Sparkling Cider Cupcakes

I seriously cannot believe it is 2011 already. 

I hope that 2010 was as good to you as it was to us! 

2009 was a rough year for us, and 2010 was a breath of fresh air, for sure. 

I can only imagine that this new year will bring much joy!

And what better way to welcome the new year than with cupcakes?! 

Sparkling Apple Cider Cupcakes, to be exact! 

When I saw these two adorable ideas on Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and Tatertots and Jello, I immediately knew what I was going to make for New Years Eve! Both of them, with only minor adaptations.

The cupcakes came out perfectly and they are so simple you won't believe it! All you need is a boxed cake mix (I used french vanilla), eggs, applesauce, apple pie filling, and a bottle of sparkling cider. Make the cake as directed, but when it calls for oil, use the same amount of applesauce. And when it calls for water, substitute the cider. Bake as directed.

When they are cool, cut a little cone shape out of the top, fill it with pie filling and put it back in place. Then once you frost it, you'll have a delicious surprise inside!

  

YUM!

The frosting was really good too. Those girls over at Craes Creations make some adorable and tasty looking treats!

I don't have a photo of the final product, but here is a picture of one of my New Year's Balls.

I had three of them, each slightly lower on the stick as if they are falling. It was super cute! It's hard to tell from this terrible lighting, but the sprinkles on the ball are silver so it looks just like "The Ball!"

DON'T put a stick/ball in a filled cupcake...it will fall over knocking several of your newly iced cupcakes to the ground where they will land frosting side down. 

(No, no, I totally didn't learn that the hard way...)

:-)

Wishing you all many, many blessings in 2011!