Apple Pie Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
3 c. sifted cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter, at room temperature
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. milk

Apple Filling:
2 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 to 3 tbsp. sugar
3 lg. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced

To make cupcakes, preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down sides of bowl after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix well to combine. Add in dry ingredients alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Divide batter evenly among cupcke liners, filling them about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 18 to 22 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in pans. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

To make filling, heat butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add cinnamon and sugar and cook for a minute until the mixture begins to bubble. Lower heat to medium and stir in apples. Mix well. Cook until apples are somewhat tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

While apple mixture is cooling, use cone method to remove a chunk from the center of each cupcake, making sure to leave a rim around the top of the cupcake. Fill holes with cooled apple mixture. To decorate, top each cupcake with a swirl of vanilla buttercream (recipe below).


Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
20 tbsp. (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. heavy cream

In a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add confectioners' sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds. Scrape bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds. Then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.