Name: Apple Pie Cupcakes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 113 Unsalted butter (at room temperature); 100 g Granulated sugar; 50 g Brown sugar; 2 Egg (at room temperature); 120 g Whole milk (at room temperature); 185 g All purpose flour; 1 teaspoon Cinnamon; ½ teaspoon Salt; ½ teaspoon Baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon White vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda; 330 g Apple (measured after peeled, cut into small pieces); ½ teaspoon Lemon juice (freshly squeezed); 50 g Brown sugar; 30 g Unsalted butter; 1 teaspoon Cinnamon; 150 g Mascarpone (high fat, use it cold); 120 g Heavy cream (36% fat, use it very cold); 40 g Powdered sugar (shifted)

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My Apple Pie Cupcake recipe is so easy that you might just skip the apple pie this Thanksgiving! The cupcake features a brown sugar, cinnamon cupcake base that is enhanced with Fall spices, apple pie filling, and a delicate whipped mascarpone frosting! It's the ultimate, easy cupcake recipe to try for Thanksgiving or any time over the Fall!

This recipe was first shared on the blog back in 2020. Since then, I've updated it with new photos, added helpful baking tips, and included several flavor and ingredient substitution options based on your questions. I´ve also scaled up the recipe to 12 to accommodate your queries.

Read what others said about this recipe

"Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I used the digital scale, and the cupcakes came out to perfection. The frosting was to die for, and I received many compliments. Thanks again!" Gloria

Best Apple Pie Cupcakes Recipe

Imagine the moistest cupcake you have ever tasted, loaded with Fall spices, a flavorful apple pie filling, and a super creamy, whipped mascarpone frosting on top. These cupcakes are dreamy!

You won't need any fancy kit or ingredients, and the recipe comes together really easily. This recipe is definitely much easier than making traditional apple pie, so it's perfect for beginner bakers.

It is super quick compared to apple pie, too, as you don't have to make and chill the pie crust dough. Keep reading for all my pro baking tips for the best apple pie cupcakes!

Katalin's key take on how to make super moist cupcakes

Baking is a science, and many factors contribute to super moist cupcakes, including good quality fat (like butter or oil) and other wet ingredients like eggs or milk.

Sugar is also really important as it creates a bond with the wet ingredients that lock in moisture. Then, your leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda also contribute to moist cupcakes as they react with the acidity in the other ingredients like sour cream to make carbon dioxide bubbles.

Not only do the ingredients make a big difference, but so do the mixing techniques and the temperature of those ingredients. If you overmix cupcake batter, it can overproduce gluten and become hard and dry. When ingredients are at room temperature, they emulsify better, and you don't risk overmixing.

So, my key take on how to keep cupcakes moist is to always stick to the written recipe and instructions, weigh your ingredients, ensure they are at the right temperature, and don't overbake!

I also have one final secret to moist cupcakes: mix ½ teaspoon of white vinegar with ½ teaspoon of baking soda and then quickly fold it into the cupcake batter before baking. Your apple pie cupcakes will be super airy and much lighter than ever before.

Whip up an easy cinnamon, brown sugar cupcake base

Preheat the oven to 175C / 350F (no fan) and line your cupcake tin with muffin liners.

Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric hand mixer for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Then, slowly add the room-temperature egg and, finally, the vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and whip until fully combined.

Sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt) in a separate mixing bowl.

Reduce the mixer speed to low speed and add the dry ingredients in thirds to the whipped sugar, butter, and egg mixture, alternating with the room-temperature milk. Do not overmix the batter.

Mix the vinegar and the baking soda together in a small bowl, which will become super bubbly. Immediately fold this mixture into the cupcake batter within a few seconds.

Fill each cup of your muffin tin ¾ full of batter. Then, bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.

Allow the cinnamon cupcakes to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.

Once Fall arrives, I use this apple pie filling for everything

Cut apples into small identical chunks. You can peel them or leave the skins on; it is up to you. Squeeze over some lemon juice to prevent them from oxidizing/browning.

Put the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter into a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the apple pieces are slightly cooked and some water evaporates from the mixture, and the sauce thickens into "apple caramel."

Let the filling cool to room temperature before using it.

making the caramelised apple filling in a pan.

The mascarpone frosting is to die for, as mentioned by one of my Readers

Place all the ingredients (mascarpone, heavy cream, powdered sugar) into a mixing bowl. Make sure the mascarpone and heavy cream are both full-fat versions and cold before you begin. Sift the powdered sugar to avoid lumpy frosting.

