Apple Cup Cakes with Canella Buttercream

Makes 12 cup cakes

Thanks to Lisa Lovell for the inspiration for these cup cakes and Katie Lang for her baking expertise in putting it all together

For the apple cup cakes:
115g unsalted butter, softened
175g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
1 packet My Secret Kitchen Original Beer Bread Mix
1/2 tsp My Secret Kitchen Vanilla Pudding Spice
1 medium cooking apple, peeled and chopped into small dice

For the canella buttercream:
150g unsalted butter, softened
250g icing sugar
2 tsp My Secret Kitchen Vanilla Pudding Spice

To garnish:
Fudge or toffee pieces
Drizzle of My Secret Kitchen Maple Caramel Sauce



Preheat oven 190C, line a muffin tin with 12 paper cases.
Cream the butter and the sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time while mixing.  Add the Beer Bread Mix in 3 parts along with the Vanilla Pudding Spices, folding each part in carefully until combined.  Fold in the cubed apple.  Divide the batter equally amongst the 12 muffin cases and bake for 15 - 18 minutes until golden.  Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the buttercream by creaming together the butter, icing sugar and Vanilla Pudding Spices until smooth and creamy.

Pipe the buttercream onto each cupcake, drizzle with Maple Caramel Sauce and garnish with fudge pieces.  For an added touch, hollow out a small part of the centre of the cup cake and fill with apple puree and Maple Caramel Sauce before icing.