Apple Spice Cupcakes

I came across this recipe in a couple of my cook books, and thought what better way to kick off a new website than with a new recipe? I had never made Apple Spice Cupcakes before. I usually stick to the basics: chocolate, white, and some times to mix it up, chocolate banana. Fruit cupcakes are a whole new realm for me. And what better flavor than this to ring in fall? So let's get started.

First up, the cast (it is Emmy night, afterall):

 Please excuse the Garber Girl, she was just excited to be there.

The dry ingredients- adding in some cinnamon

Next a little nutmeg

and ground cloves. It sounds weird, yes, but you won't even know later.

 And whisk. What a fun word... whisk...

Onto the creamy stuff. Nothing beats butter and sugar!

 

 My helper, patiently waiting just outside the kitchen

Now for the apple

Then the dry stuff

And a dash of pecans

These look so empty and lonely

 That's better. Now let's put them in the oven and see what happens.

20 minutes later...

Golden brown delicious

Yummmm

Now for the frosting. Brown sugar cream cheese. Starring: Brown Sugar, Cream Cheese, and Butter.

Getting to know each other

We're getting there. Just keep mixing, just keep mixing.

Whipped into submission

Ta-da! Golden brown delicious meets nice and creamy. And man, the smell! I couldn't wait to dig in

It tasted so good I could barely keep the camera still. A little apple, with a bite of cinnamon, and then just a little crunch from the pecans. And the frosting was the icing on the jrcake :)

And look who else was excited

Apple Spice Cupcakes:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs, room temp

1 1/2 unsweetened applesauce

1 cup pecans (I'm not a huge fan of nuts in my sweets, so I only put in a 1/2 cup. Or you can omit completely)

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tins with liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. With an eletric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add in applesauce, then flour mixture. Stir in pecans by hand. Fill cups 2/3 full and bake 20 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp

8 ounces cream cheese, room temp

1 cup brown sugar

Mix on medium-high speed until smooth.