Apple Cake with Maple Glaze and Apple Pie Cupcakes with Vanilla Ice Cream Buttercream

Starting last week, nothing excited me more than baking with my apples! Then, Microbiology happened.  Oh surely you remember my complaints opinions directed at this course's tests from Nana's Chocolate Cake entry. Well, this test was no different (I mean really, who uses words like insidious in test questions. I think choices A-J is challenge enough!).  But, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  Truly, I have nothing to complain about.  Yes, the test was difficult, but I have a wonderful teacher who cares enough about all of our board scores to make sure that we have tests that show us if we know the material backwards as well as forwards. Regardless, I'm blessed just to be in medical school and pursuing a career I've dreamed about since I was 4. Anyway, after 3 days of locking myself in my apartment to study, not baking, blogging, or breathing, I emerged from my test yesterday, triumphant, yet exhausted, and WAAAAYYYY behind on my blogging.  So here I go, attempting to squish two days worth of baking into one entry.

When last I posted, I was gearing up for Apple non-brownies. Promising Apple Bars with a brownie like consistency, this recipe lacked the dense, cookie/cake combo I expected it to be.  The icing was delicious; the cake was light and moist; the recipe was simple; the dessert was everything that you should expect from a cake, but not from a "bar." Would I make this recipe again? Yes, but only if I was craving cake, and not if I was craving a denser dessert.

Also, I think the cake needs the nuts. I cut out the nuts, because I can't eat them (I'll admit, it's not because of allergies or other medical/physical limitation, but because I have a textural limitation. Chopped nuts, cottage cheese, and EZ cheese are all ingredients I will never use because I can't stand their texture on my tongue!). But, my non-brownie was missing a contrast through the light cake and the sweet frosting. So, I'm leaving them in the recipe!

Next, the Apple Pie Cupcakes: Apple pie holds a close spot in my heart.  It was the first pie I had ever learned to bake (of course, by Nana's side). Apple pie was also the first dessert I made Ty's parents when he invited me home to meet them. Shortly after, my apple pie was requested at every birthday party for Ty's Father (who also has me learning how to bake with Splenda). It is safe to say that apple pie is my go to recipe. But, after my 5 pound purchase at the beginning of last week, I only had 3 apples left (not enough to make an apple pie). :-(  So I went recipe searching, and couldn't have been happier when I found this recipe from Annie Eats. I love following Annie (as well as trying most of her recipes), and love how she transformed apple pie into a delicious cupcake! I also found an excuse to try out my new vanilla ice cream frosting recipe!!!

The cupcake alone taste like a sugar cookie, which worried me that the cupcake would be almost too sweet when I filled it with apple pie filling and topped it with frosting. (I think this fear stemmed from Microbiology: when I brought in chai tea cupcakes to class, I gave the biggest and most frosted to my Micro professor who stated, "I know why those are 100% vegan; it's because they're 90% sugar." I learned my lesson that biggest and sweetest is not always the best). But, the apple pie filling was more savory than sweet; the cinnamon tones over thick caramel-y sauce complemented the apples without over-sweetened the filling. And the frosting was the perfect complement!

Apple Cake

Cake
3 eggs
1/4 t. salt
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
3 c. chopped unpeeled apples (I used Golden Delicious... and it was delicious!)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 t. vanilla extract

Maple Glaze
1 c. sifted powdered sugar
1 T. butter, softened
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 t. maple extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 13x9 cake pan. Set aside.
Mix together the eggs and salt for 1 min.

Add the sugar and oil, and beat until blended.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, and beat just until combined. Fold in the apples, nuts, and vanilla.  Bake for 25 min or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool before frosting... or glazing as it were. 

In your stand mixer, cream the butter.  Slowing add the sugar 1/4 c. at a time.  Add extract and mix. Then add enough milk to create a spreadable glaze (should be thinner than icing). Spread over cake. 

Apple Pie Cupcakes

from Annie Eats

Cupcakes:

3 c. sifted cake flour

1 T. baking powder

½ t. salt

1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 ½ t. vanilla extract

1 c. milk

Apple filling:

2 T. butter

2 t. cinnamon

2-3 T. sugar

3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced (or once again, Golden Delicious!)

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.  Add the vanilla extract and mix well to combine.  Add in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3-3/4 full.  Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 to 22 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pans.  Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

To make the apple filling, heat the butter a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the cinnamon and sugar and cook for a minute, until the mixture begins to bubble.  Lower the heat to medium and stir in the apples.  Mix well.  Cook until the apples are somewhat tender, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

While the apple mixture is cooling, use the cone method to remove a chunk from the center of each cupcake, making sure to leave a rim around the top of the cupcake.  Fill the holes with the cooled apple mixture.  To decorate, top each cupcake with a swirl of buttercream.

Vanilla Ice Cream Buttercream

recipe by Amanda

2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter

2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Pinch of salt

1 t. vanilla

1 T. melted vanilla ice cream

1 T. milk (as fatty as you got it)

Cream butter and salt. Add sugar 1/4 c. at a time. Add vanilla, ice cream, and milk, stirring until combined after each addition. Beat for 3-5 min or until light, fluffy, and pipe-able. 

Enjoy!