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Home » Recipes » Cupcakes & Mini Cakes

Apple Pie Cupcakes

Published: Nov 16, 2020 · Modified: Oct 7, 2021 by Katalin Nagy · This post may contain affiliate links. This blog generates income via ads. Please read our Disclosures.

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My Apple Pie cupcakes recipe is so easy to make that you might just skip making Apple Pie this Thanksgiving! The Apple Pie cupcake features a brown sugar cupcake base that is enhanced with Fall spices, apple pie filling, and a delicate whipped mascarpone frosting! The ultimate, easy, from-scratch cupcakes with apples to try for Thanksgiving or any time over the Fall!

Apple pie cupcake
Apple Pie cupcakes are the most delicious cupcakes for the Fall
Jump to:
  • 🌟 Why this is the best recipe
  • 📝 Ingredient notes
  • 👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe
  • 🎓 Expert tips
  • ❓Recipe FAQs
  • 🍎 More Apple dessert recipes
  • Apple Pie Cupcakes

🌟 Why this is the best recipe

  1. It is extremely easy – No fancy ingredients are needed, the apple pie filled cupcakes come together really easily, a totally doable from-scratch cupcake recipe. For beginners, making this Apple Pie cupcake is definitely much easier than making traditional Apple Pie
  2. It is super quick – Compared to Apple Pie where you have to chill the dough etc., these Apple Pie cupcakes can be made much quicker, the perfect choice if you want something quick and impressive for Thanksgiving dinner
  3. It is super delicious – Imagine the moistest cupcake you have ever tasted loaded with Fall spices. Flavorful apple pie filling and a super creamy, not too sweet whipped mascarpone on top to balance the spices...Dreamy! You will love it!
  4. No special equipment is needed – All you need is a cupcake tin that you probably already have at home and you are good to go to make this lovely Apple filled cupcake recipe
  5. It is super versatile – This Apple Pie cupcake recipe can be made using different spices eg. cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. You can even replace some of the flour with walnut flour or almond flour to give the cupcakes a slightly different spin. Feel free to experiment
Apple pie cupcake
Moist Apple Pie cupcakes loaded with Apple Pie filling

📝 Ingredient notes

For the cupcakes

Apple pie cupcake
Cupcake ingredients
  1. Butter: Use always unsalted butter as you want to be in control of the quantity of the salt. I am using 82% fat content butter in all my recipes. In this Apple Pie cupcake recipe, the butter needs to be at room temperature which technically means soft enough to be able to cream but not too soft or runny so avoid last-minute microwaving
  2. Sugar: I am using a mix of granulated and brown sugar to make these apple filled cupcakes
  3. Egg: Use room temperature eggs as always
  4. Flour: All-purpose flour or pastry flour makes the best cupcakes when you bake them from scratch. They are so-called “soft flour” which is low on protein resulting in a delicate, tender texture. It is always a good idea to sift your flour as it tends to form lumps. If you want to be a Pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, please read my flour guide
  5. Salt: An essential ingredient in most dessert recipes. Balances flavor and enhances other ingredients
  6. Baking powder: Has two functions: increase the volume and lighten the texture
  7. Milk: Room temperature whole milk is the best
  8. White vinegar+baking soda: The SECRET ingredients to make cupcakes that are super moist and tender

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

For the whipped mascarpone frosting

Tiramisu cake roll ingredients
whipped mascarpone frosting ingredients
  1. Mascarpone: Very rich Italian cream cheese, exceptionally smooth and easy to spread or whip. The flavor is milky and slightly sweet.  Use at room temperature.
  2. Heavy cream / Whipped cream: Also known as whipping cream, has a fat content of between 36% and 40%, the one I am using is 36%. Use it very cold and do not substitute with vegetable-based “whipping cream”
  3. Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar or icing sugar is the first choice when it comes to whipping up the frosting. The question I often get is whether the quantity is a typo. NO, it´s not! You do not actually need a lot of sugar when making cupcake frosting! It stays beautifully fluffy without tons of sugar, the secret is the technique of whipping, not the amount of sugar

