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Apple Pie Cupcakes are everything you love about Apple Pie, with none of the fuss! Tender & moist bakery-worthy cinnamon vanilla cupcakes are filled with a spiced apple pie filling, topped with an apple cider buttercream, and more apple pie filling! These bite-sized treats are perfect for any celebration.
Why you’ll love these Apple Pie Cupcakes:
- Fluffy Cinnamon Vanilla Cupcakes – Fluffy & moist vanilla cupcakes are flavored with a burst of cinnamon!
- Spiced Apple Pie Filling & Topping – A quick stovetop apple pie filling makes the tender, spiced filling and topping.
- Creamy Apple Cider Frosting – A luscious frosting flavored with apple cider concentrate and cinnamon makes the most delightful frosting!
Ingredient Overview:
As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).
- Apples – Use a firm apple here – any apple that’s good for baking will work! I personally like to mix about 2/3 honeycrisp and 1/3 granny smith. The granny smith apples are tart so they keep things from being too sweet, but I find that if you use all granny smith it’s too tart. Don’t use McIntosh – they’re too soft and aren’t a good baking apple – save them for homemade applesauce!
- Spices – A combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves gives our apples the perfect amount of cozy fall flavor.
- Boiled Apple Cider – You can purchase boiled cider online (or possibly at a local orchard – try calling ahead to see if they carry it). Just be sure the only ingredient is apple cider. If you can’t get your hands on this, you can make your own by reducing down apple cider (see my post on Caramel Apple Cider Cookies for how to do this), or you can simply use a few tablespoons of plain apple cider but the flavor will not be as strong. Do not use apple cider vinegar – this is, as the name implies, vinegar and not the same as the apple cider you’d drink.
- Cake Flour – Cake flour produces a lighter crumb in cakes, and I highly recommend using it! Spoon & level your flour for best results, or use a scale. Scooping the measuring cup directly in will lead to too much flour. 1 cup of cake flour weighs 115 grams, whereas 1 cup all-purpose flour weighs 130 grams.
- Sour Cream – Use full fat sour cream, at room temperature.
- Butter – I always use salted buter for the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if you prefer. Let it come to room temperature before baking.
- Eggs – Use a large egg, at room temperature.
- Milk – Just like our other cold ingredients, your milk needs to be at room temperature. I use 2% milk.
- Vanilla extract – Use a good quality, pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Vinegar – A little vinegar adds lift and fluffiness!
Recipe Substitutions & Variations:
- Gluten-free/Dairy-Free – I have not tested a gluten-free or dairy-free version of this recipe.
- Boiled Apple Cider/Apple Cider Concentrate – You can use regular apple cider if you don’t want to reduce your own or aren’t able to purchase any boiled cider.
How to Make this Apple Pie Cupcakes Recipe:
Step 1: Make the Apple Filling. Peel and dice your fresh apples into small pieces, and cook them in a large saucepan over medium heat for 15 to 18 minutes, with butter, brown sugar, and spices. Use a cornstarch slurry to gently thicken the filling.
Step 2: Start the Batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, salt, and baking powder. Beat in softened butter & oil until you have a dry sandy mixture with some larger butter lumps.
Step 3: Start Adding the Wet Ingredients. In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream, milk, water, and vinegar. Beat 2 tbsp of this into the dry mixture to moisten and help it come together.
Step 4: Finish Adding Wet Ingredients. Lightly whisk the eggs and vanilla into the remaining wet mixture, then add the wet mixture in two additions to the bowl of batter, mixing on low until just combined.
Step 5: Bake. Divide the cupcake batter evenly among 16-17 cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full (I used 52 grams of batter per cupcake because I like precision, hah!). Bake as directed in the recipe card below.
Step 6: Make the Frosting. Make Frosting & Frost Cupcakes. While the cupcakes cool completely, beat together softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, apple cider, cinnamon, salt, and a splash of milk or water to smooth things out.
Step 7: Decorate Cupcakes. Core out your cupcakes and fill with apple filling. Pipe two swirls of frosting on top of each cupcake with a round tip, then use the tip of an offset spatula or a spoon to create a well in the center by using a swirling motion. Fill this “well” with more apple filling!
Serving + Storing:
Enjoy immediately! Cupcakes keep well at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Let come back to room temperature before enjoying, if stored in the fridge.
Love baking during apple season? Make my Homemade Apple Fritters or my Caramel Apple Cider Cookies next. Bonus: they’ll both put that boiled cider to use!
Expert Baking Tips:
- Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
- Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
FAQs:
Yes, you can do either!
I recommend making my Caramel Apple Cake instead of trying to convert this recipe!
The mixing method outlined in this recipe is known as reverse creaming! It simply means we’re mixing our wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, rather than the standard creaming method where you start by creaming the wet ingredients together in a set order, then add the dry ingredients at the end. This produces cupcakes that are still light & fluffy, but sturdy enough to hold filling and frosting!
Special Tools:
- Piping Tip – I used an Ateco 2A piping tip for these cupcakes.
- Piping Bag – I like to use a reusable piping bag like this one, as it creates less waste than disposable piping bags.
- Offset Spatula – Offset spatulas make decorating cupcakes a breeze! They can also be used for spreading cake and brownie batters evenly.
