In my family the Fourth of July rivals Christmas in its importance and it draws family from all over. We are known for our amazing fireworks displays, the food, and the great one-liners. Not to say that we are "backwoods, country folks", but we do enjoy some of the finer things in life. This year we brought out the big guns, literally and figuratively. Shotguns and .22s were in good supply as were the moving targets whether they be the stationary targets set up on the property or the occasional stray bird or squirrel who happened to cross our path. The now infamous "Diet Coke and Mentos Event" will be added to the annual calendar after a very successful trial run, and the sticky clothes to prove it. Grilling out is the American staple when it comes to summer gatherings, and considering that the birth of our nation is celebrated with the traditional hot dogs and hamburgers what better dessert than apple pie to top it off! My own spin on this classic involves cinnamon cupcakes with apple pie filling in the cake, topped off with a crunchy streusel topping and finished with a vanilla rum glaze.
Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups of cake flour
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 Tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 Tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
- 1 14oz. can of apple pie filling, roughly chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well. Add the vanilla, and slowly mix in the flour mixture until well combined. Divide the batter into muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The smell that will soon fill your home will beat the stuffing out of any candle.
Streusel Topping
- 3/4 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
Crumble the ingredients with your hands, don't be afarid to get dirty, that is the bets part. Be sure and top each cupcake with some of the streusel mix before baking and they will have an amazingly sweet crunch on top.
Vanilla Rum Glaze
- 3/4 cup of unsalted butter
- 8 cups of powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 Tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp. Spiced Dark Rum, the Captain works well for this
Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, gradually add the milk and vanilla until it reaches the desired consistency. Now here is the kicker, I
mistakenly added too much rum to my glaze, so it had a wonderful flavor to it. You may add as little or as much as you would like, but like my family motto says, "If a little bit is good, a lot will be better"!
