Is it spring where you are?
It’s Thursday. So it’s my second favourite topic to discuss. {Which reminds me I need to email Relly about her Christening Cupcakes. Cute!}
It’s gone suddenly cold, the leaves have gone from green to the ground and I am craving warmth. I’m getting odd looks for wearing my hoodie when walking between buildings and I’m typing wrapped up in Icelandic wool. This must mean it is autumn. Which also means it is time for spiced baking.
I wanted to bake the apples for this myself but last night we had a professional development evening at work (after-school training with a more polished name!) and ya know…those are the times when even someone who tries to avoid canned foods remembers that they do serve a very important purpose. So these are the no-mess shortcut. But they do have more preservatives than cooking them yourself. Not that much though.
Apple Spice Cupcakes Long Winter Cupcakes
Ingredients:
250g unsalted butter
400g sugar
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup milk
170g self-raising flour
170g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tin apple pie filling (or 350-400g stewed apples)
Heat the oven to 160C. Place liners in cupcake pan and set aside.
In mixing bowl, beat softened butter until smooth, then add sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well distributed.
Stir in the self-raising flour until consistent.
Add the milk and vanilla and mix again.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until even.
Fold in the apple pie filling. If your filling is too solid and the batter seems excessively thick, add milk or apple juice to thin slightly.
Fill cake cases 3/4 full and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a chopstick comes out clean.
Makes about 32 average sized cupcakes.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients:
500g cream cheese
175g unsalted butter
150g light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling
Soften the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and mix with a spatula or mixer until there are no lumps.
Add remaining ingredients and mix until even in colour and texture.
Chill overnight in the fridge to thicken and improve the texture of the sugar (brown sugar is crunchy until it sets).
Pipe or spread over cupcakes.
Sprinkle with cinnamon to garnish.
And although I don’t normally reveal my little lyric subject lines, I will point you toward this one because it’s so bloody brilliant. I never tire of this song (it’s the fourth one on their player…cinnamon, aptly). I think I will call these my Long Winter cupcakes from now on. They are playing Europe with Keane and…well…this may actually be something that would make me go to a Keane gig. Scary.
xlovesx
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