I originally published this recipe in 2012 and have since added some new photos, a video tutorial, and a few more success tips. I also made some changes to the salted caramel frosting, which are reflected in the printable recipe below. All of the ingredients required are regular baking staples like flour, brown sugar, egg, milk, etc. The cupcakes are soft and cakey, the flavor reminds me salted caramel apple pie or apple cinnamon scones with salted caramel on top (try those!), and they taste extra special with caramel frosting on top. They’re the indisputable champion if you’re looking for a festive fall dessert!
Best Apples to Use
You only need 1 large apple. Peel and finely chop it to yield about 1 and 1/2 cups (180g). Tart Granny Smith is best here since the frosting can be so sweet, but you can use a sweet variety if you wish such as Honeycrisp or Fuji. I like using a mix of both tart and sweet in recipes like apple crisp and apple pie, but that doesn’t matter as much here because you only need 1 apple.
A Few Success Tips
Are you looking for a cake recipe instead? Try this fresh apple cake or even my apple Bundt cake.
More Fall Baking Recipes
Salted Caramel Apple Pie Pecan Pie Bars Apple Cinnamon Rolls Spice Cake Mini Pumpkin Pies Healthy Apple Muffins Pumpkin Bundt Cake Apple Turnovers with Salted Caramel
Once the frosting has thickened, you can pipe it onto your cupcakes—or feel free to spread it on with an icing spatula or knife. I used Wilton 2A Piping Tip on the pictured cupcakes, and in some photos and the video tutorial below, you can see I used an icing spatula to create a little dip/divot on top of the piping. (More room for salted caramel sauce garnish!) Like caramel apples in cupcake form.