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

For the apple pie filling

Apple filling ingredients.
Apple Pie filling ingredients
  1. Apple: Almost any apple can work that is available in your country, peel apples and cut them into small pieces
  2. Lemon juice: Balances flavor, freshly squeeze the juice of half a lemon
  3. Brown sugar: Granulated sugar can work too however brown sugar gives beautiful molasses flavor to the filling
  4. Cinnamon: I am using cinnamon in this apple pie filling, there are a couple of other spices that can work too: cardamon, nutmeg, vanilla bean, tonka bean, gloves, etc.

Check my caramelized apple recipe for more details on how to prepare the filling!

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

1. How to make moist brown sugar cupcakes with apples

This is a super simple cupcake recipe that works as a wonderful base and makes 6 amazing tall bakery-style brown sugar flavored apple pie filled cupcakes.

There are 2 important considerations to bear in mind while making the cupcakes:

  1. Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric hand mixer for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Then, add the egg to the creamed mixture and whip until fully combined.
  2. Sift together the dry ingredients (flour+baking powder++spice+salt).
  3. Add the wet and dry ingredients gently into the whipped mixture (butter+sugar+egg) in 4 steps: first, add half of the wet (room temperature milk), then half the dry, then the remaining wet, and then the remaining dry. Make sure you finish with the dry ingredients.
  4. Mix the vinegar and the baking soda together in a small bowl. It will be super bubbly. Then immediately fold the mixture into the cupcake batter within a few seconds.
  5. Fill each cup of your muffin tin ¾ full of batter. Then bake the cupcakes at 175C / 347F (no fan) for 25 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted comes out clean. When done baking, allow them to cool completely on a Cooling rack before frosting.

💡 Top Tip: Room temperature ingredients encourage proper emulsification in the cupcake batter. So make sure that the butter, egg, and milk are all at room temperature for the best results.

Apple pie cupcake

2. How to make Apple pie filling to fill these cupcakes

Making apple pie filling could not be easier, it literally comes together in less than 10 minutes!

  1. Peel and cut apples into small identical chunks
  2. In a saucepan, mix apple pieces with brown sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and your chosen spice(s), and cook the mixture over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the apple pieces are slightly cooked and some water evaporates from the mixture
  3. The cooking time largely depends on your stove, saucepan, and type of apples you use. Please check the apple consistency and do not stick to the 5 minutes mark, do overcook your apple filling.

💡 Top Tip: Cool the apple filling to room temperature before filling the cupcakes

Apple pie cupcake
The cupcakes are filled with Apple Pie filling

3. How to make whipped mascarpone frosting

This frosting is super simple, it consists of full-fat mascarpone, heavy cream (36% fat), and a small amount of icing sugar / powdered sugar whipped until it is a pipeable fluffy consistency. I love this recipe and use it to frost my tiramisu cupcakes as well.

It is a super stable frosting that is creamy and milky. Much less sweet than buttercream and way more delicious!

Using the right ingredients at the right temperature is extremely important while making cream cheese frosting.

  1. The mascarpone should be cold and the full-fat version (41%+) should be used.
  2. The heavy cream should be very cold and the full-fat version (36%)
  3. Powdered sugar must be sifted to avoid lumps.

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 runnier and then it will break. I never use my stand mixer to whip this frosting because it really is so easy to overwhip it.

Once you are happy with the consistency of your frosting, move frosting into a piping bag fitted with your favorite nozzle tip, the one I am using is Wilton 1M piping nozzle tip to decorate these lovely mini Apple Pie cupcakes.

💡 Top Tip: If you do not have heavy, the recipe also works with full fat cream cheese eg. Philadephia, in that way you can turn this recipe into wonderful Apple pie cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!

