apple streusel cupcake

After a long time I decided to make cupcakes, for no particular reason.

I was looking for a way to use up the unsweetened applesauce I had bought for Ana about 2 months ago. The large 47oz jar of tart organic applesauce was such a welcome addiction when we bought it but gradually Ana got tired of it and wouldn't even look at anything resembling applesauce...

There was just about 2½ cups left and rather than gulping it down myself as I do with all of Ana's leftovers, I thought I should make a simple treat of some sort using it. I know... I know... I should be working hard to lose the pregnancy weight but I was off sweets and was on a strict low-carb diet during my third trimester that I feel I deserve a little something once in a while :)

This recipe is based on the one in Cupcakes book by Susanna Tee. As usual, I didn't follow the recipe closely but it turned out alright, so am writing this down. The quantity here makes 12 large cupcakes.

Ingredients

wet: 1½ cups applesauce (unsweetened) 4 Tbsp butter (softened) ½ cup raw brown sugar 1 large egg, lightly beaten

dry: ½ tsp baking soda 1¼ cup self-rising* flour (* or, 1¼ cups all-purpose flour + 1½ tsp baking powder) ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground nutmeg

topping: ¼ cup all purpose flour ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground nutmeg 2 Tbsp butter

Preparation

1. heat the oven to 350°F ; grease a muffin tin or use 12 paper baking cases on a baking sheet
2. topping: combine all but butter in a bowl, slowly rub in the butter to form crumbs, set aside
3. batter: combine the wet ingredients and beat on low with a mixer till light and fluffy (say 2 minutes); then gradually sift in the dry ingredients and fold them in till well-incorporated
4. spoon the batter into the paper baking cases and sprinkle the topping over each cupcake and press down gently
5. bake in 350°F oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
6. allow to cool a few minutes before serving