Apple Crumble & Cinnamon Cupcakes with a Marshmellow Frosting and Dulce deLeche Caramel

These cupcakes I put together/designed myself! I had a craving for a Apple & Cinnamon recipe but really wanted to try this Marshmellow Frosting I had came across so I decided why not make a dessert cupcake?!
This creation is a basic Apple & Cinnamon Cupcake recipe topped with a rolled oats crumble then once almost cooled I topped them with a Vanilla Marshmellow Frosting and Dulce deLeche Caramel - DELISH!

CUPCAKES:

2 Cups Plain Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
3/4 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
2 Medium Apples (the original recipe said Granny Smith but I just used Braeburns)
125g Butter
2 Eggs
3/4 Cup Milk

Preheat oven to 180°C. Prepare your ingredients. 

Sift the plain flour, baking powder and cinnamon together into a large bowl. The baking powder acts as a raising agent and will help give the muffins a light texture. Stir in the brown sugar and apples until well combined.
Whisk together the butter or margarine, eggs and milk until well combined. Blending the wet ingredients before adding them to the flour mixture makes it easier to evenly combine the two.

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a large metal spoon until just combined. It is important that the ingredients are only just combined. If the mixture is over-mixed, the cooked muffins will have a tough texture.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin pans and sprinkle with the Crumble Topping (recipe below)

Bake the muffins in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. To test if they are cooked, insert a skewer into the centre of one - if it comes out clean, it is ready If not, cook for a little longer before testing again. When cooked, remove from oven and stand for 2-3 minutes before turning onto a wire rack. Letting them stand makes them easier to remove from the pans. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 day.


CRUMBLE TOPPING

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon of cinnamon, mixed spice, or flavour required
3/4 cup brown or white sugar
75 g cold butter (cubed)

Mix the top 4 ingredients in a bowl then add the butter and rub in until it is a crumb like mix. You can also do this in a processor but I find doing it with your hands works just as well and doesn't take long at all!


MARSHMELLOW FROSTING

1 Cup White Sugar
1/3 Cup Water
1/4 tsp Cream of Tatar
2 Egg Whites
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

In a medium mixing bowl, whip the egg whites and vanilla to soft peaks - put aside.
In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, water and cream of tartar. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbly.
Gradually add the sugar mixture while whipping constantly until stiff peaks form, about 7 to 10 minutes. 


Pipe the Frosting onto the cupcakes once almost cooled and then top with the caramel sauce of your choice!
I use the Dulce de Leche from this website http://www.dulceas.co.nz/dulce-de-leche/dulce-de-leche-milk-caramel-3.html - it's just sooo yummy!!!