Fall is my favorite season! I love eating pies! Pecan, apple, pumpkin, pecan – I’ll eat it all! Carrie asked me to make a November apple-themed cupcake recipe. I instantly thought of apple pie when she mentioned it! I love apple pie, especially in the fall. I immediately wandered in many directions as I thought of how to make the perfect apple pie cupcake for you all. I created something I know you will love that tastes like apple pie. Here are the details about my Apple Pie Cupcakes, Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream!
These cupcakes have two main ingredients: apples and brown sugar cinnamon. You can taste the brown sugar cinnamon flavor in every cake, filling, and buttercream layer. I used my favorite apple gala and granny smith to create a sweet and sour combination. The batter is easy to prepare. All you need to do is use a whisk to combine the ingredients. The result is a moist, fluffy cupcake full of cinnamon and grated apple to add texture.
Apple pie lovers rejoice! The cake contains apples and a filling made from apple pie. This hidden pocket of apples makes these cupcakes look like mini apple pies. A nice swiss buttercream was the best choice to finish off the cupcakes. It is light and fluffy, almost like whipped cream. To carry on the flavor of the filling and cake, I modified a regular recipe by substituting brown sugar for granulated sugar.
The final look was completed with mini apple toppers made from refrigerated pie dough. These cupcakes are easy to make and add some fall fun! You can’t make an apple pie cupcake without a crust. My favorite part of any pie is the crust. When I was little, my mom made cinnamon sugar pie crusts for my sister and me. She would roll out a refrigerated dough, sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar and bake it for a while. Then she would slice it into pizza-like slices and devour it all in no time.
This recipe is great if you’re looking for a Thanksgiving dessert. These cupcakes are easy to whip up and can be baked in minutes. You can make them ahead of time, and store them in an airtight container until you are ready to fill, frost and core them. The filling and coring of cupcakes can seem like too much work. These cupcakes will still taste just like apple pie because there is already an apple in the batter. Use your preferred apples if you don’t like gala or granny smith apples. They will still taste great!
Apple Pie Cupcakes
Fresh Apple Cupcakes:3 Cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated Sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
Two cups of grated apples (2 granny-smith, 2 gala).
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line muffin pans using cupcake liners.
- Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl: flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and baking powder. Add soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Combine eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix well.
- Add dry ingredients gradually to wet ingredients, and mix until well combined.
- Incorporate grated apples in the cake mixture.
- You can fill cupcake liners with batter to 2/3 of the way.
- Bake for 18-20 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes clean.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in the pans for five minutes before transferring them to wire racks.
To make the Apple Pie Filling.
Three finely chopped apples (2 granny Smith, 1 gala).
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- Mix chopped apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a medium-sized saucepan. Cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the apples are tender. Stir frequently.
- Allow mixture to cool.
- To remove the middle of the cupcakes, use an apple corer and fill them with apple pie filling.
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream:
Three large egg whites
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature, cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To taste cinnamon
- Combine egg whites with brown sugar in a bowl. Mix well.
- Place the bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water to create a double boiler. Continue to whisk the egg mixture, heating it until it registers 160° on a candy thermometer. Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer.
- Use the whisk attachment to beat the egg white mixture for 8-10 minutes on high speed until it is no longer warm to your touch. The meringue should be stiff and glossy, and fluffy.
- Move to the paddle attachment. Mix the cubed butter slowly into the mixer and mix until well combined.
- Mix in vanilla extract and cinnamon. Whip on medium-high for 3 to 5 minutes, or until smooth and silky.
- Use a piping bag with a large, round tip to place the icing on each cupcake.