Apple Pie Cupcakes with Spiced Cider Buttercream
A Fall staple, now made into extra delicious cupcakes. Apple Pie Cupcakes with Spiced Cider Buttercream! If you are a fan of apple pie, then you will LOVE these cupcakes. Tender and moist apple pie spiced cupcakes, filled with a simple apple pie filling, and frosted with the easiest spiced cider buttercream. Each and every bite is reminiscent of the classic dessert, but in sweet cake form. Truly the perfect treat to make after a day of apple picking, a delicious Thanksgiving dessert, or enjoy as an easy (& delicious!) gift during the holiday’s!
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, some of our most popular recipes include our tender and moist Apple Bundt Cake, Mini Apple Pies, Spiced Pumpkin Roll, and the ever-classic Pecan Pie. It’s that time of year where sweet spices fill the air and delicious treats are shared with those we love most. And while our Rum Pecan Sticky Buns are a must-bake every year, a true household favorite will always be Apple Pie!
If you’ve read our blog before, you know my mom and I are always trying to reinvent it. From Apple Pie Coffee Cake to Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls. We are always looking for new and fun ways to add a delicious twist to the classic pie. And, let’s be real…who doesn’t love cupcakes?!
These Apple Pie Cupcakes might just be a new classic. Not only are they easy to make, they are filled with apple pie filling to give each bite a POP of flavor. Soft, moist, and perfectly reminiscent of everyone’s favorite pie. What’s not to love?!
What Makes These Cupcakes So Good
- Textures. If you’ve ever bitten into a cupcake and, while it may taste delicious, it’s texturally uninteresting. That’s where these cupcakes differ. The cake itself is fluffy and moist, the frosting is creamy, and the filling is a little crunchy with bursts of sweet juicy apples.
- Flavor. These cupcakes do not have a single bite that’s not without flavor. The cake is seasoned with warming apple pie spice, the filling is loaded with sweet spiced apples, and the frosting is no ordinary buttercream. It’s flavored with cider and more apple pie spice! Every part of these cupcakes carries the flavor of the classic dessert throughout each bite.
- Simplicity. One of my favorite thing about these cupcakes is that the cake itself is made with just 2 bowls and a whisk. The filling is sautéed quickly over the stove. Then, the frosting requires only a handful of ingredients to mix-up. So simple!
Our Favorite Apples To Use
With so many different variations of apple out there, it can be a little overwhelming to try and decide on which one to use. Granny Smith is by far the most common baking apple, as well as Honeycrisp, but we found that combing Fuji or Pink Lady with a Granny Smith adds as sweeter apple flavor and helps balance out some of the tartness found in Granny Smith.
Ingredients Needed To Make These Apple Pie Cupcakes
Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
For The Filling:
- Fresh Apples – With this recipe, you can use any of your favorite baking apples. For added flavor, try using a mix of different apples!
- Powdered Sugar – Dissolves easily and adds just the right amount of sweetness.
- Cornstarch – This thickens the filling to keep it from being too juicy and making your cupcakes soggy!
- Fresh Apple Cider – Our secret to an utterly delicious apple pie filling.
- Salted Butter – Adds a rich, buttery undertone to this filling.
- Vanilla Extract – Balances out the flavor in this pie filling.
- Apple Pie Spice – The perfect blend of spices for a classic apple pie flavor!
- Salt – Enhances the flavor.
For The Cupcakes:
- All-Purpose Flour – No need for anything specialty. Regular unbleached all-purpose flour has just the right amount of protein for these cupcakes. It adds strength to the dough by absorbing moisture and forming gluten.
- Granulated Sugar – Not only does sugar sweeten, but it also keeps these cupcakes soft and moist and helps promote browning.
- Baking Powder – Leavening is essential in baking! This provides the perfect rise in these cupcakes to give them a light, tender, and delicious texture.
- Apple Pie Spice – Adds warming spice to every bite, while intensifying the apple flavor!
- Salt – Enhances flavor.
- Large Eggs – Are a binder that help create the ultimate structure, texture, and flavor in these cupcakes.
- Whole Milk – Using whole fat milk makes these cupcakes incredibly tender and richer in flavor.
- Vegetable Oil – Keeps these cupcakes oh-so moist and tender.
- Vanilla Extract – Adds flavor, while also melding all the flavors together to create one extra delicious dessert.
For The Frosting:
- Salted Butter – The main component in a buttercream frosting. It gives it a smooth, spreadable texture!
- Powdered Sugar – Dissolves easily into the butter to sweeten the frosting.
- Apple Pie Spice – Carries the flavors from the cupcake to the frosting.
- Fresh Apple Cider – Helps loosen the frosting to make it spreadable, while also adding an intense apple flavor.
- Vanilla Extract – Adds a delicious undertone.
How To Make Apple Pie Cupcakes (with step-by-step photos!)
Step 1: Make filling
Combine apples, powdered sugar, cornstarch, apple pie spice, salt, vanilla, and melted butter in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over medium low heat until apples are tender and juice is thickened, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
Step 2: Prepare batter
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, apple pie spice, and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.
Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients. Mix well.
