Apple cupcakes recipe

Make these sweet apple cupcakes using apples like Granny Smith, Pink Lady or Braeburn.

The lemon juice really brings the flavour of the apple out in the buttery sponge. A teaspoon of cinnamon gives these cupcakes a hint of spice. This recipe makes 24 cupcakes; ideal for bake sales, parties, or as part of an afternoon tea spread.

Ingredients

• 2 eating apples of your choice, peeled, cored and chopped into very fine pieces
• Juice of 2 large lemons
• 220g caster sugar
• 220g butter
• 4 med eggs
• 350g self-raising flour
• 1tsp ground cinnamon

You'll also need:

• 2 x 12-hole muffin trays
• 24 cupcake papers

Method

1. Preheat the oven 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5. Line two 12-hole muffin trays with cupcake papers.
2. Squeeze the lemons into a small bowl and set 2tbsp of juice aside until required. Pour the rest of the juice over the chopped apples to prevent the apple going brown.
3. Beat together the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add 2tbsp of lemon juice. Add the flour and cinnamon, and mix together.
4. Put 2tbsp of mixture into each cupcake paper. Divide the chopped apple evenly between the cupcakes and place on top of the cake mixture. Top with the remaining mixture.
5. Bake for 20 mins in the preheated oven, or until the centre springs back when lightly pressed.
6. Cool cupcakes in the muffin trays for 5 mins before removing the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Decorate with lemon buttercream frosting and a thinly sliced apple and edible glitter.
8. To make the stripes in the apple decorations, use a vegetable peeler to remove a stripe of peel from around the apple in a spiral before slicing thinly and placing on the cupcakes.

Top tips for making apple cupcakes

We’ve topped our cupcakes with a light lemon buttercream by Primrose Bakery, but you could opt for classic vanilla buttercream or even chocolate buttercream if preferred.

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