Apple Butter Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Icing

I made these cupcakes with a little Southern Flair by adding Apple Butter into the mix. My favorite Apple Butter comes from the Huber Family Farm in Southern Indiana where my grandmother grew up as a child. But you can purchase Apple Butter in almost any farm store or local market. While the cupcake recipe is my own, the Brown Sugar Icing for this recipe is from a great website called, Cupcake Project. The icing is lovely and creamy (if you sift the confectioner’s sugar) and delicious. Brown Sugar Icing is always a Southern Favorite and is a perfect pairing for any yellow based cake mix. I hope you enjoy these tasty cupcakes which are extra moist and very tasty thanks to the fresh apples.

INGREDIENTS

CAKE:
1 (18.25 oz) box Yellow Cake Mix
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
3 Apples (preferably Granny Smith for a little extra tangy kick)
4 Eggs
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Apple Butter
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

BROWN SUGAR ICING:
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
1/4 Cup Non-Fat Milk
2 Cups sifted Confectioners’ (Powdered) Sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners in cupcake pan. (Recipe yields 24 cupcakes)
2. Mix Cake mix and cinnamon into a large bowl. Peel, core and shred apples and add to the dry mix in the large bowl.
4. Add Eggs, Honey, Water, Apple Butter and Vegetable Oil and mix with a hand mixer for 3 minutes until batter is light and fluffy.
5. Scoop batter into cupcake liners, about 3/4 full. Bake for 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing.
6. ICING (as directed on the Cupcake Project site):
i) In a saucepan, melt butter.
ii) Add the brown sugar.
iii) Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium low, and continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
iv) Add the milk and return to a boil, stirring constantly.
v) Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
vi) Gradually add sifted confectioners’ sugar. (I would highly recommend sifting this confectioners’ sugar. It’s such a pain to sift, but it ensures that the frosting will be extra smooth.)
vii) Beat until thick enough to spread. If too thick, add a little hot water.
7. Ice cupcakes with a butter knife after cake is completely cooled. Enjoy!