Apple Pie Cupcakes

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

By Jenn

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 20 minutes mins

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 510kcal

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!