Friday Afternoons = Baking time with my Grandma and Cousins

We made easy and delicious Applesauce-spice Cupcakes frosted with Brown-Sugar Cream-Cheese Frosting.  The recipes we tried came from the cookbook Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat.

I loved that the ingredients were things that I usually keep around so if  someday I decide to bake cupcakes this would be a great recipe to go to.



Applesauce-Spice Cupcakes - Makes 18

2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light-brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla (her recipe does not call for it, we added it)
1 can unsweetened applesauce
1 cup toasted and chopped pecans

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare muffin tins with liners.  
• Sift or whisk together dry ingredients
• Cream butter and sugars together with electric mixer on medium speed until mixture is pale and fluffy
• Add eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl as necessary
• Reduce speed to low adding applesauce then flour mixture until combined.
• Stir in pecans by hand
• Spoon mixture into cups, we were able to bake 20 although the recipe calls for 18.  
• Bake, rotating tins halfway through cooking to ensure even browning (we skipped this step) and toothpick comes out clean, takes appx. 20 minutes. 
• Cool completely on wire racks before frosting.
• Store frosted cupcakes in refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature before serving

Brown-Sugar Cream-Cheese Frosting - 2 1/2 cups


1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese room temperature
1 cup light-brown sugar

Place all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix on medium-high speed until mixture is smooth. Frost cupcakes.  Frosting can be store for 3 days in refrigerator, allow to warm to room temperature before serving.