More Apple Recipes to Love:
- Caramel Apple Cake
- Apple Pie Cheesecake
- Apple Fritters with Apple Cider Glaze
- Salted Caramel Apple Galette
- Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
- Caramel Apple Crumb Cake
- Caramelized Cinnamon Apple Waffles
Photography for this recipe is courtesy of Creating Kaitlin. All other photography on Blue Bowl Recipes is by myself, Stephanie Simmons, unless otherwise credited.
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Click the little stars in the header of the recipe card below to leave a comment & star rating, letting me know how you liked the recipe. I take all feedback seriously, & leaving a rating helps my small business immensely!
Apple Pie Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Apple Filling & Topping:
- 5 large honeycrisp apples, peeled and diced, 705 grams
- 2 tbsp salted butter, 28 grams
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed, Light or dark. 80 grams
- 1 and 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tbsp boiled cider or apple cider, 17 grams
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 tsp water
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 and 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp cake flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out , 180 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar, 210 grams
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar, packed, 36 grams
- 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 7 tbsp salted butter, softened at room temperature , 100 grams
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 27 grams
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp milk, at room temperature, 90 grams
- 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature, 120 grams
- 1 tbsp warm water, 15 grams
- 1/2 tsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste, See Note below
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
Apple Cider Frosting:
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp salted butter, softened at room temperature , 141 grams
- 3 and 1/2 cups to 4 cups powdered sugar, 402 to grams to 460 grams- adjust to taste!
- 2-4 tbsp boiled apple cider, See note below
- 2 tbsp heavy cream, To help things combine (15-30 grams)
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- pinch of salt, to taste
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon, Adjust to taste
Instructions
- Make the Apple Filling & Topping. Add all filling ingredients except the corn starch & water to a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Cook over medium high heat, stirring, for about 8-12 minutes – or until the apples are tender to your liking. Stir together cornstarch and water in a small bowl until dissolved, and stir into the apples while still over medium high heat. Cook for 1 minute or so until the juices thicken up. Remove from heat and pop in the fridge to cool.5 large honeycrisp apples, peeled and diced, 2 tbsp salted butter, 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed, 1 and 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1 tbsp boiled cider or apple cider, 1 tsp corn starch, 1 tsp water
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners, in preparation for 16-17 cupcakes.
- Start the Batter: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the softened butter and oil, and mix on low speed for about 30-60 seconds, just until the butter starts incorporating and you have a sandy mixture with some drier sandy bits, and some unevenly incorporated chunks of butter coated in flour.1 and 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp cake flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out , 1 cup granulated sugar, 3 tbsp light brown sugar, packed, 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 7 tbsp salted butter, softened at room temperature , 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Finish the Batter: In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream, milk, water, and vinegar until combined. Add 2 tbsp of this mixture to the bowl of butter and flour. Mix on low speed just until the mixture starts to come together (no more dry bits!), but is still lumpy. (See photos in blog post above for a visual). Then, add the vanilla and eggs to the remaining liquid mixture, lightly beating the eggs with a fork to break them up. Pour half this mixture into the bowl of batter with your mixer running on low. When it's almost incorporated, pour in the remaining liquid, mixing on low until just combined. Scrape the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in – a few small lumps is fine! Do not overmix.1/3 cup + 1 tbsp milk, at room temperature, 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature, 1 tbsp warm water, 1/2 tsp vinegar, 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste, 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- Bake: Divide the batter evenly among your 16-17 cupcake papers. Fill them about 2/3 full, or use 52 grams of batter per cupcake (I like precision!). Bake for 14 to 17 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should pull out moist crumbs, not wet batter. Immediately use a butter knife to pop the cupcakes out of the hot pan, and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Frosting: While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, beat the butter until creamy, 30-60 seconds. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined, using the heavy cream as needed to help things along. Mix in the remaining frosting ingredients, adjusting to taste. If for some reason your frosting is too soft or weepy, pop the bowl in the fridge or freezer to stiffen it back up.1/2 cup + 2 tbsp salted butter, softened at room temperature , 3 and 1/2 cups to 4 cups powdered sugar, 2-4 tbsp boiled apple cider, 2 tbsp heavy cream, 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste, pinch of salt, to taste, 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- Decorate: Make sure your cupcakes are completely cooled. Use a cupcake corer or a teaspoon to core each cupcake. Add 1-2 tsp of apple filling into each cupcake. Fill a piping bag fitted with an Ateco 1A tip, then pipe swirls of frosting onto the cupcakes. Use the back of an offset spatula or spoon to create a swirl in the center of the top of the frosting. Add another spoonful of apple filling on top and drizzle with the juices from the apple filling.
- Serve + Store: Dig in immediately once the cupcakes are frosted! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Let cold cupcakes come back to room temperature on the counter before enjoying (or eat them cold, if you like a denser texture!)
- Freezing Instructions: These cupcakes freeze well without the filling and frosting. Let thaw on your counter for 1-2 hours before filling & frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fantastic so good
Thanks so much, Nikki!
Recipe is easy to follow and it is very delicious. I made 18 cupcakes using my tins. The recipe is so moist I found it pulled away from the paper immediately in some spots when I took it out of the pan right away like it suggested. I use the same papers all the time and do have problems with some recipes but not all. Not a problem for home baking. Did an immediate taste test and cannot wait to serve to my colleagues tomorrow. Will absolutely bake again every fall. I had leftover filling (freezing for later!) but no leftover frosting
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Kelsey!
Saw this recipe on your YouTube shorts and just knew I had to try it for fall! What a delightful recipe!! Super easy and straight forward, loved the pictures and walkthrough of the recipe.
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, Alex!