Caramel Apple Cupcakes - A Cupcake a Day in May

Day 15. I am half a day away from half way through the month! As it is basically hump-day of Cupcake a Day May, its fitting that I make a stupendous cupcake… So behold, Gluten Free Caramel Apple Cupcakes. I am unreasonably excited to be telling you about these.

Gluten Free Caramel Apple Cupcakes

These kind of evolved as I made them. I planned a simple grated apple batter with a cinnamon buttercream and salted caramel drizzle. Instead, I got a Castagnaccio type cake with grated apple, a cinnamon apple pie filling, rosemary infused caramel butter roux frosting and salted caramel drizzle. Not really the same, but… So. Much. Better.

Gluten Free Caramel Apple Cupcakes

If you’re thinking “things that make you go hmm” (sorry about the reference to the 90’s SNAP! song) about putting rosemary with apples, open your mind (sorry about the Matrix quote). Caramelized apple and rosemary is a winning combination, which I first came across at the Broadway Deli (as it then was) in Santa Monica about fifteen years ago. Their “Mile High Apple Pie” had visible pieces of rosemary in the amazing buttery caramelized apple filling. I’ve been making apple pie like that ever since.

As this cupcake was planned for Gluten Free Friday, and I was already thinking about rosemary, it occurred to me that I could import the flavours of Castagnaccio (a chestnut flour cake flavoured with rosemary) into my grated apple cake by using chestnut flour as my gluten free flour and adding a touch of finely chopped rosemary to the batter. To amp up the apple factor, a heap of cinnamon apple pie filling (made with cute cubes of granny smith apple) sits on top of the cupcake.

Cinnamon Apple Pie filling

I suppose I need to apologise about the frosting. It’s a twist on what is probably my favourite frosting ever – butter roux. I find it funny that I love it so much when regular cooks that I know have never even heard of the stuff. Readers of this blog will have seen it before though because I use it a lot. So here’s my apology: Sorry, I’m using it again. But really I’m not sorry. It’s so creamy, and not too sweet, which makes it perfect for these cupcakes. I’ve infused the milk in the recipe with rosemary, and whipped in salted caramel (another apology, I’ve been using salted caramel a lot these days too – I know it’s a foodie buzzword, but really I’m not trying to be a faddist, it’s just that salt in your caramel amps up the caramel flavour so beautifully, I’ll probably never make regular caramel again). The result is smooth and creamy, with a hint of caramel and the slight astringency of rosemary. The rosemary infused frosting is also sensational without the caramel in it.

Gluten Free Caramel Apple Cupcakes

The cupcakes are decorated with a wholesome combo of toasted flaked almonds and pepitas, and drizzled with a touch more salted caramel. They are really very pretty – they turned out just as I imagined.

Gluten Free Caramel Apple Cupcakes

makes 12

Apple Chestnut Cupcakes

ingredients

2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
100g melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chestnut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp finely chopped rosemary
1 1/2 cups grated granny smith apple (about two apples)

mixing and cupcake assembly

Line a 12 hole muffin pan with cupcake cases, spray with non-stick spray

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until just combined. Spoon mixture into the cupcake cases. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooking, make the Apple Pie filling and Salted Caramel. You can also make the rosemary infused milk (step 1 of the frosting recipe) so it has a chance to cool down at the same time as everything else. When everything is cool, make the Rosemary Caramel Butter Roux Frosting.

Fit a large piping bag with a star tip (I use Wilton 1B) and load in the frosting. Working one cupcake at a time, place a pre-set mound of apple pie filling or take a tablespoon or so of apple pie filling and heap it in the center of the cupcake. Pipe a big conical swirl of frosting around the filling, to completely cover the cupcake and the filling. Lightly press the toasted almond and pepita mix around the base of the frosting.

Chill the cupcakes until the frosting has set. Drizzle with the salted caramel (you may need to warm it slightly if you have had it in the refrigerator – a few seconds in the microwave will do the trick, or you can sit your container of caramel in a bowl of hot water – give it a stir every 10 seconds or so until you have a good consistency for drizzling).

