Apple Cupcakes

Name: Apple Cupcakes
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 24
Ingredients: 1 box white cake mix; 1 c. apple juice from frozen concentrate (save 1 1/2 Tbsp of the concentrate, undiluted, for icing); 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce; 1 Golden Delicious apple; 1 large egg; 2 large egg whites; 1 package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel); 1 1/2 tbsp. frozen apple juice concentrate; 1 box confectioners' sugar

By Woman's Day StaffPublished: Dec 31, 2011

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Charles Schiller

Yields:

Prep Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

45 mins

Cal/Serv:

202

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Ingredients

Cupcakes:

1 box white cake mix
1 cup apple juice from frozen concentrate (save 1 1/2 Tbsp of the concentrate, undiluted, for icing)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Golden Delicious apple
1 large egg
2 large egg whites

Frosting:

1 package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
1 1/2 Tbsp. frozen apple juice concentrate
1 box confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Step 1Heat oven to 350ºF. You'll need 24 muffin cups lined with paper or foil cups.
2. Step 2Make Cupcakes: Combine cupcake ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on low speed until ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes, until batter is smooth.
3. Step 3Fill muffin cups with a scant 1/4 cup batter. Bake 22 minutes or until a pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack.
4. Step 4Make Frosting: Beat cream cheese and apple juice concentrate with a mixer just until smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar on low speed to mix; increase speed to medium and beat until well blended, about 1 minute more (icing will be soft).
5. Step 5Divide frosting into thirds. Tint each to desired shade with brown, green and yellow food colors. Spread frosting on cupcakes. Store cupcakes in refrigerator.
6. Step 6For Apples: Tint pieces of marzipan brown, green and yellow. Form the green and yellow marzipan into apple shapes. Form brown into apple stems; press into tops of apples. For red blush on yellow apples, dilute red food color with water. Apply with a small, clean artist's brush; let dry.
7. Step 7For Acorns: Tint pieces of marzipan light and dark brown. Form dark brown marzipan into acorn shapes, and light brown into caps and stems. Use the back of a small knife to make cross-hatching on caps.
8. Step 8For Leaves: Work brown, green and yellow food colors into chunks of marzipan. Roll out between sheets of wax paper to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut leaf shapes with small leaf cookie cutters. Use back of a small knife to mark leaf veins.