Apple Butter Spice Cake with Apple Pie Jam Filling and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

With the Mountain's beautiful Aspens changing of the leaves, Summer is over and Autumn is officially here. It's breathtaking to see the once bright green mountainsides turn to vibrant yellows, reds, and oranges. To celebrate, I decided to make a very Autumn-like cupcake with spirited apple and spice. And in keeping with a High Altitude Cupcakes tradition, I used one of my newly made homemade jams, Apple Pie Jam. Because, lets face it, filling makes it yummier.

Using a Spice Cake box mix with flour added for high altitude I opted for Apple Butter, instead of oil to give it an added cinnamon apple taste. This is also my first time substituting apple sauce/butter for the fat and even in high altitude it works perfectly. 


Apple Butter Spice Cake
preheat oven to 375 degrees

1 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup Apple butter/sauce
1 cup of water

1. Mix all ingredients on low for 30 seconds.
2. Continue on medium high for unto 2 minutes or until just combined. Do not over mix.

Fill to about 1/2 full. Makes about 30 cupcakes. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

Apple Pie Jam Filling

1 Jar of Apple Pie Jam

1. Core cupcakes and fill with small amount of Apple Pie Jam

Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

1 1/2 packages (12 ounces) cream cheese, slightly softened 

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract or to taste

3-4 cups powdered sugar

salt to taste

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream cheese and softened butter.
2. Add vanilla, cinnamon, extract and salt. Mix well.
3. Add as much powdered sugar to get desired consistency. Mix well.

Place in piping bag and chill until ready to frost cupcakes. Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before using or it will melt.