Step 3: Bake
Use a 3 Tablespoon scoop to portion batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cupcakes test done.
Step 4: Mix frosting
Combine butter and powdered sugar. Beat with electric mixer for 1-2 minutes, until creamy.
Add apple pie spice, apple cider and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 5: Assemble
Using a cupcake corer, a small knife, or a grapefruit spoon, core each cupcake. Fill each cupcake with about 1 Tablespoon of apple pie filling.
Pipe or spread frosting on top of filled cupcakes.
FAQ’s and Troubleshooting
Fill each cupcake liner about ⅔ – ¾ full. I like to use a large cookie scoop (about 3 Tablespoons) to help me get each cupcake the same size!
If you want the tallest cupcakes possible, there’s actually trick to this! Instead of filling all of the cavities in your muffin pan, only fill every other one. This allows for heat to evenly distribute and move around the cupcakes, allowing for better rise.
Dryness can be a common issue with baking cakes. It’s either a result of over-mixing or over-baking! Though, keep in mind that under-mixing and under-baking can be equally as bad. So, be sure to follow the directions in the recipe card below (and make sure your oven is at the right temperature!) for the best results in these cupcakes!
Similar to dryness, a tough/rubbery cupcake is usually caused by over-mixing the batter. Be sure to mix until everything is just combined! Any more and you may risk over-working the gluten, which is what causes a cake to be tough and rubbery.
Well, this is usually caused by one of two things! The butter might’ve been too cold and didn’t get beaten until it was completely smooth or the powdered sugar wasn’t sifted and had lumps in it. A few minutes on high in the mixer should fix this problem!
Definitely! For this cupcake in particular, I highly recommend our No-Fail Cream Cheese Frosting with some apple pie spice stirred in.
Decorating Ideas
With these cupcakes, decorating can be super fun! You can keep it simple or go all out. If you need some ideas, here are a few of our favorites!
- Buy (or make!) red fondant and make your own little apples! You can use a brown sprinkle or a chocolate chip for the stem.
- Feel free to color your frosting to pipe apples or apple-inspired designs onto your cupcakes.
- Drizzle the cupcakes with a salted caramel sauce or even boiled cider for added flavor!
- Add whole spices like star anise or a cinnamon stick for a cute decorative element.
- Apple slices can also add a cute element to these cupcakes, but they must be brushed with lemon juice, as they will brown once they begin to oxidize.
Looking for more recipes like this? Here are a few you may like:
Apple Pie Cupcakes with Spiced Cider Buttercream
Ingredients
Apple Pie Filling
- ¾ pound apples, peeled, cored and chopped
- 4⅔ Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1¾ teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1 pinch salt
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoon salted butter, melted
Cupcakes
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour*
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1¾ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon apple pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 9 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
Spiced Apple Cider Frosting
- 1½ cups salted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1½ teaspoons apple pie spice
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Apple Pie Filling
- Combine apples, powdered sugar, cornstarch, apple pie spice, salt, vanilla, and melted butter in a medium saucepan.
- Cook and stir over medium low heat until apples are tender and juice is thickened, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
Cupcakes
- Heat oven to 350℉.
- Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, apple pie spice, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.
- Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients.
- Mix well.
- Use a 3 Tablespoon scoop to portion batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until cupcakes test done.
Spiced Apple Cider Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine butter and powdered sugar.
- Beat 1-2 minutes, until creamy.
- Add apple pie spice, apple cider and vanilla.
- Beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Assembly
- Using a cupcake corer, a small knife, or a grapefruit spoon, core cupcakes.
- Fill each cupcake with about 1 Tablespoon of apple pie filling.
- Pipe or spread frosting on top of filled cupcakes.
Notes + Tips!
- Any baking apple can be used in the filling. We love using a combination of apples for extra flavor!
- No apple pie spice? You can use cinnamon instead.
- This recipe can be made vegan by using a plant-based butter and your favorite vegan egg substitute (we like aquafaba!), and plant-based milk. For the frosting, use your favorite vegan butter and plant-based milk.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, You can use your favorite 1:1 gluten free all-purpose flour.
- When shopping for apples, try to find some that are firm to the touch and have no bruises. This will provide a great texture with no sour tasting apples in your filling.
- ¾ of a pound of apples is equal to about 2 small-ish apples.
- Depending on how large or small the apples are chopped, the type of pan used, or the stovetop-type, your cook time may vary. We chose to do small dice and the apples were softened/the was juice thickened at about 10 minutes in a heavy duty skillet on a gas stove-stop.
- Be sure to stir constantly and not over-cook your apples.
- When making the batter, be very careful to not over-mix! Once everything is combined, you will not need to mix anymore.
- We recommend using a large cookie scoop to ensure that each cupcake is equal in size and not over-filled or under-filled.
- If you’re unsure the cupcakes are baked, you can use a cake tester or tooth pick. If it comes clean, the cupcake is baked through!
- Let the cupcakes cool COMPLETELY before filling and frosting them.
- Depending on how you decorate these cupcakes, you may need more or less frosting.
Tools You May Need (affiliate links)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
– Still Hungry? –
Here are a few recipes may like!
