These cupcakes turned out super moist and fluffy, and the butterscotch buttercream balanced out the tartness of the Granny Smith apples perfectly 🙂 So moreish that everyone went for seconds and thirds!

I use any crisp apples I can find. This time it was Granny Smith but I’ve used braeburn, fuji, gala, golden delicious…

APPLE CUPCAKES
420g (3 cups) all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
300ml (1 ¼ cups) vegetable oil
400g (2 cups) sugar
3 large eggs
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

METHOD
Preheat oven to 165ºC/325ºF. Line 2 x 12-cup muffin tins with paper cups.
In a medium bowl, sift flour, salt and baking soda and whisk together. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine oil and granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Fold in the diced apples with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into the prepared cups and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let them cool completely.

BUTTERSCOTCH BUTTERCREAM
115g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
180g (1+1/2 cups) powdered sugar
85g (1/4 cup) butterscotch sauce (homemade or shop bought)
Caramel blossoms for decorating

METHOD
Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until smooth. Add butterscotch sauce and beat until light and fluffy. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and decorate with blossoms.