Description
Delightfully spiced Apple Pie Cupcakes feature a tender cake filled with warm apple compote and topped with creamy cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Perfect for holiday gatherings or a cozy treat, these cupcakes combine the flavors of classic apple pie in an individual serving.
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 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 liquid has thickened and evaporated. Add a bit more water if mixture dries or starts to burn. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely.
- Prepare Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-hole muffin pan with parchment cupcake liners.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat softened butter with an electric mixer until very creamy. Add granulated sugar and beat until fluffy.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in eggs one at a time, incorporating fully after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract at the end.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Sift half of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Mix briefly on low speed until just combined. Add half the milk and gently mix. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and milk, mixing only until smooth and just combined.
- Fill Cupcake Liners: Spoon batter into liners until about two-thirds full.
- Bake Cupcakes: Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Make Frosting: Beat softened butter until creamy. Add cream cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until smooth, thick, and well combined.
- Fill Piping Bag: Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small ribbon piping tip.
- Assemble Cupcakes: Hollow out about half the depth in the center of each cooled cupcake using a melon baller or knife. Fill the cavities with apple compote. Spoon more apple compote on top, slightly flattening it but leaving edges clear.
- Pipe Frosting: Using the small ribbon piping tip, pipe two crisscrossing lines of frosting over the apple topping. Switch to an open star tip to pipe a decorative border around the cupcake edges, topping the frosting lines.
Notes
- The batter yield fits exactly 12 jumbo cupcakes when using jumbo parchment liners; using smaller liners may result in more cupcakes.
- Fill liners about two-thirds full for cupcakes that rise nicely without dome-shaped tops.
- The piping tips used were from a set of various small tips purchased off-brand, so no exact numbers are provided. It’s recommended to use a small ribbon tip and an open star tip for best results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 354 kcal
- Sugar: 33 g
- Sodium: 207 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 47 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 84 mg
