Spiced Apple Cider Cupcakes

Another cupcake recipe in the books. I was really losing my motivation for baking earlier today. I was exhausted and the dogs were crazy and Dan had class and I just wanted to sit on the couch and veg. But alas, I needed to bake. Not only for my own happiness and peace of mind (which it gives me), but I need to bake for my bridesmaid gathering tomorrow night! Tomorrow is the first time most of us can get together and kick off some wedding planning/wine drinking fun!

I, of course, found this recipe on Pinterest. It's listed as a cake, but cakes are big cupcakes, and cupcakes are little cakes, so it's easily adapted. Continuing with the fall spirit, a fall flavor it had to be. I never got a chance to go apple picking this year, which bums me out. I have so many apple recipes I want to make, but I want to make them with my own picked apples. This recipe doesn't have actual apples in it, so I'll let it slide and let it count as an apple recipe item.

This recipe was so, so easy. I appreciate that when I do weeknight baking and I don't have Dan to distract the puppy. It's another doctored box mix, but you can easily find a recipe you'd want to use for a spice cake and have it be fully from scratch. Sometimes, convenience is key.

One thing I do wish I had changed about this recipe was to thin out the frosting a bit. I liked the consistency of it when I was mixing it, but as far as piping it, it was very thick and harder to work with. My frosting isn't as pretty on these cupcakes. If the frosting had been a bit thinner, it would have made frosting the cakes smoother and prettier for sure. Even though the frosting gave me a hard time, the taste didn't! These are great. You get the great taste of the spice cake with a really great tart apple flavor from the cider. The frosting is nice and sweet, but you can definitely taste the apple butter in it. Everything worked out nicely together for a delicious fall treat!

Spiced Apple Cider Cupcakes
barely adapted from Bird on a Cake

 Cakes:
1 box spice cake mix
1 and 1/4 cups apple cider
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
3 eggs

Frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter
5-6 cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup apple butter
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 muffin tins with liners. (This made 23 cupcakes for me).
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix all cake ingredients together and beat for a couple of minutes until fluffy.
3. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes. (Mine were about 21 minutes).
4. Let cool. While they're cooling, make the frosting.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
6. Add the sugar, one cup at a time. After 3 cups, add vanilla and apple butter. Add more sugar, one cup at a time. Add the cinnamon and give it a good final mixing.*

*If you want thinner frosting, as I wish I had, add a tablespoon of cream or milk at a time until you get the consistency you want. I recommend using cream over milk, keeps everything nice and rich! (And unhealthy!)