These cupcakes came into existence because my husband buys too many pears.
I’m pretty sure no one eats pears in our house, and there’s been a bag of pears lurking in the fridge for well over a month now and lo, a few days ago yet another bag of fresh pears somehow appeared in the fridge!
In a bid to use up ingredients I spent the day pottering about the kitchen preparing a nice meal for the family, thoroughly enjoying myself and having a day off from deadlines. I slow roasted a wedge of organic pumpkin from my veg box and mixed the puree with the last of the Grana Padano, some chopped fresh sage, an egg yolk, smoked sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and some freshly made breadcrumbs from the heels of the loaf made the day before to make a home made ravioli filling.
The cooked ravioli was drizzled with a white truffle infused olive oil and sprinkled with fried sage; something simple. A loaf of home made rosemary and smoked sea salt focaccia was made to accompany, and for afters I defrosted a packed of puff pastry that had been sitting in the freezer for way too long.
The still firm pears were sauteed in butter and cinnamon and arranged over the centre of the puff pastry. The edges of the pastry were brushed with beaten egg and sprinkled with demerara sugar before baking: my first ever pear galette.
To finish – a salted caramel sauce (pictured above) and a scoop of vanilla ice cream; a rather lovely pudding for a dreary day Shetland winter’s evening.
So this morning there was most of a jar of salted caramel sauce staring at me in the fridge saying, “Please, just eat me with a spoon. You know you want to. Go on!”
Something had to be done.
Cake had to be made just to showcase this gorgeous salted caramel.
While I waited for the cinnamon scented apple cakes to cool I took a walk in a nearby wooded area. I’ve just adopted two geocaches there and I wanted to collect them before the woods close for the season. The caches are currently disabled and will reappear fresh and new in the Spring.
While walking through the autumn trees I collected some fallen leaves for blog photo props, just in case my experimental cake recipe turned out.
It did!
I’d just finished frosting the last one when my husband came home from work. He ate three of these beauties in quick succession for his lunch.
In this recipe, chopped apples are sauteed with a bit of sugar and water until they begin to soften but still retain some of their texture. A spoonful of salted caramel sauce is added to coat the apples, which are then finely chopped and folded into a cinnamon and freshly ground clove infused cake batter.
The resulting cakes are deliciously moist and autumnal with a not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting drizzled with salted caramel. I have Lekue Decomax, a little silicone tub with a detachable nozzle, which made it very easy to pipe lines of room temperature salted caramel across the top of the frosted cupcakes. To make the pattern, draw a toothpick across the lines of salted caramel at a 90 degree angle, changing direction for each line.
Now, the rest of this salted caramel is calling to be used to fill some dark chocolates….!
Salted Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the salted caramel sauce
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 45 grams butter
- 60 ml double cream
- 1/2 tsp Shetland sea salt
For the cupcakes
- 2 apples peeled, cored and chopped
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp salted caramel sauce
- 175 grams butter
- 175 grams light brown soft sugar
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 175 grams self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 whole cloves freshly ground
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting
- 150 grams cream cheese
- 50 grams icing sugar
- 2 tbsp double cream
- salted caramel sauce
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Instructions
- To prepare the salted caramel sauce, place the granulated sugar in a large saucepan over a medium high heat.
- Using the handle of a wooden spoon, draw small circles in the sugar, so that the sugar keeps moving across the pan.
- Eventually the sugar will start to melt and turn brown.
- When the sugar is a nice caramel golden colour (take care not to overcook or it will burn!) add the butter and stir for a few minutes until it has melted and is well combined with the sugar.
- Slowly pour in the double cream, stirring constantly, and allow to boil for a minute or two, until it thickens up nicely.
- Sprinkle over the salt and stir well. Set aside to cool until room temperature. Leftovers can be kept for up to two weeks if stored covered in the fridge.
- To prepare the cupcakes, place the chopped apple in a small saucepan with the water and granulated sugar.
- Bring to a simmer and cook the apples until they begin to soften, but still retain some of their texture.
- Add the salted caramel and combine well. When the apples have softened, mash with a potato masher or back of a spoon. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat your oven to 180 C/ 160 C fan/ 350 F. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with large American size cupcake cases.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, and then add the eggs, one at a time, with a spoonful of the flour.
- Add the vanilla and sift over the dry ingredients, combining well.
- Fold in the cooled, chopped apple mixture and spoon into the prepared baking cases.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and springy to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.
- To prepare the frosting, gently mix the cream cheese, sieved icing sugar and double cream together.
- Spread the frosting over the cupcakes and drizzle with salted caramel sauce.
LINKING UP WITH A FEW FOOD BLOGGING CHALLENGES
Treat Petite by Cakeyboi and The Baking Explorer
Recipe of the Week by A Mummy Too
Tasty Tuesdays by Honest Mum
OTHER SALTED CARAMEL RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Salted Caramel Crunchie Ice Cream by Fab Food 4 All
Easy Fudgy Brownies with Toasted Pecans and Salted Caramel by Kerry Cooks
Salted Caramel Peanut Crunch Bars by Celery and Cupcakes
Cookie Dough Salted Caramel Shortbread by Kerry Cooks
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Cookbook Review: Amina’s Home Cooking
My mouth is watering just looking at these. They sound and look wonderful.
We always buy too many pears too! Your cupcakes look beautiful – love the frosting and the salted caramel!
Wow these really do look stunning Elizabeth! I love the technique you’ve used on top to decorate them. I might have to give that a try!
Ooh wow, these look so delicious! So pretty and a lovely change to the usual piped swirl of frosting to the top.
