Apple Cider Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Imagine a caramel apple in cupcake form only taken to the next level with a fall spiced chunky apple cupcake, gooey apple cider spiked caramel and subtly sweet apple cider frosting.

Every year for my whole life I’ve made the trek to Apple Hill in the Sierra Nevada Foothills of California in October for the idiallic transition to all things fall🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁 A favorite treat from Apple Hill are the caramel apples, apple donuts and the Apple Hill Cake. I thought it would be spectacular to combine the flavors from all these goodies into a cupcake and that’s exactly what these Apple Cider Caramel Apple Cupcakes do.

One thing I found out from testing a bunch of different recipes is that the apple flavor is pretty subtle. To get a stronger apple flavor, this recipe uses reduced apple cider in the cupcake, caramel and frosting. The result is a deliciously distinct apple cider flavor that brought me back to Apple Hill and all things Autumn.

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Reduced Apple Cider

Use this reduced apple cider to pack an apple flavored punch in these cupcakes, apple cider caramel and frosting.

Ingredients

• 1 quart apple cider I used very flavorful and fresh apple cider from Apple Hill but you can use readily available from Tree Top.I really like the cider made from honeycrisp apples.
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions

• Place the apple cider in a medium pot over medium to low heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally , for about one hour until it is reduced down to 1 1/2 cups. The consistency should be syrupy.
• Pour into a heat safe container and cool completely.

Let me start by saying how much I love caramel. It might be my absolute favorite flavor (is caramel a flavor?). I have made tons of caramel in lots of different ways: cartelizing white sugar with and without corn syrup, with and without butter and heavy whipping cream, using brown sugar. This cupcake recipe uses Apple Cider Caramel. I tested several recipes for apple cider caramel and a couple of them turned out badly, mainly because they separated upon cooling. This recipe for Apple Cider Caramel is perhaps the best caramel I’ve ever made AND it is super easy! Tastes faintly like a caramel apple and would be delicious on apple pie, over vanilla ice cream, spooned right out of the jar…to name a few.

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Apple Cider Caramel

The subtle flavor of apple cider infuses this caramel.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup reduced apple cider
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• pinch fine sea salt

Instructions

• Add reduced cider, light brown sugar, unsalted butter, heavy whipping cream and sea salt to a 3 quart saucepan.
  
• Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil stirring constantly for 2 -4 minutes. The more time you cook the caramel, the thicker it will be.
  
• Remove from heat and cool completely. I poured my caramel into a canning jar.
  
• Refrigerate for up to one week. To reheat, microwave in 20 second increments until warm.

The cupcake for this recipe tastes just like fall comfort, with lovely flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg one every bite. The cupcake is almost like the apple cake I remember from Apple Hill, full of crunchy apple chunks. I used Honeycrisp apples, my preferred apple at the moment. But you could use Fuji or Golden Delicious. These varieties are sweet and tart and have a ton of flavor. The basic ingredients are common ones you probably have around the house during fall and the holiday baking season.

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Apple Cider Cupcakes

The taste of comforting fall flavors in a cupcake.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup reduced apple cider
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1-2 large apples, peeled and finely chopped

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baling soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
• Using and electric mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until combined. Mix in the vanilla, then reduced apple cider until combined. Slowly stir in the flour mixture just until combined. the batter may have a few lumps. Fold in the chopped apples.
  
• Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter. This recipe makes 14-16 cupcakes. Bake for 15-18 minutes (depends on your oven) until the tops puff and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  
• Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.
  

For this cupcake I use ermine buttercream for the first time. You can read up on the history and method for ermine frosting at Sugar Geek Recipes. Ermine buttercream is not as sweet as other frostings (American buttercream or even meringue buttercreams) allowing the flavor of the reduced apple cider to really shine though.

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Apple Cider Ermine Buttercream

Light and fluffy frosting, delicately sweet with a subtle apple cider flavor.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup reduced apple cider
• 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, flour and salt. Whisk until well combined.
• Slowly whisk in the reduced apple cider and mix until smooth.
• Place saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously for five minutes.
• Continue to gently whisk over medium heat until the mixture thickens, about 5 more minutes. The mixture should be this like pudding or custard.
• Pour the mixture into a heat safe container and cool completely. I put mine in the refrigerator over night.
  
• Place the softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with the whisk attachment. Whisk the butter at full speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides a few times.
• When the butter is pale and fluffy, add the cooled custard mixture in 3-4 increments. Don't do what I did and add the custard while the mixer is going, it makes a big mess.
  
• Add the vanilla and mix until the mixture is fully combined. You can switch to the paddle attachment to get rid of air bubbles in the frosting.

Assemble the cupcakes by placing them in a second paper cupcake liner. I used the delicious caramel liberally sp that second paper liner comes in very handy. Heat up the Carmel a little and spoon or pour over the unfrosted cupcake.

I used a Wilton 2D tip (my favorite and widely available at Walmart, Michaels, Amazon) to frost these Apple Cider Carmel Apple Cupcakes.

Finally drizzle more of the delectable Apple Cider Caramel on top of the frosted cupcake.

The finished cupcakes will last well on the counter for a couple days, in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for a couple months. Make sure to bring to room temperature before serving. 🍎