Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons whole milk
For the Caramelized Apples:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Pie Crust Leaves:
1 refrigerated pie crust (from a 2-pack box) or leftover pie dough scraps
1 egg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
For the Buttercream:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon bourbon (optional)
Directions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, sift all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time followed by vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk in three additions, starting and ending with the dries. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full and bake cupcakes for 20-22 minutes.
For the Caramelized Apples:
- Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat and melt butter. Toss chopped apples with lemon juice, then add to skillet and toss to coat. Add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and cook for 5-6 minutes, until apples start to get tender, stirring occasionally.
- In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and cold water. Add mixture to the apples and boil for about 4 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. When apples have cooled, cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble cupcakes.
For the Pie Crust Leaves:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, prepare egg wash by whisking egg with 1 teaspoon of cold water. In a separate bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar together.
- Unroll pie dough and using a mini leaf cookie cutter, or small cutter of your choice, cut out leaves and place on parchment-lined pan. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake leaves for 6-8 minutes, until golden. Set aside to cool.
For the Cinnamon Buttercream:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and light brown sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add cinnamon and salt and continue to mix.
- Add vanilla, heavy cream and bourbon, and beat for an additional 3-5 minutes, until smooth and fluffy. Fit a piping bag with large star tip and fill with buttercream. Pipe a ring of buttercream around the cupcakes and fill with caramelized apples. Garnish with pie crust leaves.