Yummy brown butter apple caramel cakes

I don't normally have cravings. Ok, I do sometimes.. that's a rare sometimes ^^..

Well, looking at lynna's caramel apple donuts made me flip! I can't quite explain it ^^|| but I just HAD to have some--thing.. with apples, cinnamon and caramel!

Out of desperation (for lack of donut pan!), and some inspiration (^^!).. I adapted lynna's brown butter blueberry streusel muffin recipe and her caramel apple donuts recipe to satisfy my craving ^^! Since piggies and I have a "thing" about muffins, I reduced the flour amount from the original recipe.. and re-christened them as cakes ~ brown butter apple caramel baby cakes ^^

Brown butter apple caramel cakes (inspired by heartsinmyoven)

60g unsalted butter
1 cup (and more??) / 3 small apples, grated
30g sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp honey
60g self-raising flour, sifted (original recipe uses 120g = muffins)
a pinch of salt
a pinch or two ^^ of cinnamon powder
3 tbsp apple juice
20g sugar
1 egg white
6 tsp caramel sauce, for drizzling (it's always good to make more ^^ just keep them in the fridge)

1. Melt butter over MEDIUM heat. Pay attention as the butter's boiling and crackling ~ and continue cooking until it turns clear and golden, and the milk solids have dropped to the bottom of pan. Once you see brown bits at the bottom of pan, remove from heat. Leave to cool. Strain through a fine metal sieve or cheesecloth-lined strainer.

2. Grate apples and squeeze out the juices with your hands. Set aside grated apples and juice.

3. Preheat oven to 180C.

4. In a bowl, mix egg yolk with honey till combined. Add brown butter and 30g sugar to the mixture. Mix well, but do not over beat.

5. Fold in sifted flour, salt and cinnamon powder. Then add the grated apples. Lastly, mix in apple juice till well incorporated. Do not over beat. Don't worry if batter looks overloaded with grated apples and not enough batter.. the well-beaten egg whites will save the day! ^^

6. In another bowl, beat egg whites till foamy, then slowly add 20g sugar. Beat till stiff peaks are formed.

7. Gently fold in egg whites into batter. Do not over mix.

8. Pour into 6-muffin/cupcake tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes or till skewer comes out clean.

9. Drizzle with caramel sauce and serve warm ^^

* these are really good! so unless you are baking for two, use the above recipe.. otherwise, you'll be kicking yourself (like I did!) for making such a tiny batch ^^|| I wasn't sure if this recipe would work (then), so... But now I do.. it WORKS!!! (^^)

The cakes turned out really, really well ^^ I was praying hard that it would ^^.. and not end up flat, dense or wet, from too much grated apples (yes, I do know I'm greedy! but I can't quite help myself ^^||) So glad it turned out moist and fluffy! And despite the over-load of grated apples, I could barely taste the apples (??!)! (^^)

Well, these baby cakes has certainly satisfied my craving for apple, caramel and cake! Though I wish I made more, I'm happy.. for now.  (^^)

p.s these yummies had big pig going like" mmm.. these are so.. mmm.. so, so good.. mmm.." ^^ he was practically licking the paper off  ^^ he was not alone ^^||

p.p.s another brilliant "oh-wow" bake! i swear it must be the brown butter ^^! and perhaps the caramel too.. ^^