Peanut Butter and Coconut Caramel Filled Vanilla Cupcakes With a Whipped Chocolate Frosting

I have a new obsession with stuffing things into cupcakes. If you can't get enough deliciousness into the cupcake and frosting... just fill it with more! Plus it's like a little surprise that no one but you knows about! Cupcakes have become even more exciting for me than I would have ever dreamed. 

These moist, extremely vanilla-y vanilla cupcakes are stuffed with a mixture of peanut butter and homemade coconut caramel sauce and topped with a fluffy chocolate frosting.

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar 
• 3 tablespoons vanilla extract

Filling Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup vegan caramel syrup (I used my coconut caramel recipe and changed the coconut cream from 2 1/4 cups to 3 cups)

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegan shortening 
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup soy milk (more or less depending on desired consistency)

Cupcake Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line or grease 12 cupcake tins
3. In a stand mixer, put all of the dry cupcake ingredients into mixing bowl. Allow to mix on the slowest speed while preparing wet ingredients
4. In a separate bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients.
5. While still on the slowest speed, add wet ingredient mixture into dry ingredients. Mix until fully combined while being careful not to overmix.
6. Split batter between the prepared 12 cupcake tins.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes until top of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
8. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before filling.

Filling Preparation:

1. In stand mixer, put peanut butter and caramel sauce into mixing bowl.
2. mix on lowest speed until completely combined.
3. Turn mixer on high speed for 3 minutes.
4. Put into refrigerator until needed.

Frosting Preparation:

1. In stand mixer, beat shortening for 3 minutes on a medium speed to smooth it out. Turn to lowest speed.
2. While still beating, add the vanilla extract.
3. While still on lowest speed, add cocoa powder.
4. Add about an 1/8 cup of the soymilk.
5. Slowly add powdered sugar. (Make sure you don't add it too fast, or you're going to make a mess!)
6. Add remaining soymilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you've reached your desired consistency. (Feel free to add more or less!) When you've finished adding the soymilk, turn the mixer to a high speed and beat for 5 minutes to fluff the frosting.

Assembly:

1. Core cupcakes after they have cooled completely. Save the centers!
2. Use a small spoon to fill cupcakes. (Put a small amount of filling on the spoon, using your finger or another spoon, stuff the filling into the cupcake.
3. Put centers back into cupcakes to keep the filling in.
4. Frost the cupcakes using a piping bag or knife!

Enjoy!!

Hard Cider and Caramel Apple Cupcakes

This recipe is pretty time consuming, but if you like apples, or caramel, or just delicious treats in general-- IT IS TOTALLY WORTH IT. I had to make a second batch of the filling, because I couldn't stop 'taste testing' it. I mean... I wouldn't want to give anyone cupcakes that were filled with a subpar filling, right? 

I made mine with Stella Artois Cider, because my husband brought home 3 cases from work, and I figured I had to use it up somehow. I would have to make quite a few more batches to even make a dent in it... but it was a good thought! Mostly I just used it as an excuse to try out a new recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Hard Cider Cupcakes:

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup hard cider 
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup soymilk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar 

Caramel Apple Filling:

• 4 medium/large apples (skinned, cored, and cut into small pieces)
• 1 cup hard cider
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 5 tablespoons vegan butter
• 3 tablespoons soymilk mixed with 3 tablespoons corn starch (make sure you mix it well and while the milk is cold- this will help the cornstarch blend all of the way into the milk.)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

Vanilla Maple Cinnamon Frosting:

• 1/2 cup vegan shortening 
• 1 tablespoon maple extract
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar 
• 2-5 tablespoons soymilk (more or less depending on desired consistency)

Preparing the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Line standard cupcake pans for 16 cupcakes
3. In a stand mixer, put all of the dry cupcake ingredients into mixing bowl. Allow to mix on the slowest speed while preparing wet ingredients. 
4. In a separate bowl (I just put everything into a 2 cup measuring cup) add all of the wet cupcake ingredients and just mix slightly to combine. 
5. While still on the lowest speed, slowly add the wet mixture to the dry. Mix until all of the wet mixture is incorporated.
6. Split evenly into the lined cupcake tins. (about 2/3 full)
7. Bake for about 16-18 minutes, until the top of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. 
8. Allow to cool completely before filling.

Preparing the Filling  

1. Put prepared apple pieces, cinnamon, and hard cider into medium saucepan. Cook on medium heat until apples soften. (Be careful not to cook too long, because you will want the apple pieces to keep their shape!)
2. After apples are done cooking, drain the remaining liquid and let the apples cool.
3. In a large saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat.
4. Once butter is melted, add the sugars and vanilla. Stir until sugars melt into the butter.
5. Once sugars melt, add the milk/cornstarch mixture. Mix well and keep on medium heat.
6. Let mixture come to a boil; once it reaches a boil, stir continuously and cook for 5 minutes. Turn heat on low.
7. Carefully add apples to the mixture and let cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure sugar does not burn.
8. Allow Mixture to cool before filling cupcakes.

Preparing the Frosting

1. In stand mixer, beat shortening for 3 minutes on a medium speed to smooth it out. Turn to lowest speed.
2. While still beating, add extracts.
3. Slowly add powdered sugar. (Make sure you don't add it too fast, or you're going to make a mess!)
4. Add soymilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you've reached your desired consistency. When you've finished adding the soymilk, turn the mixer to a high speed and beat for 5 minutes to fluff the frosting!

Assembling the Cupcakes!

1. Using a cupcake corer, or a knife, remove the center of each cupcake, leaving a layer on the bottom so the filling doesn't leak out. (Save the centers!)
2. Fill the cupcakes with the caramel apple filling.
3. Use the centers you saved to cover the filling. Push the centers down a little to stick them in securely. If you want a flat cupcake surface, you can use half of the center.
4. Frost the cupcakes. I piped my frosting, but you can just spread it on if you don't have a piping bag.
5. Use any remaining filling mixture to top the cupcakes for an added bonus!
6. Enjoy!!