As a child I loved apples. The green ones, Granny Smith. The more tangy they were the more I liked them. I would take them to school and eat them during the breaks everyday.

Nowadays I still like them crisp but I much prefer the Braeburn variety and no other. I love them in my oatmeal (because porridge just doesn’t sound so well, haha), I love them in yoghurt with some cinnamon or simply cut in wedges.

It has been a while (over a year) since I baked with apples and I had the idea of Apple & Cinnamon Cupcakes on my to do list. So after a bit of research of which apple to use for baking, I bought Granny Smith apples because when cut in pieces they are supposed to keep their shape while baking.

For a few years I really struggled with cream cheese frosting, especially with the consistency. Many times it would end up runny and messy. It just didn’t like me! But I think we are in love now.
I used to follow the recipes for it to the dot… the ones that say combine all the ingredients right away. Maybe they do work and I just mixed too long?! I don’t know but I found a way that works for me.
I combine butter and icing sugar first and the cream cheese is the last thing to go in. So far it has worked beautifully. Luckily, because I really love the flavour of it.

Note: For the cupcakes I used 1 1/2 apples but if you like a bit more bite you can add more.

Recipe Apple & Cinnamon Cupcakes

Method:

Preheat the oven, 180 degrees, and line a muffin tray with cupcake cases.
In a bowl beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add one egg at a time and beat well. In a second bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Measure out the milk.
Add 1/3 of the flour mix to the butter mix, then add some milk mixing well. Keep alternating flour and milk until used up and just incorporated.
With a wooden spoon fold in the apple pieces. Divide the batter between the cupcake cases and bake for 23 to 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Once baked leave the cupcakes in the tray to cool for a few minutes then remove them onto a wire rack. Leave to cool completely.

Meanwhile prepare the frosting. Beat the butter in a bowl and slowly add the icing sugar, cinnamon and some milk. Once they are incorporated beat on high for a minute. Now add the cream cheese and beat slow at first and then on high for a few seconds. Make sure there are no lumps which can block the nozzle when piped.
Fit a piping bag with a nozzle (or use a palette knife) and fill it with a few tablespoons of the cream cheese frosting. (Don’t be tempted to overfill the bag as the warmth of your hands can make the frosting runny.)
Pipe swirls on the cupcakes and dust with a bit of cinnamon.

Happy Baking!