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["The first thing we need to do is make our apple cinnamon spice mixture which we will be using in our apple cake as well as our frosting. In a bowl, mix together your ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cardamom. Set this aside as we will use it several times in our recipe.", "To create the streusel topping for your apple cake, mix together two tablespoons of your now created cinnamon apple spice mix with your 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour.", "Ad in 1/2 cup of your butter and mix to combine. You should end up with a mixture that is crumbly but holds together when tightly squeezed. Set aside for now.", "Now let's make our frosting. In a mixing bowl, beat together your cream cheese and the remaining 1/2 cup butter until smooth.", "Add the powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons of your apple cinnamon spice mixture, and the vanilla and continue beating until smooth and combined. Set aside for now.", "To make your candy apple shells, start by first melting your red candy melts by zapping them in the microwave for 15-30 second bursts, stirring between each zap. Make sure your candy melts are completely melted and smooth.", "Fill up both the top and bottom of your apple mold with the melted candy and swirl to evenly coat the inside with a layer of candy and then dump out the excess. Turn the molds upside down and suspend over a piece of waxed paper using two chopsticks set on their sides and allow to continue to drain for about 5 minutes.", "Pop the molds into your freezer for another 5 minutes to firm up.", "Depending on how thick you made your first layer of candy melts inside your apple, you might want to do a second coat. The idea is to have a candy shell that's thick enough to hold your apple cake and frosting dough but not so thick that it's hard to eat. Usually, a good coat or two is enough. Set your candy melt apple shells aside for now.", "In a large mixing bowl, combine your all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and 2 Tablespoons of the apple cinnamon spice mix we made earlier (recipe above).", "Mix in your oil, egg, and milk.", "Once those are combined, add in your grated apples and mix well to combine.", "Pour into your cake pan and sprinkle your streusel mixture (recipe above) across the top of your uncooked apple cake and place the whole thing in the oven.", "Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.", "Set your cake aside to cool completely.", "Once your cake is fully cooled, transfer it to a large bowl. Using either a wooden spoon or clean hands, crumble the cake up until no large chunks remain.", "Add in your cinnamon cream cheese frosting (recipe above), 1/4 cup at a time, until you end up with a thick dough. Keep an eye on how much frosting you add. You want enough in there to create a thick dough that holds together when gently squeezed but not so much that it becomes more paste-like and gluey. Less is more in this recipe.", "Use this mixture to gently fill up your hollow candy apple shells. You want to fill them up but not pack too firmly as you don't want to accidentally crack your apple shells.", "Use an additional bit of melted red candy melt to glue the two halves of your filled apple molds together.", "Cut your Tootsie Rolls into thirds and, using the heat of your hands, warm them up until they're easy to roll into a stem shape. With some more candy melt, attach to the top of your apple.", "Melt your lime green candy melts the same way you did your red and fill a small squeeze bottle with them once they're liquid. Let it cool for about 2-3 minutes before applying to your apple. You want it to remain liquid but not be so warm that it melts through your apple.", "Holding your apple in a paper towel in one hand (to keep it from melting in the heat of your hand), gently use the tip of your squeeze bottle to outline the eyes and nose of your skull.", "Allow this to harden, then, using your squeeze bottle, drip green all down the top and sides of your apple, being careful to work around the outlines you did for your eyes and nose.", "Pop your finished apples into your fridge to fully cool and allow all the candy melt to harden and then serve and enjoy and...
