Spiced Apple Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

Not to wish summer away, but I love that fall is in the air here in Boston! Autumn is absolutely my favorite season and it makes me miss my home in Upstate NY terribly. I am currently alternating between three fall scented Yankee candles and digging out my fall decorations. (See my new Current Obsessions for more fall things.) So since two of my best friends' birthday were this month, I made them both a batch of these autumn-inspired cupcakes.

As you can see, I had trouble resisting them during the photo shoot. I knew I wanted something apple-y, but I was afraid apple cupcakes would fall too quickly into the muffin category. That's why this recipe is so great - it has texture and consistency of cake, but with all the warm flavors of fall. The caramel frosting is delicious and fun to make, but don't add the cream too soon (like I did the first time) or you'll end up with a hard piece of caramel candy... Whoops. For cupcakes this recipe is a little time-consuming, but well worth the effort. Enjoy!

Spiced Apple Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting (Adapted from Chow)
Makes: 24 cupcakes  Prep: 25 minutes  Total: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients
Cupcakes:
3 Gala apples, grated
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup low fat buttermilk

Frosting:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbs water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup butter
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions
Cupcakes:
Peel, slice and grate apples with a food processor or by hand. Place grated apples in a colander, sprinkle with salt and let sit while you prepare the rest of the batter. (This will help dry out unwanted moisture.)
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, eggs and buttermilk. When the wet ingredients are fully incorporated, add dry ingredients into the mixture and combine until smooth. Lastly, squeeze out the grated apples to rid of excess moisture and add to the batter.
Pour into greased or papered cupcake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Frosting:
Combine 1/4 cup with water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Cook at medium-high heat for about 5-8 minutes until the mixture turns and dark caramel color. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes, then slowly mix in the heavy cream in small increments. Add the vanilla, mix well and let sit until the mixture is cool to the touch.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter with the sea salt and then add powdered sugar. Add the caramel and mix well. Store in the fridge for 30 minutes before icing.