring cups and measuring spoons. It's always a good idea to have these handy and use them when baking rather than trying to guess measurements.
• Also, it is important to buy cupcake liners from a trustworthy source to prevent peeling. There is nothing worse than to bake good cupcakes or muffins and then have all the liners peel off.
• Additionally, you can use a measuring cup to ensure you divide the batter evenly among all the cupcakes or muffins. That way, all your cupcakes will be a similar size. Personally, I love using my cupcake scooper for that purpose.  
• A good baking tray is always important. Try using a light colored baking traybaking tray. Another option is to line the baking tray with parchment paper for easy clean up just in case of spillage.
• Lastly, every oven works differently. So the baking times are just guidelines. In case of muffins and cupcakes, it’s often a good idea to rotate the baking tray mid-way the baking so they cook and rise evenly.

How to Make Pumpkin Spiced Apple Cupcakes with SMBC and Caramel (Save/Pin)

Bake cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 160 C / 320 F.
• Place baking cups or cupcake liners in a muffin tray.
• Chop the apple and add 1 tbsp lemon juice to prevent oxidizing.
• Add 2 tsp flour to the apples and set aside.
• Sift the flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Whisk together the eggs and brown sugar - until sugar is almost melted.
• Add in the oil, sour cream or buttermilk and vanilla. Mix well.
• Next, add the flour mixture - combine well.
• Lastly, add the apples - fold them in but do not overmix
• Scoop the batter equally into 12 cupcake liners or 8 to 10 baking cups.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
• Cool completely before you decorate.

Prepare Swiss meringue buttercream

• Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in a mixer bowl over a pot of simmering water.
• Whisk constantly until the mixture is warm and all the sugar has dissolved.
• Attach the bowl to the mixer and start whipping increasing speed from low to medium-high until you have stiff peaks.
• Continue whipping on low until the mixture is completely cool.
• With the mixer on low speed, add room temperature butter (chopped into cubes), one at a time, until all the butter has been incorporated.
• Finally, whip on high for 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
• Set aside (or in the fridge until ready to use).
• Watch my step by step how to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Prepare caramel

• Add sugar, salt, and water in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Continue to heat until the sugar dissolves and starts to caramelize.
• Keep the heat on low and shake the pan as you go. Do not stir.
• Once the sugar has reached a nice amber color (350 F), stir in the butter followed by the cream. (watch for steam as the mixture will bubble).
• Remove from heat, pour into a clean mason jar and let cool until ready to use.
• Watch step by step how to make Caramel Sauce

Decorate the cupcakes

• Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting or the frosting will melt.
• Place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with your desired piping nozzle - I've used Wilton round tip 12 (large round tip).
• Pipe a swirl on top of the cupcakes.
• Warm the caramel in the microwave for 10 seconds so it's easy to drizzle.
• Use a spoon to drizzle the caramel over the cupcakes.

12 tips for baking perfect cupcakes every single time

1. Follow the recipe properly with minimum substitutions.
2. Always use good quality ingredients.
3. Make sure the ingredients are all at room temperature.
4. Never over-mix the batter.
5. Use a scoop for baking similar size cupcakes.
6. Always preheat the oven before baking - a hot oven works best for cupcakes.
7. Bake cupcakes at the right temperature.
8. Always bake cupcakes on the center rack one tray at a time.
9. Never open the oven during baking - no peeking.
10. Remove cupcakes from their pan no later than 7 to 10 minutes after baking.
11. Store cupcakes properly after baking. Place them in an airtight container at room temperature. Cupcakes dry in the fridge unless wrapped properly with plastic wrap.
12. Simple syrup the cupcakes if don't plan to eat them on the same day.

Frequently asked questions

What other frostings can I use for these pumpkin spice apple cupcakes?

Oh, these cupcakes are delicious with just about any frosting. I have shared with you more than 30 different buttercream flavors here on the blog but these are just a few suggestions.

• Velvet American buttercream
• Vanilla buttercream (eggless)
• Italian Meringue
• French Buttercream and German buttercream 
• Whipped cream buttercream frosting

30 Plus Homemade Buttercream Frosting Recipes

Need a buttercream recipe in 5 minutes? Have a buttercream related question? Wondering what buttercream to use for your cake? It's all here in one place. 30 plus homemade buttercream frosting recipes for you to explore. With recipes, tips, trick, and troubleshooting, as well as popular questions, answered.

