The Apple of My Eye Cupcake

CAKE From http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Davids-Yellow-Cake/Detail.aspx
Makes 2 dozen medium cupcakes.

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
8 egg yolks*
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour**
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon saltPreheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 - 8 inch round pans. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter 3/4 full into lined or buttered and floured cupcake pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly tapped. Cool 15 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks.

*I ran out of eggs so I used 4 whole eggs and 1 yolk instead.
**I didn't have cake flour so I used all purpose flour and replaced 2tbsp of it with corn starch. I read this in the recipe comments and it worked really well.

CINNAMON FROSTINGInspired by http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Butter-Cream-Frosting-I/Detail.aspx

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cups confectioners' sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon honeyCream butter until soft. Add part of sugar gradually, blending after each addition. Then add egg yolks and vanilla; blend well. Add the cinnamon, the honey and alternately with milk, until it is the right consistency to spread, beating after each addition until smooth.

*I beat my butter extra long to achieve fluffiness. This can also be kept in the fridge quite well. I just popped it in the microwave for 15 seconds or so and it went back to the right consistency. I really winged this icing and kept adjusting it with sugar.

APPLE TOPPING
2 apples, diced (I used Gala but I wish I had used Granny Smith, because it was extra sweet)
1 tablespoon of butter
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamonHeat a medium size sauce pan and add the butter, apples and the sugar. Keep the heat medium-low so the sugar doesn't turn into a brittle candy state. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the mixture and let it continue cooking until apples turn brown and sauce-like. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool until assembly.

*This also kept quite nicely in the fridge overnight.

CRISP TOPPING
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup butter, chilled and sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
Mix rolled oats and brown sugar thoroughly. Add in the butter and incorporate into the oats and sugar mixture. I found it easiest to use my hands to really crumble the ingredients together, but a fork should work well too. Dump mixture on to a cookie sheet and spread into an evenly flat layer. Put into a preheated oven of 350 degrees for roughly 10 minutes. Please check on it after 5 minutes to ensure there is no burning. This won't be crispy until cooled.

CUPCAKE ASSEMBLING!
Only assemble once the cupcakes have cooled off or else you'll get a melty mess your frosting. I assembled the cupcakes in two ways, one with the apples on top and the other with them inside.

#1: On Top - pictured above
Spread cupcakes liberally with the cinnamon frosting using an icing spatula or a handy butter knife. Spoon a small tablespoon of the apple topping on to the frosting and sprinkle with the crisp topping. Done!

#2: Inside - pictured below
Using a small knife, cut out an upside down cone from the middle of the top of the cupcake, leaving a generous ring of dough behind. The cone should be easy to pop out, if not a spoon is helpful. Trim off the pointy part of the cake cone, leaving a flat top and a well in the cupcake. Fill the well with the apple topping and place the flat remaining cupcake top on top. The top should rest level to the cake. Spread on cinnamon frosting and sprinkle with crisp topping. Viola!