Let’s talk about fall spice mixes for a minute. Thrilling stuff, I know. Pumpkin spice is on every menu right now, and it’s a blend of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. Its cousin, apple pie spice, has everything but the ginger. You can buy spice mixes or make your own and naturally, I make my own.
These cupcakes use apple pie spice instead of just cinnamon, along with apple cider and a caramel buttercream. I thought the caramel/apple combination would work well, and they taste just fine – but they’re not exactly what I wanted. Next time, I’ll go with a cinnamon buttercream instead, or apple pie spice buttercream. We’ll see.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup apple cider
For the frosting
- 12 tablespoons butter
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons salted caramel sauce
- Apple chips, for garnish
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake tins with paper liners; this recipe makes 18 cupcakes.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, apple pie spice, and salt; set aside. In a mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and apple cider and beat on low to combine, then stir in flour mixture.
Using a two-inch cookie scoop, fill cupcake wells about 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and remove cupcakes from tins; cool on a wire rack before frosting.
To make frosting, beat butter and powdered sugar on low speed until all of the sugar is incorporated into the butter. Add vanilla and caramel sauce and beat to completely combine. Fit a large piping bag with a large open start tip (I use the Wilton 1M) and pipe swirls of frosting onto cupcakes. Garnish with an apple chip.
amy bakes in the 'burgh 