Frosting the cupcakes

Apple Pie Filling

ingredients

2 granny smith apples
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp maize cornflour (this type of cornflour is gluten free)
2 tsp water, extra

mixing

Peel and core the apples and cut into about 6mm dice. Combine the sugar, water, butter and cinnamon in a small saucepan and heat until the butter has melted. Stir in the apples. Cover and cook on a medium heat until the apples are soft. Combine the maize cornflour and extra water in a small bowl, stir until smooth. Tip the cornflour mixture into the apples, stir to combine, then cook, stirring gently, for about 2 minutes until there is a nice thick coat of “sauce” on the apples. Set aside to cool. When cool, you can make pyramid shaped mounds of about 1 1/2 tablespoons of apple and let them set in the refrigerator. I set mine in a sheet of little silicone moulds as shown.

Cinnamon Apple Pie filling

Salted Caramel

ingredients

70g caster sugar
20 mL water
85mL cream (warm)
1/4 tsp salt
25g butter, cubed

mixing

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat over high heat, shaking the pan often, until the sugar starts to dissolve and the mixture starts to boil. Let the mixture boil, shaking the pan often, until the sugar syrup starts to caramelize. This will happen quite rapidly. Sugar syrup keeps cooking when you remove it from the heat, so take the pan off the heat as soon as a golden colour starts to form. You can always put it back on the heat for a few seconds to continue to caramelize the syrup.
Let the caramel syrup sit for a few seconds and then carefully add the cream in a thin stream, stirring constantly. The mixture will bubble up ferociously and a lot of steam will be generated so take care not the burn yourself! When all of the cream has been incorporated, return pan to the heat and stir constantly until the mixture is smooth. Add the salt to taste. Let the caramel cool a little, then stir in the butter, stirring until completely incorporated.

When the caramel is cool, store it in a plastic container or a squeezy bottle (my favourite) in the refrigerator. You’ll use 3 tablespoons of it in the frosting, and some more for decorating the cupcakes. You can squirt the rest directly into your mouth when you have had a bad day.

Rosemary Caramel Butter Roux Frosting

3/4 cup milk

8 cm sprig of rosemary
2 tbsp plus 1 teaspoon gluten free flour (I use Orgran)
3/4 cup caster sugar
185g unsalted butter, softened

3 tbsp salted caramel

1/4 cup flaked almonds, to decorate

1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), to decorate
the remainder of the salted caramel, to decorate

mixing

Make the rosemary infused milk. Bruise the rosemary sprig by pounding it with the butt of a kitchen knife. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and the rosemary until the milk is nearly boiling. Let the milk cool and when cold, discard the rosemary.

Mix the flour with a little of the milk until you have a smooth paste, then add the rest of the milk and the rosemary. Cook mixture over a medium heat until the mixture thickens and boils. Cool to room temperature – this is important, if the flour mixture is too hot the resulting frosting will be soupy! If this happens, chill the mixture and beat again.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With the mixer still running, add the flour mixture, a tablespoon at a time, beating until all incorporated. Beat in the salted caramel.

Toast the flaked almonds and pumpkin seeds. Scatter them in a single layer on a baking tray and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for approximately 3 minutes. Watch them carefully and remove them from the oven just as soon as they start to turn golden – they’ll continue to brown up a little even out of the oven.

Gluten Free Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Wow. These cupcakes turned out to be way more complicated than I had planned when I was thinking about Cupcake a Day May. But they are so worth it! An awesome combination of creamy and crumbly textures and fresh apple flavours, with a crisp crunch from the roasted almonds and pepitas. Heavenly and wholesome tasting at the same time, these would make a great addition to a special afternoon tea, but they would also work their magic as a dessert!

… stop press feedback from my GF colleague Erin…

I think this may be the best cupcake I have ever tasted

you should open a shop!

I’ll be a regular customer

Ahh, feedback like this is like warm sunshine. However, with these cupcakes, she is preaching to the converted.

Gluten Free Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Enjoy!xxx

Caramel Apple Cupcakes – A Cupcake a Day in May