Spiced Apple Cupcakes With Salted Caramel Frosting Food

SPICED APPLE CUPCAKES WITH SALTED CARAMEL FROSTING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Place Reynolds Baking Cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups
• In large bowl, beat all cupcake ingredients except apple with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed 4 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Fold in apple. Fill muffin cups about three-fourths full.
• Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove cupcakes from pan to cooling rack; cool completely.
• In small bowl, mix frosting and caramel topping until smooth and spreadable. Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

SPICED APPLE CUPCAKES WITH SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pans with cupcake liners.
• In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.
• In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. Then whisk in oil, milk and vanilla.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and beat at medium speed until combined.
• Fold in chopped apples.
• Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.
• Bake for 18-19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or cakes bounce back when pressed lightly.
• Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, prepare your caramel buttercream.
• In saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. With a wooden spoon, stir in brown sugar and continue to stir until dissolved. Then stir in heavy cream, vanilla and salt. Once mixture reaches a slow, rolling boil, cook for 5-7 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken to a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cooled to a manageable temperature, transfer to a mixing bowl.
• With an electric mixer, gradually beat in confectioner's sugar until mixture is smooth and velvety. If necessary, use a little more or less to reach the desired consistency.
• Frost cupcakes using your desired method. I prefer to pipe it in a thick swirl, using a wide round tip or spreading with a flat spatula.

SPICED APPLE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• First, make the decorations. Roll out the green fondant on a surface dusted with the sugar to a ½cm thickness. Cut out 12 small 'leaves' using a cutter or knife. Set aside on some baking parchment. Roll the brown fondant into 12 x 1cm 'stalks'. Set aside with the leaves.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line six holes of a 12-hole cupcake tin with red cases, and the other six with green. For the cake batter, beat the butter and both sugars with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Slowly mix in the eggs, then fold in the flour, baking powder, grated apple and spices until fully incorporated.
• Fill the cases three-quarters full and bake for 30-35 mins, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin. Meanwhile, make the icing. Beat the butter until light and creamy, then add the sugar and vanilla, and beat for 5 mins more until fluffy and pale.
• Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle. Working from the outside towards the centre, pipe the icing in a swirl over the cupcakes, applying a good amount of pressure to the bag. Use a small palette knife to smooth the icing into neat domes, then chill the cupcakes for 30 mins to firm up.
• Tip the red and green sanding sugars into separate bowls. Dip the tops of the cupcakes with the red cases into the red sugar, and those with green cases into the green sugar, turning to fully coat the icing.
• Make little indentations in the top of the icing for the fondant stalks, and add the leaves around them.