Applesauce cupcakes will be your new favorite fall dessert. Tender cupcakes are made with applesauce and cozy fall spices and topped with a decadent brown butter frosting.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cupcake pan with liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add butter and sugar. With a hand mixer (or stand mixer) cream ingredients together until light and fluffy, about a minute. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir until just incorporated. Add half of the applesauce and mix until just incorporated. Repeat once more until all ingredients are incorporated into batter. Do not overmix.
Divide batter between 14 cupcake liners. Bake in preheated oven for about 18 to 21 minutes, or until cupcake pops back up when pressed down in the center, or when toothpick inserted in the center comes back with crumbs, not wet batter.
Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring cupcakes to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Brown butter frosting
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, stirring frequently. Butter will begin to foam and boil. After 4 to 5 minutes you will see brown flecks appear in the bottom of the pan. Continue to stir until butter is golden and flecks are a medium brown color. Watch closely, butter will brown quickly. The entire process will take about 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove butter from heat and pour into a small bowl. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes, or until butter has cooled to room temperature and beings to solidify.
Add browned butter to a large bowl and whip until creamy. Add confectioner's sugar, half at a time, mixing slowly to incorporate. Increase speed and whip for 2 minutes until fluffy.
Then, add vanilla extract and heavy cream. Whip another 2-3 minutes, or until frosting is fluffy.
Pipe or spread frosting with a knife onto cupcakes and serve.
Notes
Cupcakes will keep for 3-4 days at room temperature in a tightly sealed container.
Allow cupcakes to cool completely before removing from paper liners or frosting. If still warm, cupcakes will stick to the paper liners. Buttercream frosting melts between 90-95 degrees, and will melt if frosted onto a warm cupcake.
Frosting recipe makes enough frosting for tall, dramatic piped frosting (as shown in the photos). For less frosting, cut frosting recipe in half.