Apple Day, A Taste of Autumn and Delicious Cupcakes

Apple day was initiated in 1990 by the good folks at Common Ground to celebrate the fruit, the orchards and ‘local distinctiveness’. It falls on 21st October every year and all over the country people will be holding apple day events around that date.

This weekend FabFood are heading off to our local apple day celebration for a few hours of apple tasting, pressing and identifying as well as some apple themed games. We may get a bit competitive at the ‘longest peel’ competition and wet when we bob for apples so will be warming up when we get home with a slow cooked sausage, apple and chestnut casserole with sage and onion, come back next week for the recipe!

If you’re near the RHS gardens at Wisley it would be well worth a visit this weekend as they are holding a Taste of Autumn Event (including apple tastings and advice) and check out your local National Trust property as many hold events throughout the autumn.

In the meantime why not have a go at some autumn fruits cupcakes; delicious served slightly warm from the oven with a steaming mug of coffee and a dollop of creme fraiche.

Ingredients

125g softened butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

165g  caster sugar

2 eggs

225g self-raising flour

125ml milk

150g fresh or frozen berries (blackberries, raspberries, redcurrants or blackcurrants or a mixture of all of them. If you are using frozen don’t defrost them just pop them straight in or they bleed through the mix and it goes a bit soggy)

1 large apple peeled and finely chopped

Method

1.  Preheat oven to 180C. Line 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases

2. Beat butter, vanilla extract and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in the eggs, gradually. (It really does work best if they are at room temperature as there is less chance of it all separating then!) Stir in the sifted flour and the milk in two batches.

4. Stir in the fruit.

5. Divide the mixture between the cases and bake for about 30 minutes. Allow to stand in the muffin pan for about 5 minutes before putting them onto a wire rack to cool.

Are you attending an apple day event? Pop it in the comments! Have you got a fabulous apple recipe to share?