Cupcake of the Week

Most weeks I make cupcakes or brownies as a Monday treat for my colleagues. I usually try a brand new recipe which utilises various baking treats and ingredient swaps to reduce the saturated fat and sugar. I can't remember exactly what possessed me the first time I was crazy enough to think Sunday night experimental baking was a bright idea, but now it has become a tradition and I must oblige the hungry masses.

Or else.

Seriously, a few weeks ago I didn't make cupcakes for the Monday, and by Friday, my desk looked like this:

So, this week my chosen experimental cupcake recipe goes like this. (I didn't try to make the frosting healthy this week, it's actually pretty toxic, so avoid it if trying to be angelic.)

Vanilla Apple Cupcakes with Musk Frosting
Makes 16 cupcakes

Cakes
1/4 cup Nuttelex Olive Oil Spread
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Natvia for Baking
2 large eggs
3/4 cup fat free plain Chobani yoghurt
1 tub SPC apple puree
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp bi-carb soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs vanilla essence
1/4 cup water

Frosting
1/2 tub Betty crocker Vanilla frosting
1/2 tsp rose pink food colouring
1 Tbs rose water essence
3/4 cup soft icing mixture

Musk stick lollies (candy) to decorate

Cakes
1. Pre-heat oven to 180C
2. Place 16 cupcake patty pans (the cardboard kind) on a baking tray.
3. In a large glass bowl use a mixmaster or electric beaters to beat Nuttelex, brown sugar and natvia together.
4. Add eggs, Chobani and apple puree and beat to combine.
5. Sift flour, bi-carb soda and baking powder together into the bowl. Use the beaters to mix together a little while they are turned off, then turn on and beat together until smooth.
6. Add vanilla essence and water and beat again. NOTE: You need to judge how much water to add yourself. I only added a 1/4 cup and I had a thickish mixture for cake. It should hold together well so you can scoop it out easily to add to the patty pans.
7. Use two dessert spoons to spoon mixture until cupcake patty pans until they are 3/4 full.
8. Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, until the cakes spring bake when touched and a skewer comes out clean or with a few crumby bits.
9. Cool on tray for 5 minutes. Transfer to an oven rack and allow to cool completely.

Frosting
1. In a mixing bowl or mixmaster combine frosting, colouring, essence and icing mixture. Use electric beaters to beat together to a smooth, thick consistency.

2. Place a piping bag with a large tip in a glass or mug and stretch bag out over the edge of the glass. Fill bag with frosting. Refrigerate until needed.

To Decorate
1. Remove frosting bag from fridge for about 10-15minutes.
2. Slice musk sticks into small pieces.
3. Optional: Use a small serrated knife ( a tomato knife) to cut the domed tops off the cakes to make an even surface for piping the frosting.

4. Pipe swirls of frosting onto cake from the centre outwards in a circular motion.

5. Add pieces of musk sticks to finish.

Enjoy!

Ella xx