Green apple cupcakes

Most of the times, the cupcakes I post on the blog don’t have fillings. Some people ask me “why won’t you fill your cupcakes?”, with reason since I rarely take photos of fillings. I need to improve this on the recipe list.
I always fill my cupcakes for customer orders or gifts for my friends. But on the blog, it’s really difficult to see a filled cupcake, and I have some reasons for that! I usually don’t fill them because the focus is on the batter and the frosting, so if I need to write a filling recipe as well, the post will be the biggest ever.

However, the main reason for why I don’t fill my cupcakes is beause I really enjoy the taste of the batter. And when we fill the cupcakes, if we are generous – and there’s no point in filling if you’re not generous – the cake itself will mostly be throw away.
Most of the times, the cupcake doesn’t need filling. Of course, a simple vanilla cupcake will be a hundred times better with a creamy nutella filling. But what about a red velvet, which has a unique taste and texture? If I fill it with ganache, I won’t be able to taste these flavors.

Everybody can fill any cupcake with whatever they want, and it will be delicious as well. But sometimes, ask yourself: is it really necessary? Some cake batters are so delicious by itself that I simply don’t see the need.
Like this green apple cupcake. The apple taste is so strong and tasty, I don’t want to take it out so I can fill it with anything that will distract me from this cake.

Green apple cupcakes
Yields: 12 cupcakes
Recipe by Ms Fat Booty Bakes.

1 1/4 cups (140g) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (113g) butter
1 cup (225g) sugar
2 eggs
8 teaspoons (39ml) hot water
1 1/4 cups grated green apple

1 – Turn your ove non to 350˚F. Boil the water with you haven’t already, measure it and keep it until you have to use it. Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon together. Grate your apples if you haven’t already and cover it with plastic wrap to keep it from browning.
2 – In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar for 3 minutes, until it’s pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well. Add the vanilla and beat until incorporated.
3 – Alternate the addition of the water and dry ingredientes, ending with the water. Add the apple and mix it with a spatula carefully.
4 – Divide the batter among the paper cups, filling only 2/3 of each, and bake it for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Creamcheese frosting

100g butter
90g creamcheese
2 cups (220g) icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 – Beat the butter and creamcheese for 3 minutes. Add the icing sugar and beat slowly at first, then beat on high for 3 minutes, until it reaches a good consistency.
2 – Add the vanilla and beat again to incorporate. If the frosting is not hard enough to decorate, leave the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes and beat again afterwards, then use it to decorate normally.

Apple flowers

1 green apple

1 – Turn your oven to 350˚C. Slice the apple horizontally in thin strips. Remove the seeds when you get there and use the bigger slices.
2 – Bake the slices on top of each hole of the cupcake tin until they dry out. They will naturally fall inside the holes. Remove and let them come to room temperature inside the tin.

Depending on how good your oven is, some slices of the apple might burn before other are dry, like happened with me. In the end, I did manage some nice looking apple flowers, but I preferred to decorate them with simple sprinkles, which is a lot easier. Nonetheless, I posted this decoration because it’s really pretty, but don’t be mad if you can’t get good-looking flowers.

Oh: this cupcake is very, very moist because of the apple, so it’s very likely that your paper cups will pull away from your cupcakes. Just a few could be saved here and I used them on the photos to look pretty. Get over it and just enjoy the cake taste, which is amazingly moist, fluffly and sweet!

Do you always fill your cupcakes? Mostly with what?