Yields 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
⅔ cups brown sugar, packed
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ cup butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cups apple cider
Frosting:
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
½ tsp. cinnamon, plus more for topping
2 tbsp. apple cider
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, butter, and vanilla.
- Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated.
- Add baking soda, cinnamon, half the flour, and half the cider. Whisk to combine.
- Add remaining flour and cider, whisk until combined.
- Line a 12 cup muffin tin, and pour in batter until cups are ⅔ full.
- Bake for 20 min, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar in 3 or 4 additions, mixing in between each one until incorporated.
- Add the cinnamon, apple cider, and vanilla. Mix to combine.
- Transfer to a piping bag with a round tip or a Ziploc bag.
- Pipe frosting onto the cupcakes and sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Put in the fridge for the frosting to set. Enjoy in an hour or more!
Going into this recipe, I was already super stoked. I love fall, cupcakes, and apple cider, so when I saw a recipe that combines all three elements, I had to make it immediately.
Overall, the cupcakes were good! The cake was a bit dry, but that was an easy fix. One can add a bit more butter or some apple chunks to give it a boost in texture. Because of the additional liquids, the frosting was incredibly soft. To fix this, use more cream cheese instead of butter. Another problem with the frosting was the amount of sugar. Usually, when I make cream cheese frosting, I do one part sugar to every four parts cream cheese. For this recipe, I used half a cup of sugar instead of two cups, and it was still sweet. The first time you make this, I would recommend adding it in half a cup at a time and tasting after each addition. In both the cake and frosting, the flavor was too subtle, which can be remedied by doubling the cinnamon content, and/or using store-bought apple cider instead of homemade.
All in all, I would give this recipe a solid 8/10. While I love the idea, the flavor and texture did need improvement. With some work, I definitely think that the recipe could become a family favorite.