This cupcake smells like fall. Let me clarify myself--there are several "fall" type spices that make up the applesauce cupcake, including nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and allspice. And as I mixed the ingredients, it was a happy accident that really did put me in the mood for the holidays (how many more days until we get a 5-day weekend?). The applesauce cupcakes were from the 125 Best Cupcake Recipes cookbook, and the great thing about it was that I had ALL the ingredients already. It is a very simple, but tasty cupcake to make, and fine to eat without frosting. However, I might be ostracized from my lunch group if I brought a cupcake without frosting. Therefore I topped it off with caramel frosting from the same cookbook, but let me clarify about this "frosting"--it was caramel sauce. Problem? No. Solution? Dipping the cupcakes, top side down, into the frosting (like I have seen Paula Deen and Ina Garten do with chocolate ganache on the Food Network)and then twirling my wrist a little to keep the frosting on the cupcake and not on my counter. And I did kind of like how it melted down the edges a bit. The cupcake was fluffy and spicy and the caramel--because of the limited amount that could be put on (lets just say I could not glob a bunch of THIS frosting on top of the cupcake)--was just sweet enough without being overpowering. And as Courtney suggested, it would make an EXCELLENT bundt cake with the sauce drizzled over the top. What do I say about that? New ideas = new desserts!!!
