By Sophia Musante ’22 and Francis Ross ’22
Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes
Apple cinnamon cupcakes with an apple caramel filling, cinnamon buttercream and a caramel drizzle.
Fall has started, and with it the desire for seasonal flavors has emerged. These delectable cupcakes are the perfect fall treat to satisfy cinnamon craving taste buds. A delightful addition to any autumn party or simply a delicious sweet treat to go along with hot spiced cider, Cinnamon Apple cupcakes are the best way to swing into the fall season. The recipe, which we borrowed from the Java Cupcake blog, may appear complicated but is rather simple in practice and worth the effort.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
·      ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
·      ½ cup sugar
·      ½ cup brown sugar, packed
·      2 eggs
·      1 teaspoon vanilla
·      1½ cups flour
·      1 tablespoon baking powder
·      ½ teaspoon salt
·      ½ teaspoon cinnamon
·      ½ cup milk (substitute apple juice if needed)
·      ½ cup chopped apples
Filling
·    1 large apple, chopped
·    2 tablespoons butter
·    ¼ cup sugar
·    ¼ cup dark brown sugar
·    1 teaspoon vanilla
·    1 tablespoon milk mixed with 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
Buttercream
·    ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
·    ¼ cup vegetable shortening
·    1 pound sifted powdered sugar
·    2 – 3 teaspoons heavy cream
·    remaining filling
·    ⅛ teaspoon salt
·    ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Cupcakes
·      Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line the cupcake pan with liners.  Either a mini cupcake pan or a regular cupcake pan works.
·      Cream the butter and both sugars together.
·      Add in the eggs one at a time. Then add the vanilla and beat for about two minutes. If needed, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
·      Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into the batter. Mix by hand for five or six strokes. It should not be fully mixed at this point.
·      Add in the milk then mix. Stop mixing when all the flour and milk have been integrated.
·      Gently fold in the apples, being careful not to over mix.
·      Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick comes out clean, usually around 17-19 minutes for regular cupcakes and 12-15 for mini cupcakes. Test them with a toothpick one or two minutes afterwards, keeping in mind that the cupcakes will continue to bake for a few minutes after removing them from the oven.
·      Leave the cupcakes in the pan for three to four minutes after removing them from the oven, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Filling
·    Melt the butter on medium-high heat in a medium pan.
·    Add in the apple, both sugars and vanilla. Make sure the apple is chopped into small pieces. Stir in the pan until the mixture begins to bubble, typically around five minutes.
·    Add the milk and cornstarch mixture. After this bubbles, cook for one to two minutes until the mixture thickens.
·    Remove the mixture from the heat and continue to stir for one minute.
·    Let the mixture cool.
·    Using a piping tip, create a hole in the center of a cupcake and fill it with the mixture. Do this to all the cupcakes then set aside the remaining filling to use in the buttercream
Buttercream
·    Cream the butter and vegetable shortening together.
·    Add ½ of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
·    Add 1-2 tablespoons of the heavy cream and mix until it is fully combined.
·    Add the cinnamon, salt and remaining apple mixture, saving some of the caramel from the apple mixture to drizzle. Mix until the mixture has a smooth consistency.
·    Add the remaining cream, adjusting the amount until reaching a desirable consistency.
·    Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Following this, mix on high speed for one minute.
·    Frost the cupcakes using either a piping tip or a knife. Drizzle the caramel from the apple mixture or another caramel sauce on the cupcakes and sprinkle with cinnamon.
· Enjoy!
Recipe credit: the Java Cupcake Blog. Betsy Eves, October 21, 2011 https://javacupcake.com/2011/10/apple-cinnamon-cupcakes/