Apple Cider Donut Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting

These Apple Cider Donut Cupcakes are everything I love about fall baking! They’re packed with warm spices, fresh Honeycrisp apples, and concentrated apple cider for that classic apple cider donut flavor. The cupcakes are incredibly moist from the grated apples (reminiscent of carrot cake), then topped with a fluffy salted caramel buttercream that adds just the right amount of sweet and salty. They’re the perfect fall cupcake for a party, get-together, or just because. Give them a try!

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons apple cider concentrate, chilled*
• 1 cup buttermilk (I use 1 cup heavy cream with the juice of 1 lemon stirred in, then let sit for 5 minutes)
• 2 1/2 – 3 cups peeled, grated honey crisp apples (large grate), approximately 3 apples

Salted Caramel Buttercream

• 5 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 1/4 pounds confectioners sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup salted caramel
• Heavy cream, as-needed (I used 2-3 tablespoons)
• More kosher salt to taste (depending on saltiness of the caramel)

Instructions

Apple Cider Donut Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add tulip cupcake liners to 14 cupcake wells.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and kosher salt until combined.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and vegetable oil until fully combined.
4. Whisk egg, vanilla extract, and boiled cider into the sugar and vegetable oil mixture. Then whisk in the buttermilk.
5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until mostly incorporated. Some dry spots are ok.
6. Fold in the grated honey crisp apples until even distributed, but do not overmix.
7. Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, add a heaping scoop full of batter to each cupcake well.
8. Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until the cupcakes bounce back when gently poked. (A cake tester may not work due to the fresh apples added to the batter.) The cupcakes should be lightly golden brown.
9. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes after removing from the oven, then place the cupcakes on a cooling rack to cool for approximately 1.5 hours prior to frosting. (Maybe be more or less time to cool completely depending on the temperature of your home.)

Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting

1. Cream the butter on medium speed in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until lightened.
2. Add confectioners sugar and vanilla to the butter, then cream on medium speed until slightly fluffy. Then add the salted caramel and beat on medium speed until fluffy.
3. If the buttercream is too thick (not fluffy and stiff), add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time, mixing in between for 30-60 seconds, until the buttercream is fluffy.
4. Add more salt to taste, if desired.
5. Frost cooled cupcakes generously and enjoy!

*Note on Apple Cider Concentrate: Reduce chosen amount (1/2 or full gallon) apple cider to ~1/5 of the original amount by simmering over low heat and stirring occasionally. Do not reduce too much (or over high heat) or it becomes candy. Use the extra cider for other baking needs to give your goodies more apple flavor. If you don’t have salted caramel on hand, feel free to make an apple cider buttercream for the cupcakes instead using the traditional buttercream frosting recipe. Rather than adding heavy whipping cream, add up to 1/4 cup (1 tablespoon at a time, 4 tablespoons equals 1/4 cup) chilled apple cider concentrate.