Apple pie cupcake
Whipped mascarpone can be beautifully piped onto the Apple Pie cupcakes

4. How to assemble the Apple Cupcakes

The Spiced Apple Cupcakes are in fact very easy to fill and frost! They are almost too pretty to eat, but so delicious you won't be able to resist!

  1. Make a small hole on each of the cupcakes and fill them with the Apple Pie filling. Make sure that neither the cupcake nor the filling is warm at this point, they should be room temp
  2. Prepare the mascarpone frosting as per the instructions and pipe it on top of each cupcake. I am using Wilton 1M piping nozzle tip
  3. Decorate the cupcakes with some further apple pie filling in the middle of the frosting
  4. Store the Apple pie filled cupcakes in the fridge in an airtight container.

Voila, your Apple Pie cupcakes are done, they are best served immediately but stay fresh also in the fridge in an airtight container for 1-2 days. For more information read my how to store and freeze cupcakes baking guide.

💡 Top Tip: Never frost warm cupcakes! It will turn into a runny mess. You also want to test the temperature of your frosting. If it's on the soft side, put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up before decorating your cupcakes.

Apple pie cupcake
Apple Pie Cupcakes are ready to be served

🎓 Expert tips

  1. Always use room temperature ingredients so that they will properly emulsify. If your butter, milk or egg is too cold, the cupcake batter might even break
  2. 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
  3. Do not overfill your cupcake tin. For this cupcake recipe, I recommend filling each cup of your cupcake tin ¾ full. The recipe is designed to make 6 tall cupcakes. Cupcake liners come in different sizes in terms of their height, so try to buy the taller ones. My cupcake case is 35mm / 1.3 inch in height and 65mm / 2.5inch in diameter.  If you overfill your cupcake tin it will result in “mushroom-style” cupcakes!
  4. 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). It won't get any stiffer after this point. In fact, if you overbeat it, it will get only runnier and then break.
  5. Never frost-warm cupcakes. Wait until they are fully cooled and come to room temperature.
Apple pie cupcake
The most delicious upcakes filled with apples

❓Recipe FAQs

Can I use box cake mix?

I highly encourage you to make cupcakes from scratch as the taste is so much better and the recipe is very easy for even the most inexperienced baker. But if you are in a rush, a boxed cake mix will work in place of the homemade vanilla cupcake recipe

Can I double or half the recipe?

The recipe makes 6 tall bakery-style cupcakes. My muffin case is 35mm / 1.3 inch in height and 65mm / 2.5inch in diameter. You can easily double or half it; however, you will need to adjust the ingredient quantities accordingly

Can I make this cupcake recipe eggless, gluten-free, etc.?

Probably yes, you can. However, you can't just leave out or change an ingredient without reformulating the entire recipe. When one ingredient changes, some other ingredients need to be changed too in order to keep the balance in the texture and flavor. Sadly, I am not able to provide substitutes for different types of allergies and diets

Why are my cupcakes raw in the middle?

The cupcakes probably needed more baking time. They were either taken out of the oven too soon or perhaps your oven is under heating. Another issue that can cause a raw texture is measuring the ingredients improperly like not adding enough flour to the recipe. I recommend measuring your ingredients with a digital scale and using a digital oven thermometer to avoid any baking disappointment.

Why is my frosting runny?

You will want to follow my tips above regarding the ingredients and how to properly whip cream cheese frosting. Both the heavy cream and mascarpone must be high-fat versions. Also, you must make sure that you stop whipping the frosting as soon as the mixture is fluffy and pipeable. A minute too long will cause it to break and become runny

How to store these Cupcakes with apples?

These cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. I also suggest that you cover them so they do not absorb any smell from the fridge or kitchen

How to freeze the cupcakes?

You can freeze the cupcakes after baking. However, I do not recommend freezing the entire cupcake after frosting. Please note that this mascarpone-based frosting can't be put in the freezer.

