Name: Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Yield: Makes 18 cupcakes
Ingredients: 2½ cups all-purpose flour; 3 tsp. baking powder; 1 tsp. ground cinnamon; ½ tsp. salt; 16 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature (European style recommended); 2 cups sugar; 4 large eggs, at room temperature; ⅓ cup hot water; 2½ cups freshly grated apples (4 to 5 medium-size apples—we use Gala apples, but you can use your favorite type); 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature (European style recommended); 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted; ¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract (Nielsen-Massey pure Madagascar Bourbon recommended); 6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature; 2 cups sugar; 1 Tbsp. water; 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature (European style recommended); 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (Nielsen-Massey pure Madagascar Bourbon recommended); 1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

A single cupcake with a piped mound of cream cheese frosting and a fivepoint drizzle of caramel.

Photo by Dayna Smith

Topped with rich cream cheese frosting and a drizzle of vanilla caramel sauce, these fluffy apple treats are a fall must-have.

Recipe notes

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Recipe notes

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