Handmade (Allergy-Free) Apple Cupcakes

These apple cupcakes are just the thing to simultaneously impress all of your friends and teachers but save you time.  All you need is the vanilla cake and frosting recipes that I used in my cake pops post, gluten-free pretzel sticks, all natural food coloring, fruit leather and an ice cream scoop.

1 recipe gluten, dairy, soy, nut and egg-free vanilla cake

1 recipe Crazy Easy Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Nut and Egg-Free “Buttercream”

all natural red and green food coloring

12 gluten-free pretzel sticks

1 strip apple fruit leather (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 12 cupcake tins with paper liners.  Prepare the cake batter according to the recipe instructions and fill each cupcake tin 2/3 of the way full.  Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes in the tins and then remove them to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

While the cupcakes cool, prepare the frosting according to the recipe directions.  Tint half of the frosting red and the other half light green.  When the cupcakes are completely cool, scoop out a scoop of the frosting (either color) and release it onto one of the cakes, making sure that it maintains its spherical shape.  Insert a pretzel stick into the center to make the stem.  Continue in this fashion until all of the cupcakes are frosted.  When the cupcakes are finished, use a very sharp knife or clean X-acto knife to cut out small leaf shapes from the apple fruit leather.  Place one leaf at the base of each pretzel and serve.

Store uneaten cupcakes in an airtight container for up to three days.

Makes 12

Written By: Elizabeth Gordon, My Allergy Free Lifestyle