UPDATED: Cinnamon Spiced Poison Apple Cupcakes ⋆ Welcome to the Necro Nomnomnomicon

Cinnamon spiced poison apple cupcakes all done and ready to eat

This recipe was originally posted on my blog way back in February of 2017, and while that one is still delicious, I’ve decided rather than rely on a box cake mix, let’s make our own disgustingly delicious apple cinnamon cake and make this dish even better! And with this officially being the fall season and stores and farmer’s markets are bursting with the best apples of the season, this recipe is the perfect way to take advantage of this tart and crispy bounty!

Yes, it’s labor intensive and is going to take some time and patience, especially as we’ll be making candy melt apple shells, but the end result is so stinking adorable and damn tasty that it’s worth it.

For this updated recipe you will need not only the following ingredients but also a 2 part apple shaped chocolate mold. I got mine on Amazon.com here, and yes, this is an affiliate link. To read my full disclosure, go here.

Now, let’s get back to the recipe.

You will need:

Apple Cinnamon Spice Mix:

6 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons cardamom

Streusel Topping

2 Tablespoons of Apple Cinnamon Spice Mix (recipe above)
½ cup white sugar
1/3 cup ap flour
½ cup unsalted butter softened

Apple Cake

1 ½ cups ap flour
¾ cup white sugar
½ t salt
2 t baking powder
2 Tablespoon Apple Cinnamon Spice Mix (recipe above)
1/3 c veggie oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
2 apples, peeled, cored and grated
Streusel topping (recipe above)

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter unsalted room temp
¾ cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons Apple Cinnamon Spice (recipe above)
¾ teaspoon vanilla

Candy Apple Shells

1 bag Red candy melts
1 bag Lime green candy melts
Small Tootsie rolls
Apple shaped chocolate mold (I got mine on Amazon.com here)

The first thing we need to do is make our apple cinnamon spice mixture which we will be using in our apple cake as well as our frosting.

In a bowl, combine your dry ingredients and mix well. Set aside while we prepare our apple cake.

Now let’s tackle that streusel topping. Make your streusel topping by combining 2 tablespoons of your Apple Cinnamon Spice mixture with the white sugar and flour. Once those are well combined, mix in your softened butter. You should end up with a mixture that is crumbly but holds together when tightly squeezed.

To make your apple cake, begin by preheating your oven to 400F/204C and greasing an 8” cake pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and 1 teaspoon of your Apple Cinnamon Spice mix. Mix in your oil, egg, and milk. Once those are combined, add in your grated apples and mix well to combine. Pour into your cake pan and use a spatula to smooth out the top.

Sprinkle your streusel mixture across the top of your uncooked apple cake and place the whole thing in the oven.

Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Set your cake aside to cool completely.

While your cake is cooling, let’s make our frosting.

In a mixing bowl, beat together your cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, Apple Cinnamon Spice, syrup, and vanilla and continue beating until smooth and combined.

Once your cake is fully cooled, slice it into pieces and transfer those to a large bowl. Using either a wooden spoon or clean hands, crumble the cake up until no large chunks remain.

Add in your frosting, ¼ cup at a time, until you end up with a thick dough. Keep an eye on how much frosting you add. You want enough in there to create a thick dough that holds together when gently squeezed but not so much that it becomes paste-like.

Less is more in this recipe. Set this mixture aside while we make our candy apple shells.

Melt your red candy melts by zapping them in the microwave for 15-30 second bursts, stirring between each zap. Make sure your candy melts are completely melted and smooth.

Fill up both halves of your apple mold (mine had a top and a bottom) with the melted candy and swirl to evenly coat the inside with a layer of candy and then dump out the excess. Turn the molds upside down and suspend over a piece of waxed paper using two chopsticks set on their sides and allow to continue to drain for about 5 minutes.

Pop the molds into your freezer for another 5 minutes to firm up.

Depending on how thick you made your first layer of candy melts inside your apple, you might want to do a second coat. The idea is to have a candy shell that’s thick enough to hold your apple cake and frosting dough but not so thick that it’s hard to eat. Usually, a good coat or two is enough.

Once your apple shells have firmed up and are thick enough to handle, gently fill them up with the crumbled apple cake and frosting dough filling. You want to fill them up but not pack too firmly as you don’t want to accidentally crack your apple shells.
Use a bit of melted red candy melt to glue the two sides together.

Cut your Tootsie Rolls into thirds and, using the heat of your hands, warm them up until they’re easy to roll into a stem shape.

With some more candy melt, attach to the top of your apple.

Now, you could technically walk away from your apples at this point and call them done…but why quit here???

Melt your lime green candy melts the same way you did your red and fill a small squeeze bottle with them once they’re liquid. Let it cool for about 2-3 minutes before applying to your apple. You want it to remain liquid but not be so warm that it melts through your apple.

Holding your apple in a paper towel in one hand (to keep it from melting in the heat of your hand), gently use the tip of your squeeze bottle to outline the eyes and nose of your skull.

Allow this to harden, then, using your squeeze bottle, drip green all down the top and sides of your apple, being careful to work around the outlines you did for your eyes and nose.

Pop your finished apples into your fridge to cool.