Page 112 - Cupcakes

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 24

cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

2. Prepare the cupcake batter: Place the cake mix and cocoa powder in a large
mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon to mix. Add the prunes and stir to
coat the prunes with the cake mix and cocoa. Add the applesauce, water, oil,
eggs, nutmeg, and allspice. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30
seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber

spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend 1½ minutes more,
scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined
and thickened.

the CupcakeDoctor says...

Not crazy about prunes? Use golden raisins instead. Or really crazy about
prunes? Use the orange-flavored prunes. Keep in mind that prunes tend to
be softer if purchased in a bag or in a sealed cardboard box. Once you open
a box, be sure to seal it well to keep them soft. If the prunes are hard, pour a
tablespoon or two of water over them and soften in the microwave oven for
10 to 15 seconds. It is easiest to chop prunes—and all dried fruit—if you
first lightly oil the paring knife.

3. Spoon or scoop ⅓ cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three
quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the
empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.

4. Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly
pressed with your finger, 20 to 23 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and
place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the
edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups
using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your
fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the Butterscotch Maple Frosting.