Description
Delightful Apple Pie Cupcakes combining tender cinnamon-spiced apple filling, moist cinnamon-flavored cake, and creamy cinnamon cream cheese frosting, perfect for a cozy dessert or special occasion treat.
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
- Make the 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. Then uncover and cook while stirring frequently until the apples are tender and excess liquid evaporates, adding more water if it gets too dry or begins to stick. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely.
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-hole muffin 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 aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat softened butter with an electric hand mixer until very creamy. Add granulated sugar and beat until fluffy and light.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract until well combined.
- Combine Wet & Dry Mixtures: Using a fine mesh sieve, sift half of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Add half the milk and mix gently. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, mixing just until smooth and combined.
- Fill Cupcake Liners: Spoon batter into cupcake liners until about 2/3 full.
- Bake Cupcakes: Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting: In a small bowl, beat softened butter until creamy. Add cream cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until smooth and thick.
- Prepare Frosting for Piping: Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small ribbon piping tip and set aside.
- Scoop Cupcake Centers: Using a melon baller or knife, scoop out the center of each cooled cupcake about halfway deep.
- Fill Cupcakes with Apple Filling: Spoon apple compote into the hollowed centers and add an extra spoonful on top, slightly flattening it but leaving space around the edges.
- Pipe Frosting: Pipe two crisscrossed lines of frosting over the apple filling using the ribbon tip. Switch to an open star tip to pipe a decorative border around the cupcake edges on top of the lines.
Notes
- Yield depends on liner size; this recipe made exactly 12 jumbo-sized cupcakes with jumbo liners. Use smaller liners for more cupcakes. Always fill liners ⅔ full for best rising without overly domed tops.
- Piping tips used were a small ribbon tip for lines and an open star tip for borders. Tip sizes are not exact but sourced from a multi-tip set; similar sets work well.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 354
- Sugar: 33g
- Sodium: 207mg
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 47g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 84mg