🍎 More Apple dessert recipes

  • Cinnamon roll with apple pie filling.
    Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Pie Filling (VIDEO)
  • Apple Pie with Graham Cracker.
    No bake Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust (VIDEO)
  • 3 apple turnover on a a plate.
    Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers (VIDEO)
  • Cinnamon apple babka.
    Cinnamon Apple Babka
  • slice of a Baileys Apple Pie on a cake spoon.
    Baileys Apple Pie
  • Apple Pie Choux au Craquelin.
    Apple Pie Choux au craquelin
  • Apple hand pie
    Apple Hand Pies
Spatula desserts

Have you tried this recipe?

Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your dessert turned out and your feedback also helps other Readers!

Apple pie cupcake.

Apple Pie Cupcakes

My Apple Pie cupcakes recipe is so easy to make that you might just skip making Apple Pie this Thanksgiving! The Apple Pie cupcake features a brown sugar cupcake base that is enhanced with Fall spices, apple pie filling, and a delicate whipped mascarpone frosting! The ultimate, easy, from-scratch cupcakes with apples to try for Thanksgiving or any time over the Fall!
5 from 12 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour
Servings: 6 Large
Calories: 565kcal
Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

  • Digital scale
  • Electric hand mixer
  • Rubber spatula
  • Cupcake tin
  • Piping bag
  • Wilton 1M piping nozzle tip
  • Cooling rack

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 100 (½ cups) Unsalted butter room temp
  • 50 g (¼ cups) Granulated sugar
  • 50 g (¼ cups) Brown sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 135 g (1 cups) All purpose flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon Baking powder
  • 100 g (⅓ cups) Whole milk at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon White vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon Baking soda

Apple pie filling

  • 400 g (3 cups) Apple measured after peeled, cut into small pieces
  • 100 g (½ cups) Brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon Lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • ½ teaspoon Cinnamon

Frosting

  • 150 g (⅔ cups) Mascarpone min 41% fat
  • 40 g (⅓ cups) Powdered sugar
  • 120 g (½ cups) Heavy cream 36% fat, very cold

US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (gram). Baking is art but also science which requires precision and accuracy.

Instructions

Cupcakes

  • Heat oven to 175 C / 347°F
  • With an electric hand mixer, whip room temperature butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy then beat the egg in. Do not over mix
  • Sift flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder together, this is the “dry ingredients”, while the room temp milk is your wet ingredient
  • Start adding the dry and wet ingredients into the batter in the following 4 steps: wet, dry, wet, dry. With a Rubber spatula fold each time
  • Mix vinegar and baking soda together in a small bowl, it will be super bubbly. Immediately fold the mixture into the cupcake batter. This is the secret ingredient to keep the cupcakes moist without the taste of vinegar of course!
  • Spoon or pipe the mixture into a cupcake pan till approx. ¾. This batch makes 6 large cupcakes
  • Bake for 25 min or until a skewer inserted comes out clean then let them cool on Cooling rack

Apple pie filling

  • Peel and cut apples into small pieces
  • In a saucepan, mix apple pieces with sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon and cook for about 5 minutes. Let it come to room temp before using it

Frosting

  • Whip mascarpone, very cold heavy cream, and icing sugar with an electric hand mixer until smooth and fluffy, about one or two minutes. Once it has reached a fluffy consistency, do not overbeat as it can become runny

Assembling

  • Once cupcakes cooled to room temperature, make a small hole on each of them and fill them with the apple pie filling (approx. one table spoon per cupcake)
  • Pipe mascarpone frosting on each cupcakes, I am using Wilton 1M piping nozzle tip
  • Spoon more apple pie filling in the middle of the frosting
  • Store in the fridge for 1-2 days

Nutrition

Calories: 565kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 173mg | Potassium: 189mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 1164IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @spatuladesserts or tag #spatuladesserts would love to see your creation on Instagram!
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  1. Laurie

    October 12, 2023 at 2:19 am

    I'm not sure why I ended up with 9 cupcakes and not 6. There was so much batter for only 6. Also, I checked for doneness at 20 minutesand they were almost overcooked. My oven cooks as per the temperature it is set to. So just a heads up to check for doneness early. All in all, it is an easy recipe and very tasty. The apple really makes it stand out, and I drizzled with a little sea salt caramel. Yum. Good recipe. Thankyou!

