To Make the Cakelets

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F regular or 375°F convection. Grease the wells of the apple cakelet pan with nonstick cooking spray and use a pastry brush to brush away any excess spray.
2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Set aside.
3. In a separate large bowl, rub the two sugars together with your fingers to ensure there are no lumps in the sugar (you want the batter to be as smooth as possible to get the most definition from the cakelet pan shapes). Add the oil, vanilla, applesauce and egg to the sugars and whisk until very smooth.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth.
5. Fill each well of the cakelet pan three-quarters full of batter. Gently tap the pan against the countertop to release any air bubbles.
6. Bake until the cakelets are deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean (about 20 minutes). Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then turn the cakelets out onto the rack. Let cool completely and decorate as desired.

Make the buttercream icing (optional)

1. Beat the softened butter and confectioner’s sugar together in a stand mixer using the whisk attachment until well combined. Add the vanilla and continue beating until thoroughly combined. Drizzle just enough cream or milk to get the desired consistency, which should be fairly thick for this application.