Baking Under The Influence: Caramel Apple Cupcakes and Donuts

    First off I wanted to say I've noticed I have gotten a bunch new followers so I wanted to say "hi"!


classy plastic wine glasses leftover from my birthday wine party

 Sometimes you feel like drinking a bunch of wine and baking things, if you are me this happens a lot.  So I'd like to introduce you to the first in a series of posts that are what I shall call BUI (Baking Under the Influence). 
    So a little bit ago Fooding with Emily and I went to the Fiestaware Sale and decided that we needed a snack for the undgodly hour of wake up.  A few days beforehand, Emily found a recipe in Rachel Ray's Magazine and we decided this would be it.








Here is what you will need for this nomfest:

• 1 bottle of your favorite wine (optional)
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 rome apples (about 1 pound), peeled and shredded ( we used the food processor to shred)
• 1 1/2 cups chewy caramel candies
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Enjoy bottle of wine while completing the tasks below:

Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line a cupcake pan with baking liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the apples.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan until almost full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

    In a small, microwavable bowl, combine the caramels and cream. Microwave for 1 minute at medium power, then stir; repeat in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Let cool. Spread the frosting generously on the cooled cupcakes.

    The only bad thing we both could say about these was the the caramel "frosting" will rip your emeffing teeth out if you eat it after it has cooled a bit. It is definitely still delish and edible but you have to eat it very carefully ha. I would suggest a brown sugar or spiced icing that wont rip your teeth out.