autumn baking

From the first time I flipped open my October 2010 issue of Every Day with Rachel Ray, I knew I would be making the apple cupcakes in there. I love fall because of apples. Apple pie, apple donuts, apple cider, candied apples, caramel apples, apple and cheddar omlets… the list goes on. so when I saw apple cupcake I knew I would be trying these out.

The cupcakes sounded great as they were described in the magazine, but I decided to give them my own twist. I had spent the day prior to making the cupcakes canning various things, including apple butter. I loved spending the day in the kitchen, esp surrounded by the sweet smells of  fruit cooking down into jam and butter. Our whole place smelled like an intense apple pie for the whole day while the apple butter was cooking down. Once it was complete I canned some and left some for us to use immediately. And by use immediately, I mean eat right out of a bowl. Since one can only do that for so long I decided that I would need to eat it on toast for some ‘real’ substance and add into some recipes. Which resulted in the development of the apple butter buttercream frosting.

The cupcakes are really easy to make. I loved it since I did not need to make the mixer dirty for that. Just use 1 whisk for the cupcakes and you are all set. The recipe called for peeling the apples, but I did not think that was necessary, so I just grated them as is, and ended up with great results. Laziness can pay off.

I wanted my cupcakes to stay really moist so I slightly under baked my cupcakes by a minute or so. I tested the cupcakes with a toothpick and it came out pretty clean so I stopped it at that point. (You will note the toothpick in one of the cupcakes… Price was marking his because he felt that one looked the best. I couldn’t help but laugh at him.)

I typically store cupcakes in the refrigerator or in a cool place because of the milk in the buttercream. However, this frosting does not have milk in it so you don’t have to rush them into the big chill. That is one thing I really like about this frosting since I really dislike harden butter cream frosting. That being said, don’t leave them by your warm stove or you will have a frosting disaster on your hands.

Apple Cupcakes with an Apple Butter Buttercream Frosting

 -makes 24 cupcakes-

 

 

 Ingredients

Cupcake

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 baking apples (about 2 pounds), shredded

   

Apple Butter Buttercream Frosting

 

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 5+ cups of powered sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup of apple butter

  Process

1.  Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cupcake pans with liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the oil and vanilla extract.
4. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined. Add in the shredded apples.
5. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners and until almost full.
6. Bake for 25- 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack.
7. Prepare the frosting by: Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar in batches, mix completely. Add in the vanilla and apple butter and mix completely. Add more powdered sugar until reached desired consistency.