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If you love apple pie, then you’ll love these incredible Apple Pie Cupcakes! These delicious apple cupcakes are topped with a smooth vanilla buttercream and each cupcake is filled with a apple pie filling. These cupcakes are an apple dream for all the apple pie lovers and are the perfect fall cupcakes.
This apple pie cupcakes recipe is a fall dream! These apple cupcakes with apple pie filling is for everyone who loves apple pie! These cupcakes are filled with lots of flavor and are the perfect Thanksgiving dessert cupcakes. The apple cupcakes have apple sauce and cinnamon for lots of flavor and the vanilla frosting perfectly complements the apple pie filling. They are perfect to serve for Thanksgiving or any occasion during the fall and winter.
For more cupcake recipes, try the best Chocolate Cupcakes, Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes and Cinnamon Cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Apple cupcakes: The apple cupcakes has lots of apple flavor that comes from apple sauce, which makes them extra moist.
- Vanilla buttercream: The most luscious and smooth vanilla buttercream.
- Apple pie filling: This apple pie filling perfectly fills the middle of the cupcakes and is so delicious and has lots of cinnamon flavor.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour: Gives a light and airy cupcake. I prefer using all-purpose flour with a protein amount that is between 10-11%
- Sugars: The granulated sugar helps sweeten, as well as give moister to the cake. The brown sugar helps add extra toffee flavor to the cake.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Help leaven and rise the cupcakes, so they have a light and fluffy texture.
- Salt: Helps enhance the flavor of the cupcakes.
- Eggs: Take the eggs out of the fridge 30 minutes to 1 hours before baking (depending how warm your kitchen is).
- Vegetable oil: Use a flavor neutral oil, such as canola or avocado oil.
- Apple sauce: Use pure apple sauce with no added sugar.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is used in both the cupcakes and the apple pie filling.
- Apples: I recommend using Gala, Honeycrisp or Fuji apples but you can also use any red apples.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Here is how to make and bake these Apple Pie Cupcakes. This recipe needs two bowls, a hand whisk and a electric mixer.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Before starting preheat the oven to 160ºC/ 320ºF conventional oven. Line a 12-cup cupcake tin lined with cupcake paper liners.
HOW TO MAKE THE CUPCAKES
STEP 1: In a large mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients. Give it a stir to make sure everything has been combined. In another mixing bowl add the sour cream, apple sauce, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract and mix it all together until combined.
STEP 2: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently stir it all together. Make sure there are no lumps left in the mixture. Divide the cupcake batter into the 12 cupcake liners and bake them for 20-23 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the hot pan. After 5 minutes, gently remove the cupcakes from the cupcake pan and let them cool down completely on a cooling rack.
HOW TO MAKE THE APPLE PIE FILLING AND BUTTERCREAM
STEP 3: While the cupcakes bake, make the apple pie filling. In a saucepan heat up the apples, granulated sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Let it simmer on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the apples are tender. Then turn down the heat to low and add the cornstarch slurry. Stir it together and continue stirring for about 1-2 minutes, until thickened. Take it off the heat and add the vanilla bean paste. Pour it into a bowl and place it in the refrigerator to cool down.
STEP 4: For the buttercream, mix the butter until light and fluffy in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a electric hand mixer on medium/high speed.
STEP 5: Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk in 2 parts. Mix on low speed until each addition is fully incorporated.
STEP 6: Add the buttercream to a piping bag with a round piping tip e.g. a Wilton 1A. Then pipe the buttercream on the cupcakes, creating a small concave with the buttercream.
STEP 7: Spoon in the apple pie filling into the middle of the buttercream and they are ready to be enjoyed.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
Yes, make each element the day before, so you only need to assemble it the next day. Store the cupcake at room temperature in an airtight container. Make the apple pie filling and buttercream and cover it with plastic wrap so it touches each the surface of the apple pie filling and buttercream or in an airtight container, and store it in the fridge. Take the apple pie filling and buttercream out of the fridge 30-45 minutes before assembling to come to room temperature. Give the buttercream a good mix and assemble it as instructed in the recipe card.
I recommend using a cake tester or toothpick. Once the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the middle of the one of the cupcakes and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, then it's done.
Yes it can definitely be topped with a drizzle of caramel sauce. You can either make a homemade caramel or use store bought.
HOW TO STORE
Store the Apple Pie Cupcakes in the refrigerator in an airtight container. When wanting to eat it, take it out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature. It's best enjoyed within a 2-3 days.
Other Fall Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Apple Pie Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream and Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients
APPLE CUPCAKE
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g dark brown sugar
- 210 g all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 75 g vegetable oil
- 120 g sour cream room temperature
- 120 g apple sauce room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
APPLE PIE FILLING
- 150 g apples cut into tiny cubes
- 75 g granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
- 200 g butter cool room temperature
- 330 g powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 tablespoon whole milk room temperature
Instructions
APPLE CUPCAKES
- Preheat the oven at 160ºC/320ºF conventional oven and line a 12-cup cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, add all of the dry ingredients. Give it a stir to make sure everything has been combined.100 g granulated sugar, 100 g dark brown sugar, 210 g all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- In another mixing bowl add the sour cream, apple sauce, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract and mix it all together until combined.75 g vegetable oil, 120 g sour cream, 120 g apple sauce, 2 large eggs, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently stir it all together. Make sure there are no lumps left in the batter.
- Divide the cake batter into the 12 cupcake liners and bake them for 20-23 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the hot pan. After 5 minutes, gently remove the cupcakes from the cupcake pan and let them cool down completely on a wire rack.
APPLE PIE FILLING
- While the cupcakes bake, make the apple filling.
- Start by cutting the apples into small cubes. In a sauce pan heat up the apples, granulated sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Once it starts bubbling, let it simmer on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the apples are tender but still have a little bite to them. While it cooks, give the apples a stir once in a while.150 g apples cut into tiny cubes, 75 g granulated sugar, 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice, ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- When the 5 minutes have passed, or they feel tender, make the cornstarch slurry by mixing the water and cornstarch together until the cornstarch has dissolved. Turn down the heat to low and add the slurry. Stir it together and continue stirring for about 1-2 minutes, until thickened.1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon water
- Take it off the heat and add the vanilla bean paste. Pour it into a bowl and place it in the refrigerator to cool down.¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
- When ready to assemble the cupcakes, sift the powdered sugar. Mix the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer for 4 minutes on medium/high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for an additional 2 minutes.330 g powdered sugar, 200 g butter
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla paste and milk in 2 parts. Mixing on low speed until each addition is fully incorporated.1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, 2 tablespoon whole milk
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give the buttercream a final mix, on low speed, for 2 minutes.
- Add the buttercream to a piping bag with a round piping tip e.g. a Wilton 1A. Then pipe the buttercream on the cupcakes, creating a small concave with the buttercream. Add the apple pie filling into the middle of the buttercream and they are ready to be enjoyed.
Iben Nielsen
They were amazing!