…apple pie meets cinnamon spice cupcakes
Just like many food bloggers and bakers across the world, I have a ‘to-bake list’ that has no end. In the past few weeks, it has grown tremendously to include 236 recipes online saved to ‘my favorites’ folder, 39 sticky notes bookmarking various pages in my favorite cookbooks, and 17 random magazine cutouts. It stresses me out knowing there are so many delicious recipes I MUST try, and so little time to make them. Sometimes, I’ll close my eyes and randomly scroll down the list until I can decide on one. Other times I’ll just pick based on the time frame I have or whether the ingredients are on sale or not.
This time, however, a coworker of mine handed me a recipe that I knew I couldn’t stash away. It seemed fairly easy, required little time and few ingredients. I couldn’t find an excuse not to make it immediately.
So that is exactly what I did. Without further ado, be prepared to be amazed. Apple pie meets cinnamon spice cupcakes. With a little extra time on my hands, I prepared a homemade cream cheese buttercream to top off these moist, apple pie-bottomed cupcakes. What a perfect way to start off the holiday baking season! :)
For the cupcakes:
Recipe adapted from: Pillsbury
1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened
1 box spice cake mix
Water, oil, and eggs according to box mix
½ cup apple pie filling
For the cream cheese buttercream:
Recipe by: Martha Stewart
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
First make the cupcakes:
(1) Preheat oven to 450° F.
(2) Remove pie crusts from pouches; unroll on work surface. Cut six 4 3/4-inch rounds from each crust.
Bake 5 minutes; set aside.
(5) Make cake batter as directed on box. Divide apple pie filling evenly among jumbo paper-lined muffin cups.
(6) Top with cake batter, dividing evenly among muffin cups.
(8) Cool completely. In the meantime, prepare the frosting…
(1) Place cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until creamy, about 30 seconds.
(2) With the mixer on low, slowly add sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowls as necessary.
(3) Add vanilla and increase mixer speed to medium. Blend until frosting is fluffy, about 1 minute.