Shelly's Recipe

CHOCOLATE SPICE CUPCAKES WITH CITRUS SPICED RUM CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Category: Cakes from Cake Mixes

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.

n a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.

In a large bowl, beat the sugars, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract to blend. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way full and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes for 10 minutes.

Citrus Spiced Rum Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup of butter, softened
1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tbsp spiced rum
zest plus juice of one orange

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the rum, orange juice and zest and slowly add the powdered sugar to the desired sweetness and thickness. Frosts 12 cupcakes