Apple Pie Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream

These Apple Pie Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream are the perfect dessert for parties and potlucks but are also welcome after a cozy dinner at home. Tender vanilla cake, spiced apple pie filling, cinnamon buttercream, and crunchy streusel topping come together to make the perfect fall dessert in this delicious harvest-inspired cupcake!

Favorite Fall Dessert

Apple Pie is a favorite fall or autumn dessert and cupcakes are an all-time classic. These Apple Pie Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream and Streusel topping bring these classics together for an incredible treat!

I can’t get enough apples in my recipes, especially in the fall when the local orchards open up for picking and the stores are overflowing with every variety of apples there is!

These Apple Pie Cupcakes are perfect for potlucks, bar-b-ques, teacher appreciation gifts, or just a cozy treat for your family at home. They are a favorite with adults and kids alike!

Choosing the Right Apples for Baking

When cooking and baking with apples, you want to use an apple variety that holds its shape and doesn’t turn to mush.

I prefer to use Granny Smith, Gala, or Honeycrisp apples for my recipes. These varieties are firm, sweet, tart, and don’t get mushy.

You can peel your apples if you prefer but it is not necessary. Some people prefer no peels in their desserts so if you are making these cupcakes for a large group, peeling is probably best.

How To Make Apple Pie Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream

These Apple Pie Cupcakes are easy to make and the different elements can be made in advance to make things easier. Check out tips on prepping ahead of time below!

First, make the Crumble Topping:

  • Stir together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and add the softened butter. Stir & mash with a fork until combined and the mixture makes small clumps. Spread out on a lined baking sheet and bake at 350° F for 10 – 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes then break up any large chunks. Let cool completely until ready to use.
  • You can make the topping up to a week in advance and store in an airtight container.

Next, make the Apple Pie Filling:

  • Sprinkle the lemon juice over the apples in a medium saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Add very hot juice to the pan and cook until thickened.
  • Apple Pie Filling can be made in mass and canned or frozen for months or years! Read about the process HERE.

No more than one day before serving, make the cupcakes:

  • With the oven already preheated to 350°F, you can make the cupcakes. Line the cupcake tin with paper baking cups. (I use a 24-cup tin so I can bake the entire batch at once.)
  • Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. (Don’t take a shortcut here – actually sift these together – twice if you can!)
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Set the mixer on low speed and add one egg at a time, mixing between each addition until incorporated. Turn the mixer off and add vanilla, almond extract, if using, and sour cream OR greek yogurt. Mix on low until incorporated then turn up to med-high for 1 minute.
  • Add half of the sifted flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir by hand until the dry flour is incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture.
  • Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter with an ice cream scoop into the prepared muffin tin. I like to use a scoop with a thumb-release lever. Each cupcake liner should be about 3/4 full.
  • Bake at 350° for 16 to 18 minutes or until the cupcake springs back when lightly touched. Allow to cool in the pan for 3 to 4 minutes then remove to a cooling rack.

Make the Buttercream

  • Cream the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy and lighter in color. Mix for 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and pulse the mixer a few times. (This keeps the sugar from flying out all over your kitchen! Alternately, you can wrap a towel around the top of the mixer, letting it hang over the bowl.). Mix until combined.
  • Add heavy cream and mix until smooth. Add more sugar, one cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
  • Add cinnamon and salt and whip until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Prepping This Dessert Ahead of Time

Making Apple Pie filling and canning or freezing it is my favorite way to store fresh apples for a ready-made dessert or even to give as a gift. Read my post on how to can Apple Pie filling and then make your own!

When you are ready for these Apple Pie Cupcakes, just grab a jar from the pantry or freezer!

These Apple Pie Cupcakes are perfect for fall but are welcome all year round!

Apple Pie Cupcakes

Apple Pie Cupcakes

A moist and tender vanilla cake filled with spiced Apple Pie Filling, topped with Cinnamon Buttercream, and crunchy cinnamon streusel.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24
Calories 453 kcal

Ingredients
  

To Make the Crumble Topping

  • 100 grams brown sugar
  • 100 grams all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 113 grams unsalted butter at room temperature

For the Apple Filling

  • 4 cups apples peeled, cored and diced
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 100 grams granulated sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons corn starch
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 240 mL apple juice or water if you don’t have juice

For the Cupcakes

  • 170 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 300 grams granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs large, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract optional
  • 300 mL sour cream OR plain greek yogurt at room temperature
  • 312 grams cake flour SEE NOTE 2
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Cinnamon Buttercream

  • 340 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 600 to 720 grams powdered sugar about 5 to 6 cups
  • 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon or more to taste
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions
 

Make the Crumble Topping

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the softened butter. Stir & mash with a fork until combined and the mixture makes small clumps. Spread out on a lined baking sheet and bake at 350° F for 10 – 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes then break up any large chunks. Let cool completely until ready to use.

Make the Apple Filling

  • Sprinkle the lemon juice over the apples in a medium saucepan. Mix the next four ingredients together and add to the apples in the pan. Mix well. Add very hot juice to the pan, (I microwave juice for 2 minutes to heat it) and cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and cool.

Make the Cupcakes

  • With the oven already preheated to 350°F, you can make the cupcakes. Line the cupcake tin with paper baking cups. (I use a 24-cup tin so I can bake the entire batch at once.)
  • Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. (Don’t take a short cut here – actually sift these together – twice if you can!)
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Set the mixer on low speed and add one egg at a time, mixing between each addition until incorporated. Turn the mixer off and add vanilla, almond extract, if using, and sour cream OR greek yogurt. Mix on low until incorporated then turn up to med-high for 1 minute.
  • Add half of the sifted flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir by hand until the dry flour is incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture.
  • Scoop about 1/4 cup batter with an ice cream scoop into prepared muffin tin. I like to use a scoop with a thumb release lever. Each cupcake liner should be about 3/4 full.
  • Bake at 350° for 16 to 18 minutes or until cupcake springs back when lightly touched. Allow to cool in the pan for 3 to 4 minutes than remove to a cooling rack.

Make the Buttercream

  • Cream the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy and lighter in color. Mix for 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and pulse the mixer a few times. (This keeps the sugar from flying out all over your kitchen! Alternately, you can wrap a towel around the top of the mixer, letting it hang over the bowl.). Mix until combined.
  • Add heavy cream and mix until smooth. Add more sugar, one cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
  • Add cinnamon and salt and whip until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Notes

NOTE 1: I made the crumble topping, pie filling, and cupcakes the day before I needed them. Just prior to serving, I filled them, made the buttercream, and iced them then sprinkled on the crumble. Making most of the components a day or two in advance will make these super easy for you!
NOTE 2: If you don’t have any cake flour, you can make your own. Just remove 2 Tablespoons of flour from each cup. Then replace those 2 Tablespoons of flour with 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix well.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcakeCalories: 453kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 3gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 123mgPotassium: 90mgFiber: 1gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 822IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 1mg
Keyword apple pie, buttercream, cake, cupcakes, fall baking, fall dessert, icing
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