The things you’ll need

• 1 apple, shredded
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup buttermilk
• Swiss buttercream
• Red sanding sugar
• Chocolate cigarettes
• Green fondant

• Grater for apples
• Small wood cutting board
• Small cutting knife
• Peeler
• Medium mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Rubber spatula
• Large pyrex measuring cup
• Yellow scoop
• Muffin tin
• 12 brown liners
• Piping bag fitted with 1A tip
• Wax paper
• Tape
• Small fondant roller
• Leaf cutter
• Fondant shaping tool

Let’s get started!

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with brown paper liners.
2. Toss the shredded apples with lemon juice to keep them from browning.
3. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
4. Melt the butter in the microwave and whisk in the sugar, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk.
5. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry and fold in the shredded apples.
6. Scoop the batter into the liners and bake 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes in pan and then remove to a rack to cool to room temperature.
8. Pipe buttercream into a dome on the center of each cupcake and then roll it in red sanding sugar.
9. Place a piece of chocolate cigarette into the center of each apple to create the steam.
10. Roll out a small amount of green fondant and cut out leaves and use a small fondant tool to create lines in the leaves if desired. Place a leave into the center of each cupcake.