It’s so crazy that October starts this week. Like I seriously have no idea where this month went, it just flew by. I have been so busy lately but I’m pretty much on track with my recipes. I have five (possibly six) recipes planned out for October, and there are some pretty cute ones coming up to look forward to!
If you’re new here, you might not know about my Halloween addiction but trust me, it’s pretty huge. And here at Ballerina Baker, it’s all things spooky during the month of October so get hyped. Plus, this November is the 5 year anniversary of the blog so that’s something to celebrate as well.
Now let’s shift focus to these cupcakes. Of course I’m going to tell you the they’re good, but you don’t just have to take my word for it. I made them for a bake sale and they were a huge hit, so trust me they’re worth your time.
Describe These Cupcakes to me
Taste: The cupcakes have a very delicate apple flavor, enhanced with a little cinnamon and nutmeg, that perfectly compliments the bittersweet coffee buttercream. It really does taste like an apple cider donut with a cup of coffee.
Texture: The cupcakes are moist and fluffy, while the buttercream is soft and melt-in-your mouth light. These cupcakes aren’t dense at all, despite the apple cider in the batter.
Ease: These cupcakes are actually a lot easier than they may seem. The batter has one extra step, reducing the cider, but it’s very straightforward. The buttercream is just as simple as a classic vanilla frosting, and the decoration can be as simple as you want it to be.
The Cupcakes
These are apple cider cupcakes, and they get all of their apple flavor from reducing/concentrating cider on the stove and mixing it into the batter. This gives it a very delicate apple flavor, which is highlighted a little more when we add in a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. This gives us cupcakes with a nice subtle fall flavor that are fluffy, moist, and perfect for decorating.
The Frosting
This is one of my favorite cake frostings ever because it uses a little clever trick that makes it both delicious, and very easy to pipe. Instead of just adding espresso powder straight to a vanilla buttercream, I mix in with a little hot water to essentially make a very strong, concentrated shot of espresso. This both creates a smoother frosting by dissolving the espresso powder, and by slightly melting the butter. When the butter in the frosting is slightly softer, it makes it easy to pipe, but set firm and hold its shape. Plus its the perfect balance of bittersweet coffee and vanilla!
The Topping
I like to top my cupcakes with a dried apple ring, a couple of coffee beans, and a dusting of cinnamon. I feel like this looks super elegant and autumnal, but it’s super easy to throw together. And it sort of gives you a visual preview of the main flavors of the cupcake.
Apple Cider Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream
Ingredients
Method
- Pour the apple cider into a small saucepan. Over medium heat, bring the cider to a low boil. Cook at this heat, stirring occasionally, until the cider has reduced to ½ cup. Pour the reduced cider into a small bowl to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a 12 count muffin tin with liners. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined. Set aside. To a medium sized mixing bowl, add the vegetable oil, melted butter, and brown sugar. Whisk until combined. Whisk in the eggs and the mixture should smooth out. Finally, add in the vanilla, sour cream, milk, and cooled reduced apple cider. Whisk until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl whisk together the granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- Scoop/ pour the batter evenly among the previously prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle the top of each cupcake with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 17-23 minutes or until the cupcakes bounce back when lightly poked.
- In a large mixing bowl using either a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the butter on high speed for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then whip for another 2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the espresso powder and hot water. Add this espresso mixture, along with the confectioners sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, to the butter and mix on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Then turn the mixer up to high speed and whip for around 2 mintues. The frosting should be very light and creamy.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star tip, I used Wilton 1M. Pipe the frosting in a spiral on top of the cupcakes. If desired, top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and some coffee beans. Enjoy! Leftover cupcakes last up to 4 days sealed in an airtight container in the refrigerator.