Apple Spice Cupcakes

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Fall is definitely my favorite season and we were celebrating a great little guy's birthday this week so I decided to try out some fall themed cupcakes!

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
3 apples shredded
2 tbsp plus 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
Pinch of nutmeg
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners (I prefer foil). In a saucepan over med-high heat, melt 2 tbsp of the butter. Add shredded apple and 2 tbsp of sugar and cook, stirring often, until the apples are translucent and soft, 5-7 minutes; set aside to cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. In another bowl, with an electric mixer on med/high speed, beat the remaining 6 tbsp butter and the 3/4 cup sugar together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add the sour cream and reserved apple mixture, beating until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Frost the cupcakes with desired frosting and served. Frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Honey Cream Cheese Icing
These particular cupcakes would work with a plain buttercream as well but the cream cheese icing was certainly delicious.

12 oz Cream Cheese, at room temp (about 1.6 of those boxes you can buy or 350g)
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tbsp honey

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on med-high speed, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar and honey and mix until thoroughly combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Use right away, or if the consistency is too soft, refrigerate until the frosting is spreadable, about 15 minutes.