    Reply
    • Katalin Nagy

      October 12, 2023 at 1:12 pm

      The no of cupcakes depends on the size of your cupcake case and the size of your tin. Unfortunately these come in different sizes so it is impossible to know what my Readers have access to.
      Regarding baking time, if you baked smaller cupcakes (given you managed to make 9), the baking time understandably shorter.

      Glad to hear you liked the recipe:)

      Reply
  2. Todd Burnside

    September 18, 2023 at 12:23 pm

    5 stars
    This is my second time baking ANYTHING and I do mean anything. They came out so well people are raving and telling me to open a shop lol. Anyway, my piping is mediocre but that didn't matter. I did add a caramel drizzle over the top for a little extra. The frosting was not as sweet as I had anticipated (not that it needs it. The sweetness of the apple offsets). But for the sweet tooths in my family it was necessary. The directions are simple and easy to follow and I would highly recommend to others! Thank you for lighting a spark in the form of a new hobby of mine!

    Reply
  3. Liri

    September 24, 2022 at 12:36 am

    5 stars
    I made these into standard sized cupcakes and got 9 as I see others have asked this question. I baked for 16 minutes. I used an apple corer to gouge out the center by twisting while pulling it out. There was a ton of filling left over and next time I would cut that in half. I would have liked if my apple mixture would have achieved a thickened syrup but it did not so I reduced the liquid on the stove after separating it from the apples. Maybe a touch of cornstarch would help for next time. I frosted mine with a brown sugar Swiss meringue buttercream which is my favorite frosting. Haven’t eaten them yet but the cake centers were tender and delicious.

    Reply
    • Kata

      September 24, 2022 at 4:20 pm

      Thanks for your feedback! As you say either use corn starch to thicken the filling, or you have to cook the mixture longer. I go into more details in my caramelized apple topping recipe https://www.spatuladesserts.com/caramelized-apple-topping/
      Glad you liked it:)

      Reply
  4. Sarah

    March 02, 2022 at 7:24 pm

    The recipe says 6 large cupcakes, do that mean I should use like a jumbo muffin pan large? Or justb6 normal sized cupcakes but filled more?

    Reply
    • Kata

      March 03, 2022 at 8:37 am

      You can see how big they are in the picture, so the recipe makes 6 of those. Regardless of the size of the tin, you don't want to overfill the tin, so if your muffin tin is smaller, you might make 8 of these:)

      Reply
    • Gloria

      September 28, 2022 at 11:09 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I used the digital scale and the cupcakes came out to perfection. I had made some freezer apple pie filling and used that instead of your. The frosting was to die for and I received many compliments. I doubled the recipe and that made a dozen. Thanks again.

      Reply
      • Kata

        September 29, 2022 at 9:12 am

        so happy to hear, pls try some of my other cupcake recipes:)

        Reply
  5. Jesse

    June 29, 2021 at 2:12 am

    5 stars
    For the filling, half of the squeezed lemon juice? That seems pretty vague when I’ve been measuring everything else to the gram.

    Reply
    • admin

      June 29, 2021 at 8:04 am

      Glad to hear you measure everything! The volume (g) of the lemon juice does not matter too much here since filling will be anyway cooked. You can go with eg. 15g or more or less according to your taste preference. Just make sure you align sugar quantity with lemon juice 🙂

      Reply
  6. Cécile

    January 16, 2021 at 6:28 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious and very easy to make 😁

    Reply
  7. Aswathy

    November 22, 2020 at 8:34 pm

    5 stars
    Really yummy😋

    Reply
    • admin

      November 22, 2020 at 8:56 pm

      Indeed, I love it too:)

      Reply

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