Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Soft cupcakes flavored with apple and caramel in both the cupcake and the buttercream.

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

~ 1 boxed spice cake mix (*see note below)
~ ¾ cup Musselman’s Apple Butter
~ 1 cup apples, peeled and chopped
~ ½ cup oil
~ 3 eggs

Cream Cheese Buttercream:

~ 1 cup butter, softened
~ ½ cup shortening
~ 4 oz cream cheese, softened
~ 8 cups powdered sugar
~ 2 tbsp Musselman’s Apple Butter
~ 1 cup caramel ice cream topping

Instructions

Cupcakes:

~ Mix together the spice cake mix, apple butter, apples, oil and eggs for 30 seconds on low speed and two minutes on medium speed.

~ Divide the batter between 24 muffin cups that have been lined with cupcake wrappers. Fill each about ⅔ of the way.

~ Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

~ Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost them with the cream cheese buttercream (recipe below) leaving a well in the center.

~ Before serving, warm the caramel ice cream topping in a microwave-safe bowl. Spoon the warm caramel into the well in the center of the frosting and drizzle it across the top.

Cream Cheese Buttercream:

~ Beat the softened butter, shortening and softened cream cheese until light and fluffy, about two minutes.

~ Mix in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time.

~ Add the apple butter and beat until smooth.