HONEY/ALMOND/APPLE CUPCAKES +
APPLE BRANDY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
I love bringing cupcakes to parties. Not only are they easy to transport (now that I finally got a cupcake carrier), but who doesn’t love a bit-sized cake?!
I made these cupcakes full of apples and honey and almonds (well, almond extract) for a St. Patrick’s Day party, which my good friend and her husband host every year. It is one of the events I look most forward to come spring, with the spread of traditional Irish foods, the endless supply of green Mimosas and home-brewed beer.
I made these cupcakes full of apples and honey and almonds (well, almond extract) for a St. Patrick’s Day party, which my good friend and her husband host every year. It is one of the events I look most forward to come spring, with the spread of traditional Irish foods, the endless supply of green Mimosas and home-brewed beer.
While trying to decide what to make for the party, I researched traditional Irish desserts, hopeful that I could find something that would be fun to adapt into cupcake form. Homemade apple cakes are a popular dessert in Ireland [apples have been grown in Ireland for over 3,000 years, and apparently St. Patrick himself was a fan of the apple tree], so I started moving in the direction of making something with apples. And then, I found a recipe for Honey Whiskey Cake on foodlustpeoplelove.com, and an adaptation with apples on zoebakes.com, and my decision was made.
I took the existing recipes several steps further by removing the whiskey and chopped nuts and adding vanilla and almond extracts in their place.
I took the existing recipes several steps further by removing the whiskey and chopped nuts and adding vanilla and almond extracts in their place.
The nuttiness of the extracts balanced well with the tart and sweet qualities of the apples [I used one red (Pink Lady) and one green (Granny Smith)].
I made a light and airy buttercream frosting as a counterpart to the moist, dense cake. To continue with the apple theme, I added apple brandy to the buttercream for added flavor.
These cupcakes were the perfect way to welcome spring! The buttercream paired wonderfully with the honey and almond in the cake, and the chunks of apples were a nice surprise to bite into.
Since the cake part of the cupcake does not have any alcohol in it, they can easily be made for more family-friendly parties. And the buttercream frosting is delicious even without the apple brandy.
Ingredients:
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For the cupcakes:
2 cups gluten-free flour (see *note* below) 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup milk, at room temperature 1/4 cup honey 2 tbsp almond extract 1 tbsp vanilla extract 3/4 cup sugar 6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 eggs 1 cup apple, peeled, cored and diced (I used one green and one red apple) For the frosting: 3½ cups powdered sugar 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons apple brandy (I used Laird’s Apple Jack) *note* I make my own gluten-free flour mix rather than buying the pre-packaged variety (although pre-packaged mixes should work just fine, too). I found my go-to mix on the blog Gluten-Free Goddess. It is a combination of 1 cup sorghum flour, 1 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup almond meal and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. I keep a container of the mix handy at all times, so that I can just scoop out however much I need, when I need it! |
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners in cupcake pan and set aside.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, honey, almond extract and vanilla extract. Set both bowls aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add half of the flour mixture and half of the liquid mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix until combined.
Add the remaining flour mixture and liquid mixture and mix until combined.
Add the diced apples to the batter and mix until the apples are fully incorporated.
Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pan, filling each liner ¾ full.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
While the cupcakes are in the oven, prepare the frosting.
With a mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, 1/3 cup at a time, beating on medium-high speed.
Once the powdered sugar is fully incorporated, add in the vanilla and apple brandy, and beat on high for 2-3 minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool on a rack. Once the cupcakes are fully cooled, they are ready to be frosted.
Recipe makes 22 cupcakes.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, honey, almond extract and vanilla extract. Set both bowls aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add half of the flour mixture and half of the liquid mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix until combined.
Add the remaining flour mixture and liquid mixture and mix until combined.
Add the diced apples to the batter and mix until the apples are fully incorporated.
Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pan, filling each liner ¾ full.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
While the cupcakes are in the oven, prepare the frosting.
With a mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, 1/3 cup at a time, beating on medium-high speed.
Once the powdered sugar is fully incorporated, add in the vanilla and apple brandy, and beat on high for 2-3 minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool on a rack. Once the cupcakes are fully cooled, they are ready to be frosted.
Recipe makes 22 cupcakes.