Recipe - Apple Cupcakes w/Honey Cinnamon Frosting

I was in the midst of going through old wedding/bridal magazines at work to see if there were any pages worth keeping when I came across a bunch of wedding cake recipes. I can't remember the name of the magazine nor was the title written on each page, so my apologies for not being able to credit this source appropriately. I found an apple cake recipe so I decided to make some apple cupcakes. What better to go on top than honey cinnamon frosting? These were delish! Excuse me for my poor pictures - I wasn't paying much attention as I had to do something else soon after.

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 24 cupcakes)

Batter

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup apple butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsps vanilla extract
• 2 tsps cinnamon
• 2 tbsps vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 medium apples, peeled & shredded
• 3 eggs

Frosting

• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsps cinnamon

Step 2: Preparing the dry ingredients
Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt for the batter in one bowl. Set aside. Peel your apples (the recipe said Granny Smith were preferable but I used Gala and they were fine), core, and then grate on a box grater into a separate bowl. Using a paper towel, drain the pieces before tossing with 1/2 cup of the flour mixture you had made; coat the pieces completely.

Step 3: Mixing wet & dry ingredients
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Combine the two sugars and butter for the batter with a hand mixer until fluffy. Then add eggs one at a time. Slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined. Add vanilla extract, apple butter, and vegetable oil next. Lastly, add the shredded apple pieces. Mix on low.

Step 4: Baking the cake and making the frosting
Line two muffin/cupcake pans with cupcake liners. Pour batter into each evenly and place inside oven for 15-20 minutes. Make sure to check on it every once in a while with your oven light. As for the frosting, combine all ingredients with a hand mixer until frosting consistency! My pictures show a somewhat more runny frosting but that was because I had added milk to try and tone down the sweetness of the frosting (I'm not a sweets kind of gal); that changed the texture. Before the milk, it was just the right hardness for frosting.

Step 5: Finishing
Once you've checked on your cupcake's doneness (toothpick method), set aside to cool before applying frosting. When you are able, frost and enjoy!