Angela x
i saw the cupcakes and my tummy instantly started to rumble.
These cupcakes look so beautiful!! Love the flavors in this cupcakes.. Yum!!
Our husbands must be related. Mine buys a ton of pears as well 🙂
This is a lovely post. So interesting to hear what you’ve been up to in the kitchen and I enjoyed your walk! Those cupcakes looks so flavorful and tasty! I can almost taste that delicious caramel sauce!
Wow! These look stunning. Thanks for entering into Treat Petite!
These would be amazing with the salted hot chocolate I am currently sipping!
These are some beautiful looking cupcakes Elizabeth. I am actually obsessed with anything salted caramel.
Salted caramel has to be one of my favorite sweet tastes of all time. It looks like a fabulous addition to these cupcakes!
It is a pretty fantastic invention, salted caramel. A bit too lovely!
I’d like a little cupcake with my caramel sauce, please! 🙂
Heehee, I don’t blame you! 😀
We had salted caramel cupcakes at our wedding, I can only imagine the addition of the apples would take them right over the top!
Oh that would have been lovely, I am sure! What sort of recipe did you use?
These are positively stunning!
Thanks Justine 🙂
These are gorgeous!!! Cannot wait to try these!!
Do let me know what you think of them if you do!
Not only do these look really pretty but they sound so good! Would be difficult to just eat one I think.
I ate one, and then I had to take a bite out of a second for the photograph – and then I ate that one too!
Wow – these look amazing! (So does your dessert pears – everything is improved by being covered in salted caramel sauce). Love the design work on the top as well.
Yes I would agree. Salted caramel, like bacon, makes everything so much better. 🙂
How do men have the knack of doing that? Buying the same products each time no matter what might already be in the house – ha!
These look utterly delicious – thank you for sharing!
Nicola, xo
I know!!! 😀
Glad you used up the pears! the galette sounds good!
lovely autumnal flavours in cupcakes. Look delicious.
Me too – I really detest food waste! 🙂
Caramel apple anything is my favorite!
It’s a pretty awesome flavour, isn’t it!
Oh my goodness, I think I’m in love with this recipe! Salted caramel apple cupcakes sound so darn good!!
Heehee, glad you like the sound of it!
Salted caramel is my absolute fav, so I am all over these cupcakes! YUM!
Heehee, thanks! 😀
These are so pretty Elizabeth – I love the feathered caramel sauce on top – great effect.
Thanks Stuart – I thought it worked rather well too. 🙂
Yum! They look perfect for an autumn treat! And your ravioli filling sounds absolutely delish!
I thought my ravioli filling was rather lovely too, but alas, my family were not fans. 🙁
These cupcakes look so good! Beautiful full of yummy flavors. And, I’m happy looking at the photos you took on your walk. What a lovely day. Thanks for sharing those!
Aw thanks! It was a lovely day – the calm before the Storm Abigail!
This apple cupcake looks so moist and certainly love the salted caramel frosting – oh yum!
Thank you 🙂
What a lovely post! Your photos are gorgeous! And these cupcakes are so cute and look delightful!
Aw thank you! It’s really difficult taking photos this time of year with the poor light, so I was really pleased how well these turned out.
Hi Elizabeth, it’s so nice to meet you. I love your delicious salted caramel apple cupcakes a classic pairing and a beautiful photo as well.
Thank you Joanne – it’s lovely to ‘meet’ you too!
I ove the intro to your post. Lots of my recipes come into existence because my OH does the same. Fab recipe.
Heehee, thanks Bintu. I do like being creative with the ingredients I have on hand!
For this sauce, I don’t need anything except a spoon. Luscious!
Heehee, I agree! I used up some of the leftovers in some filled dark chocolates. Yummy!
What lovely fall cupcakes full of spices and aromas!
Thanks Katerina!
Oh my word. This entire post had me drooling – the homemade ravioli, the salted caramel, these yummy cupcakes! Love the way you decorated the tops, so simple but so so effective 🙂
Haha, thanks Becca! Glad you like the look of them!
These are gorgeous! I love salted caramel so much! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x
Thanks Vicki! 🙂
Look at that caramel…I think I’m in love
haha, thanks! 😀
Lovely recipe! Everything is better with salted caramel x
Thank you, and I agree! 😀
These cupcakes look delicious.
Thanks Peter 🙂
I can see how easy it much have been for your husband to eat 3 of these and think I would do the same. Delicious cupcakes and that caramel sauce, yum.
Thanks Janette – they are rather scrummy!
Elizabeth, your cupcakes are absolutely gorgeous and I wish I had one right now to indulge in!
Go and bake a batch! They’re so simple to make. 🙂
Oh these look delicious!! I wish I wasn’t allergic to apples because I miss out on all the Autumn/winter goodies like apple pies, toffee apples etc! Your photos are beautiful and I now need to go and buy cake!
Oh no! I wonder what other fruit would work well – pears, maybe? Quince?
Not only is this a great recipe but the photos of the cakes look amazing. Thanks for making me hungry hehe x
Aw thank you Rhian!
These look so beautiful and so tempting Elisabeth! I don’t think I have ever seen that kind of feathered caramel frosting on cupcakes before it is inspired. I often have leftover salted caramel sauce so I will definitely be doing this. Yummed, pinned and stumbled : )
Aw thanks Lucy!
Oh yum. I just remembered I have some salted caramel sauce in the fridge, might experiment with a loaf cake version this weekend!
Oh what a great idea! Let me know how it turns out!