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bitten apple cider cupcake

Salted Caramel Vegan Apple Cider Cupcakes with ‘Brown Butter’ Cream Cheese Frosting

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  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 25
  • Cook Time: 22
  • Total Time: 47 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Cupcakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This is not just your regular cupcake- these apple cider cupcakes are FULL of punchy fresh apple flavor with a beautifully moist, perfectly spiced, sweet tender crumb and stuffed with a salted vegan caramel and dairy free brown butter cream cheese frosting to top! These cupcakes are the epitome of autumn in a bite- all made entirely without eggs and dairy (so yeah, they’re VEGAN!)!

Ingredients

Scale

Cupcakes:

  • 1 1/2 cups (360 mL) apple cider, reduced to 1/2 cup (120 mL)

  • 2/3 cup (150 mL) neutral oil

  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup (100’g) light brown sugar

  • 1/3 cup (83 g) dairy free yogurt or apple butter, room temperature

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg

  • 2 tsp baking powder

  • 1/4 tsp baking soda

  • 2 1/4 cups (280 g) flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour blend

  • 1/2 cup (120 mL) vegan buttermilk, room temperature

Caramel filling:

Vegan ‘Brown Butter’ Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup (113 g) salted vegan butter
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan cream cheese, cold
  • 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

  1. Please read through all instructions before beginning. You will need to reduce the apple cider first, and allow this to cool for 1 hour at least (or sped up in the fridge!). 
  2. Reduce the apple cider: Bring the apple cider to a boil in a medium saucepan on the stove top. Reduce the heat to medium, and reduce the apple cider to about 120 mL (1/2 cup), whisking every so often. This should take about 15 minutes. Allow the apple cider to fully cool to room temperature before making the cupcake batter. You can also do this the night before to save time if you’re making these in the morning (as from here, the cupcakes are so quick to make- only about 25 minutes including bake time!). 
  3. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.  Measure and weigh the remaining ingredients, making sure all other ingredients are room temperature.
  4. Make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the room temperature apple cider reduction, apple butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, neural oil, and vanilla extract. Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt, and whisk until combined. Then add in the flour, along with pouring in the vegan buttermilk. Whisk just until the flour is combined into the wet ingredients.
  5. Fill the cupcakes: Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling about 3/4 of the way full.
  6. Bake the apple cider cupcakes: Place the cupcakes into the oven, and bake for about 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and allow the cupcakes to cool in their pan for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack.
  7. While the cupcakes are baking: Prepare the vegan caramel sauce according to instructions then the vegan brown butter. In a small saucepan, heat the vegan butter on medium heat, melting it down completely. Keep stirring, and reduce the heat to medium low so as not to accidentally burn the butter. Keep stirring until light brown flecks appear in the butter and it has a nutty aroma. Then remove from heat. You’ll yield about 1/3 cup. Place both the caramel and the vegan brown butter in the fridge to cool. You want the butter to reach a room temperature stage again where it’s soft and able to be indented. 
  8. Make the frosting: Once the cupcakes are FULLY cool, you can make the frosting. Add the vegan butter and vegan cream cheese to a bowl, and use a hand mixer to cream together, about 2 minutes. Then add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and sea salt, and mix again until you achieve a smooth and silky frosting. Set aside in the fridge while you core the cupcakes.
  9. Core and fill the cupcakes: Use a cupcake corer or a butter knife to cut a small hole into the top of each cupcake. Fill with 2 teaspoons of salted caramel each.
  10. Frost the cupcakes: I used an ice cream scoop to scoop and smear the frosting on top but you can also use a piping bag with nozzle! Pipe the frosting onto each cupcake.
  11. Serve and enjoy! Top each cupcake with leftover caramel and decorations (I used maple candies!) and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container or bag, and in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.

Notes

See blog post for all tips and tricks!

Find it online: https://thebananadiaries.com/salted-caramel-vegan-apple-cider-cupcakes-with-brown-butter-cream-cheese-frosting/