These Apple Pie Cupcakes have a surprise center of apple pie filling topped with a creamy maple vanilla frosting. Individual Apple Pie A’La Mode servings and you don’t have to make a crust or deal with melted ice cream!
For this recipe I used cake flour and egg whites to create a light fluffy crumb on the cupcake. Maple vanilla buttercream and apple pie filling can be very rich, so a lighter cupcake texture creates a great balance.
Tips for Apple Pie Cupcakes
- Use Cake Flour for a fluffier cake.
- Cake Flour can be substituted for All Purpose Flour by measuring 1 Cup minus 2 Tbsp of All Purpose Flour for every 1 Cup of Cake Flour ( for this recipe that would be 3 Cups All Purpose Flour minus 6 Tbsp).
- Let cupcakes cool completely before cutting center.
- Using a melon ball scoop, or a small ¾-1 inch cookie cutter, remove a small amount of the center of each cupcake from the top dome.
- Fill with apple pie filling enough to create a level surface with the remaining top of the cupcake.
- Pipe frosting over entire surface of cupcake.
Tips for Maple Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Make your frosting after you fill your cupcakes so its fresh!
- Use room temperature butter
- Whip vanilla and butter until fluffy
- Then add your maple syrup. I prefer amber color, but any maple syrup will do!
- Slowly add powdered sugar a cup at a time to prevent a cloud of sugar dust all over your kitchen!
Tips for Frosting your Apple Pie Cupcakes
- Use a #4B Star Tip to create a tight swirl
- Trim end of plastic piping bag
- Place tip into bag and push towards open tip, exposing metal star tip
- Fill bag with maple vanilla buttercream using a spatula
- Twist bag at the larger open end to prevent leaking
- Squeeze buttercream towards decorating tip
- Keep pressure at thickest part of bag to help frosting pipe more fluidly
- Pipe starting on the edge of cupcake spiraling inwards towards the center
- Finish by continue to squeeze frosting, pressing gently down and then pulling up (releasing pressure on piping bag)to create a chocolate tip on the cupcake.
- Stir together 1 Tbsp Cinnamon Powder with 2 Tbsp Sugar and sprinkle across frosting.
Another Cupcake Recipe to Try is the Chocolate Espresso Banana Cupcakes!!
Surprise Apple Pie Cupcakes
These Apple Pie Cupcakes have a surprise center of apple pie filling topped with a creamy maple vanilla frosting, and sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
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Servings: 18 cupcakes
Calories: 510kcal
Ingredients
Cupcake
- 3 Cups (360 g) Cake Flour
- 1 ¼ Cups (250 g) Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cloves
- 1 Cup (16 Tbsp) softened unsalted butter
- 4 Egg Whites
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- ½ Cup (125 g) Unsweetened Apple Sauce
- 1 Cup (250 ml) Unsweetened Almond Milk
Apple Pie Filling
- 3 Large Granny Smith Apples Peeled and Chopped into small pieces
- 3 Tbsp Water
- 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- ⅓ Cup (66 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp Cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp Water
Maple Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 Cup (16 Tbsp) Softened Unsalted Butter
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ Cup (60 ml) Heavy Whipping Cream
- 4-5 Cups (500-625 g) Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350 F (176 C) and line cupcake pan wells with 12 paper liners. (This recipe makes 18 cupcakes, so you can add a second pan with 6 liners or reuse the first pan.)
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. (scrape bottom and sides of bowl with spatula as needed)
- Continue on medium speed and add in egg whites one at a time. Whip until fluffy.
- Pour in apple sauce and almond milk.
- Mix until incorporated.
- Pour wet mixture into large bowl of dry ingredients. Stir by hand with a whisk until smooth batter forms.
- Using a 2 Tbsp ice cream scoop, measure out 1.5 scoops (3 Tbsp) of batter into each cupcake liner. Each liner should be ¾ filled with batter.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Place pancake tray on cooling rack for 5 minutes.
- Then remove each cupcake individually placing on rack. Let cupcakes completely cool before frosting.
Make Apple Pie Filling While Cupcakes are Baking
- In a saucepan on medium heat, add apples, butter, spices, sugar and 3 Tbsp of water. Stir slowly until butter is melted, sugar dissolves, and apples begin to soften. (4-5 min)
- Combine cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of water in a cup stirring until liquid.
- Pour in cornstarch mixture.
- Continue to stir until bubbly and thick.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Use a ¾ inch melon ball scoop or spoon to remove center from cupcake dome. Fill with apple pie filling, then pipe with frosting!
Make your Maple Vanilla Buttercream
- In bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip on medium high softened butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
- Add Maple Syrup, heavy cream, and salt. Continue on medium speed until incorporated.
- Slowly add powdered sugar a cup at a time until buttercream is firm but creamy. (You may only need 4 cups).
- Scoop buttercream into piping bag with desired decorating tip and pipe onto cupcakes.
- See above for frosting tips!
- Store cupcakes in an air tight container at room temp for 3-5 days.
did you make this recipe?Mention @twocupsflour or tag #twocupsflour!
Nutrition
Calories: 510kcal