Apple Pie Cupcakes
Total Time
2 hours
Prep Time
1 hour
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
5 out of 5 stars
(0)
Ingredients
12 cupcakes
- 1 1/3 cup (175g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (205g) light brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (102g) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (123g) unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups finely diced Fuji or Honeycrisp apples (about 2 large apples)
- 1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp cornstarch, mixed with 1 tbsp water
- 1 sheet premade pie dough
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tbsp raw sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups (330g) unsalted butter, room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 4 cups (400g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) milk
- 1/4 cup (60g) heavy cream
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Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350F and line a cupcake tin with 12 paper liners.
Step 2
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Step 3
In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the oil, applesauce, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.
Step 4
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
Step 5
Divide the batter between the 12 liners, filling each about halfway.
Step 6
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Step 7
While the cupcakes bake, make the filling.
Step 8
In a saucepan, melt down the butter over medium heat.
Step 9
Once melted, add in the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice.
Step 10
Stir and cook until the apples start to become tender and release their juices.
Step 11
Mix together the cornstarch and water and pour into the apple mixture.
Step 12
Continue to stir and heat the apples until thickened and syrupy (about 2 minutes).
Step 13
Remove from heat and cool.
Step 14
Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 15
Roll out the dough and use pie crust punches to cut out any shape you like. If you don’t have punches, you can also cut little squares or circles.
Step 16
Transfer the shapes to the baking sheet and lightly brush with heavy cream.
Step 17
Sprinkle each piece with the cinnamon sugar and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 18
Using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and vanilla bean paste until smooth.
Step 19
Sift in all of the powdered sugar and then pour in the milk.
Step 20
Mix on low speed to incorporate the sugar. Once there’s no longer any danger of sugar going all over your kitchen counter, bump up the medium speed and beat until smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes).
Step 21
Then pour in the heavy cream and mix on high speed for about 1 minute, or until light and fluffy.
Step 22
Make sure the cupcakes have completely cooled before assembling.
Step 23
Fit a piping bag with a large round tip and fill with the frosting. (You can also just snip off the end of the piping bag or a large ziplock bag).
Step 24
Holding the tip in the very center of the cupcake, pipe a mound of frosting.
Step 25
Using a spoon or small offset spatula, dip into the center of the frosting to create a well for the apple pie filling to sit.
Step 26
Once all the cupcakes are frosted, fill the center with about 1/2 tbsp of the cooled apple pie filling.
Step 27
Press in a cooled pie crust garnish and enjoy!
Step 28
Save recipe for the next time?
Chef's notes
Can these cupcakes be made gluten free? Substitute the all-purpose flour with a cup for cup all purpose gluten free baking flour. Also omit the pie crust garnish.
Can I substitute the sour cream with Greek yogurt? Yes, make sure it’s full fat. For future use, sour cream and Greek yogurt can almost always be substituted for one another.
How do you store apple pie cupcakes? Keep the cupcakes in an air tight container and store them in the refrigerator. They will keep for about 5 days.
What is the best way to serve apple pie cupcakes? These cupcakes are best the day-of. They can be served right away but they will also be fine if left at room temperature for a couple hours.
Can I make the cupcakes a day ahead? I would suggest baking the cupcakes themselves a day ahead and storing in the refrigerator. You can also make the apple filling and pie crust a day ahead, keeping the filling in the fridge and the pie crust in a container at room temperature. It’s difficult to revive whipped buttercream, so I suggest making this the day of.