SAVE THIS RECIPE ON PINTEREST FOR LATER. TRIED MY RECIPE? SHARE IT WITH ME, PLEASE.
Share a picture of your work with me by uploading an image here below my image on this board. You can also find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest

6 FALL INSPIRED CUPCAKES – A COLLABORATION BY 6 FOOD BLOGGERS (Save/Pin)

Coming back to the recipes by my six fellow bloggers - Here are the other fall-inspired cupcakes. Isn't' this the most delectable colors and flavors of fall?  I will share the name and links below my recipe so look for that.

So here are the 5 other cupcake recipe links from my food blogger friends

1. Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (Rosemary Molly - An Italian in my kitchen)
2. Cranberry Orange Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream (Melissa Radcliffe - My wife can cook)
3. Apple Spice Cupcakes (Arlene Mobley - Flour on my Face)
4. Spicy Chai Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting (Gloria Duggan - Homemade & Yummy)
5. Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Pumpkin Frosting (Sarah Jane Parker - The Fit Cookie)
6. Pumpkin Spiced Apple Cupcakes with Caramel - that's me..!

Pumpkin Spice Apple Cupcakes with SMBC and Caramel

Author: Veena Azmanov

4.95 from 19 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Calories: 121kcal

Adjust Servings Here: 12 cupcakes

Description

These are the most delicious pumpkin spice apple cupcakes. Made with fresh apples and warm pumpkin spice flavor. These cupcakes will have you craving for more. Frosted with Swiss meringue buttercream and a caramel drizzle makes these cupcakes perfect for the fall season. A surprisingly simple and easy recipe that gets done in no time at all. They are also great on their own, without any frosting.

ADJUST SERVINGS HERE - 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• 160 grams (0.75 cups) Brown sugar
• 160 ml (1/3 cups) Cooking oil flavorless
• 2 Eggs
• 1 cup Apple chopped finely
• 1 tsp Lemon juice
• 190 grams (1.50 cups) All-purpose flour
• 1 tsp Pumpkin spice
• 3/4 tsp Baking powder
• 1/4 tsp Baking soda
• 120 ml Sour cream or buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 3 Egg whites large
• 100 grams (1 Cup) Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 340 grams (1.5 cups) Butter (3 sticks) unsalted, room temperature

For the Caramel Sauce

• 200 grams (1 cups) sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp water
• 60 grams (4.00 tbsp) Butter unsalted
• 60 ml (0.25 cups) Whipping Cream 38%

Instructions

BAKE CUPCAKES

• Preheat oven to 160 C / 320 F.
• Place baking cups or cupcake liners in a muffin tray.
• Chop the apple and add 1 tbsp lemon juice to prevent oxidizing.
• Add 2 tsp flour to the apples and set aside.
• Sift the flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Whisk together the eggs and brown sugar – until sugar is almost melted.
• Add in the oil, sour cream or buttermilk and vanilla - mix well
• Next goes in the flour – combine well
• Lastly, add the apples – fold them in but do not over mix
• Scoop the batter equally into 12 cupcake liners or 8 to 10 baking cups.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
• Cool completely before you decorate.

PREPARE SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

• Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in a mixer bowl over a pot of simmering water.
• Whisk constantly until the mixture is warm and all the sugar has dissolved.
• Attach the bowl to the mixer and start whipping increasing speed from low to medium-high until you have stiff peaks.
• Continue whipping on low until the mixture is completely cool.
• With the mixer on low speed add room temperature butter (chopped into cubeone at a time until all the butter has been incorporated.
• Finally whip on high for 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
• Set aside (or in the fridge until ready to use).

PREPARE CARAMEL

• Add sugar, salt and water in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Continue to heat until the sugar dissolves and starts to caramelize.
• Keep the heat on low and shake the pan as you go. Do not stir.
• Once the sugar has reached a nice amber color (350 F) stir in the butter followed by the cream. (watch for steam as the mixture will bubble).
• Remove from heat, pour into a clean mason jar and let cool until ready to use.

DECORATE THE CUPCAKES

• Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting or the frosting will melt.
• Place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with your desired piping nozzle – I’ve used Wilton round tip 12 (large round tip).
• Pipe a swirl on top of the cupcakes.
• Warm the caramel in the microwave for 10 seconds so it’s easy to drizzle.
• Use a spoon to drizzle the caramel over the cupcakes.

Equipment

Stand Mixer

Kitchen Scale

Mixing Bowl

Meas Cups and Spoons

Nutrition Information

Serving: 36gCalories: 121kcalCarbohydrates: 13.4gProtein: 1.2gFat: 7.2gSaturated Fat: 0.9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 69mgPotassium: 0mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 7.1gVitamin A: 0IUVitamin C: 0mgCalcium: 0mgIron: 0mg

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

Did you make this recipe? I'd love to hear about itMention @veenaazmanov or #tag on Instagram #veenaazmanov

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