- May 4, 2024
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Cooking on the clock, I learned, is not one of my strengths. I have been holding on to this apple cupcake recipe for some time now because I was dreading grating the apples.
I have made carrot cake from scratch in the past, and the grating process was not something I wanted to revisit again.
But, I was feeling ambitious, so I gathered up the ingredients and gave it a shot. The cupcake batter was easy enough to follow, a recipe found on a blog, bakedperfection.com.
But when it came to the frosting, caramel buttercream, it was a whole new ball game. The recipe started with making caramel from scratch, also something I had attempted in the past, without a good outcome.
This time, however, it was perfection.
I got a little worried at first, but then, all of a sudden, the bubbling white substance transformed to dark amber, which was the cue to kill the heat.
The rest of the original recipe, however, was a little more frustrating. The original called for egg whites and sugar to be whipped into a stiff fluffy peak and then for the rest of the ingredients to be combined. I was feeling ambitious, so I went for it. After several minutes of beating with no result, I got flustered knowing my time was running out before the cupcakes needed to be delivered. I abandoned the process and continued with an improvised classic buttercream. I then beat in the caramel, tasting along the way.
At the end of it all, the kitchen was a mess. I had spilled cream and vanilla extract, and powdered sugar coated the counter top.
The clock is not my friend, but cupcakes are.
Apple Cupcakes
recipe from BakedPerfection.com
makes 24 cupcakes
What you need:
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated apples
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or line two 12-cup muffin pans.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and sugars until creamy.
Beat in the orange juice, vanilla, and vegetable oil. Slowly add the flour mixture, mix until just combined.
Stir in the grated apples.
Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Caramel Buttercream
What you need:
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup water
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-3 cups confectioners’ sugar
What to do:
Bring sugar and the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Wash sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until caramel is dark amber.
Immediately remove from heat, and slowly add 1/4 cup cream, salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth. Let cool.
In a large bowl, beat butter with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add vanilla, and 1 tablespoon cream. Beat. Add confectioners’ sugar. Keep alternating sugar and cream until you reach desired texture.
Beat in caramel, leaving some to be used as drizzle.