Whip the mixture with an electric hand mixer for a minute or two until it reaches a creamy, fluffy consistency, and then stop. It won't get any stiffer after this point. In fact, if you overbeat it, it will get only runner, and then it will break. I never use my stand mixer to whip this frosting because it really is so easy to overwhip it.

Assemble & Enjoy

Make a small hole in each of the cupcakes with a spoon and fill them with the apple pie filling (incl. some apple caramel), approximately a tablespoon per cupcake. Leave some of the apple caramel sauce out so you can drizzle the cupcakes before serving.

Use a Wilton 1M piping nozzle tip to pipe the mascarpone frosting onto your cupcakes. If the frosting is on the soft side, put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up before decorating your cupcakes.

Decorate the cupcakes with some further apple pie filling in the middle of the frosting and serve.

I´ve already decorated mine with some pie dough leaves. I was baking some pies and had some dough, which I used to make the leaves. Either cut the leaf pattern by hand using a sharp knife or use Leaf Cookie Cutter.

Best way to store cupcakes

These cupcakes are best served immediately or stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 1-2 days. For more information, read my baking guide on how to store and freeze cupcakes.

You can freeze the cinnamon cupcake base after baking. Place them into a ziplock bag or wrap them in plastic food wrap. Fill the cupcakes with apple pie filling after defrosting and frost them afterward, too. I do not recommend freezing the entire cupcake after frosting, as this mascarpone-based frosting can't be put in the freezer.

Customize the cupcake to your liking

This recipe can be made by adding different spices, such as cardamom or ginger, to the apple filling to give it more of an aromatic kick. You can even replace some of the flour with walnut flour or almond flour to give the cupcakes a slightly different spin. Try topping the cupcakes with some crunchy pecans or walnuts to add texture.

I love this frosting recipe and also use it to frost my tiramisu cupcakes. But if you do not have heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, the frosting recipe also works with full-fat cream cheese, e.g., Philadephia. This way, you can turn this recipe into wonderful apple pie cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!

You can also try some of my other frostings with this recipe. For a super stable frosting that can sit outside of the fridge, I recommend my Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Add some cinnamon to make it a cinnamon buttercream!

You can also change up the cupcake filling; for example, my homemade caramel is delicious in cupcakes, and you can even add a pinch of salt to make it a salted caramel sauce.

Possible ingredient substitutions

In baking, leaving out or changing an ingredient without reformulating the entire recipe is problematic. When one ingredient changes, some other ingredients need to be changed, too, so if you substitute ingredients, you will also need to adjust the quantities and ratios of the other ingredients in the recipe. Sadly, I cannot provide exact substitutes for different types of allergies and diets.

If you want to try a different flour or make gluten-free muffins, check out my flour guide for suggestions. You can also read my guide on using egg substitutions (or try one of my other egg-free desserts).

But first, see my list of baking guides to learn more about the possible substitutions and how they may affect the recipe.

Expert tips to make apple pie cupcakes

Always use room temperature ingredients so that they will properly emulsify. Read my post on how to soften butter.
Do not over-mix the cupcake batter. Once the butter, sugar, and egg are whipped together, the rest of the wet and dry ingredients should be gently mixed in without over-mixing the batter.
Do not overfill your cupcake tin. For this cupcake recipe (that makes 12 cupcakes), I recommend filling each cup of your cupcake tin ¾ full. If you overfill your cupcake tin, it will result in “mushroom-style” cupcakes!
Mascarpone frosting is very easy to overwhip. When whipping the frosting, stop as soon as the mixture has reached a fluffy consistency (this will take 1-2 minutes). If you overbeat it, it will get only runnier and then break.
Never frost-warm cupcakes. Wait until they are fully cooled and come to room temperature, or you will melt the frosting.

What equipment to use

Always weigh ingredients by the gram with a digital scale for precision.

I whisk the ingredients using a hand whisk and fold in the dry ingredients by hand using a rubber spatula.

Bake the apple pie cupcakes in a 12 cup muffin pan and cool them on a Cooling rack.

Use a digital oven thermometer to ensure you are baking at the right temperature.

Try some of my other Apple dessert recipes

Have you tried this recipe?

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Comments

5 from 12 votes (6 ratings without comment)

Apple Pie Cupcakes