This Spiced Apple Cupcake recipe from Cake Decoration and Sugarcraft Magazine is the perfect cosy recipe to kickstart the Autumn months. Great with a nice cuppa! 

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
175g butter
75g caster sugar
100g dark brown sugar
3 eggs
210g self-raising flour
A generous tsp of mixed spice
2 large tbsp apple sauce
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

For the buttercream
250g butter
500g icing sugar
1/2 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp caramel
1/2tsp mixed spice

For the decoration
caramel
apple

Method

1. Mix the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy.
2. Sieve the flour and mixed spice together. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, along with a little of the flour to prevent the mixture from separating.
3. Add the vanilla extract and apple sauce.
4. Fold in the rest of the flour.
5. Put two large teaspoons of cake mix into each cupcake case - it will make around fifteen cupcakes.
6. Bake at 160⁰C for 14-18 minutes.
7. Mix the butter and sugar to make the buttercream.
8. Add the caramel and mixed spice.
9. Add enough cocoa to give the buttercream a rich toffee colour - it shouldn't affect the flavour too much.
10. Cut the apple into very fine slices and place directly onto the bars of a clean over shelf.
11. Bake at 120⁰C for around an hour. Turn the oven off and leave the apple inside till cool. This should give you dried apple slices in interesting shapes.
12. Pipe a small swirl of buttercream onto the cupcakes, and finish with a couple of apple pieces and a drizzle of caramel.