Description
Delightful Apple Pie Cupcakes featuring tender spiced apple filling nestled inside moist cinnamon cupcakes, topped with creamy cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Perfect for fall gatherings or anytime a comforting, classic dessert is desired.
Ingredients
Scale
Apple Filling
- 4 small tart apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced
- 30 g brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 50 g water
Cupcakes
- 185 g cake flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 g milk, dairy or non-dairy
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 60 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 125 g cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 75 g powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare Apple Filling: In a small pot, combine diced apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until apples are tender and excess liquid evaporates. Add a little water if it dries out or begins to burn. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-hole muffin or cupcake pan with parchment cupcake liners and set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Set this mixture aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat softened butter with an electric mixer until very creamy. Add granulated sugar and continue beating until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix in vanilla extract.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Sift half of the dry ingredients into the wet batter and mix on low speed briefly until just combined. Add half of the milk and stir gently. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and milk, mixing just until smooth and combined.
- Fill Cupcake Liners: Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
- Bake Cupcakes: Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat softened butter until creamy, then add cream cheese, powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until smooth and thick.
- Fill Piping Bag: Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small ribbon piping tip and set aside.
- Assemble Cupcakes – Scoop Center: Using a small melon baller or knife, scoop out the center of each cooled cupcake about halfway down.
- Fill with Apple Compote: Spoon apple filling into the hollowed center of each cupcake, adding an extra spoonful on top and gently flattening it while leaving the cupcake edges clear.
- Pipe Frosting: Pipe two crisscrossing lines of frosting over the apple topping using the small ribbon tip. Then switch to an open star piping tip and pipe a border around the entire cupcake on top of the lines.
Notes
- Yield: Using a regular muffin pan with jumbo-sized parchment liners yields 12 cupcakes. Smaller liners may yield more, but always fill liners two-thirds full for proper baking and rising.
- Piping Tips: The piping tips used came from a generic set; consider purchasing a versatile piping tip set or sourcing tips in person to find sizes that match decorating styles.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 140 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
