Recipe by The Zesty Lime
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“These cupcakes have all the goodness of an apple pie, baked inside a fluffy vanilla cupcake and topped with rich cinnamon cream cheese frosting. The ultimate Autumn and Winter treat to celebrate the tangy-sweet deliciousness of JAZZ™ apples, they’re perfect for special occasions and holiday festivities!”

Ingredients (Makes 20-22 cupcakes)

For the apple pie filling
4 JAZZ™ Apples
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup white sugar
1 tbsp vegan butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
¼ cup water
cornflour slurry (1 tbsp cornflour + 1 tbsp water)

For the cinnamon cream cheese frosting
½ cup vegan butter
½ cup vegan cream cheese
1 tsp unsweetened soy milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon
3 cups icing sugar

For the vanilla cupcakes
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 3/4 cups plain white flour
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Method

For the apple pie filling
Peel, core, and dice the apples, then mix together in a pan with all other ingredients except the cornflour slurry. Simmer over medium heat until apples have started to soften, then mix together cornflour and water and add to the apples. Stir well until the liquid thickens, then remove from heat and transfer into a bowl to cool while preparing the cupcake batter.

For the cinnamon cream cheese frosting
Measure out the vegan butter and cream cheese and leave out in a bowl for a few minutes to soften. Add soy milk, vanilla, and cinnamon and whisk together using an electric hand mixer. Slowly add the icing sugar and mix together until smooth and creamy. Can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge if made beforehand; simply leave out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before icing cupcakes or transferring to a piping bag.

For the vanilla cupcakes
Preheat oven to 180 C degrees/160 C fan (350 F). In a bowl mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for five minutes to curdle. Meanwhile, sift the flour into a large bowl, then add sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and whisk together. Next, mix vanilla and oil into the milk and vinegar. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the bowl with dry ingredients, whisking well with an electric hand mixer until everything is incorporated into a smooth batter.

Line tin with cupcake cases and fill each one about ¼ full with cupcake batter. Add approx. 1 tbsp of apple pie filling to each liner, taking care to keep the filling in the middle. Finally, spoon more cupcake batter on top to cover the filling, keeping each case only 3/4 of the way full, as they need room to rise.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until cupcakes are well risen and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

Once cupcakes are fully cooled, pipe or spread frosting onto the top. Once frosted, cupcakes can be served and eaten as is, or sprinkled with cinnamon, topped with fresh or dehydrated slices of JAZZ™ Apple, or for the ultimate decadence, drizzled with your favourite homemade or store-bought dairy-free caramel sauce.