Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Apple Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 pkg (4 serving size) Jello French Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 cup water
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, coarsly chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, eggs and oil in large bowl with electric mixer on low until blended. Gently stir in apples.

Pour into lined muffin/cupcake pans. (This also makes a fantastic Bundt cake, served with a drizzle of caramel topping and fresh whipped cream)
Bake for about 20 minutes or until done. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

 Caramel Frosting
3 Tbsp Butter (real!)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/8 tsp salt
3 3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add milk, brown sugar and salt and stir until smooth. Bring to a boil for about a minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat to cool (keep stirring a little while cooling)
When cooled, transfer to a large bowl and add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix with electric mixer until it's a good consistancy. If it gets too thick, add a tiny amount of milk and blend. Too thin? Add a little more powdered sugar.

Garnish with sticks (I used plastic coffee stirrers - the wooden ones would've been cuter, but they didn't have any at the grocery store and I was in a hurry) and a candy corn if ya want to. Happy Halloween.

Finished frosting

The cake batter will look lumpy due to the apples



Caramel Apple Cupcakes