These delicious Apple Pie Cupcakes are stuffed with an apple pie filling, and topped off with salted caramel buttercream frosting and a caramel drizzle.

Apple Pie Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting 4
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Hi everyone! I’m Kelly, and I share family favorite recipes over on my blog, Life Made Sweeter. I am so excited to be guest posting here today as part of Amber’s new contributor team.

I love whipping up sweet treats with fun and creative flavor combinations, so today I am sharing these Apple Pie Cupcakes which are a cross between a cupcake and an apple pie.

Since Amber and I both share a love for this classic dessert, I thought it would be fun to combine all of the comforting flavors of apple pie into a delicious cupcake.

These are as easy as pie to whip up too! Well — they may be even easier since you won’t have to roll out any dough. Plus cupcakes take way less effort to share with a crowd.

Apple Pie Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

 

First we start off with these spiced apple pie cupcakes that are a breeze to make. You’ll love how easy it is to whip up the batter and best of all, you won’t need your mixer!

There’s Greek yogurt and buttermilk in the batter which keeps the cupcakes light and fluffy. Oh and be prepared for the sweet aroma of sugary cinnnamon and apple spices that will fill up your house while they’re baking in the oven — it seriously doesn’t get any better than that!

After they’ve cooled off, we’ll cut out a circle at the top of the cupcakes and stuff them with a homemade apple pie filling.

Apple Pie Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting Collage

And then there’s an oozy layer of salted caramel sauce which we’ll pour over the cupcakes.

A piping of salted caramel buttercream frosting gives these the perfect combination of salty and sweet. It’s like creamy caramel bliss and goes perfectly with all the cinnamon and apple-y flavors.

And finally – we’ll top these off with an additional drizzle of salted caramel sauce, apple filling, and pecans. One bite of these cupcakes will have you ready to welcome all the fall flavors with open arms!  

Apple Pie Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting Collage 3
Apple Pie Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Apple Pie Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Easy apple spiced cupcakes stuffed with an apple pie filling, topped off with salted caramel buttercream frosting and caramel drizzle.

Ingredients

Spiced Apple Cupcakes

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp apple pie spice {or substitute with a pinch of each of these spices: nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves}
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk (or combine 1/3 cup milk + 1 teaspoon white vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes)
  • 1/4 cup Greek yogurt - I used non-fat

Apple Pie Filling

  • 2 medium sized apples, peeled, cored and diced
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • lemon juice from a quarter lemon
  • 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp apple pie spice {or substitute with a pinch of each of these spices: nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves}

Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup salted caramel sauce, at room temperature (I used store-bought)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups of powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp heavy cream

Optional Toppings

  • Chopped pecans or walnuts
  • Salted caramel sauce for garnish
  • Apple pie filling for garnish
  • Apple slices for garnish

Instructions

  1. For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cupcake pan with paper cups.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt.
  3. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave in 20 second increments until melted. Whisk in sugar. Mix in eggs one at a time until well mixed. Pour in vanilla, buttermilk, and yogurt until combined. Slowly stir in dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick.
  4. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling each ⅔ full.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for about 17 to 19 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in muffin tin several minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before filling and frosting.
  6. Make the apple pie filling: In a medium saucepan, place chopped apples, butter, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and apple pie spice together. Cook over medium heat for about 5 to 8 minutes, until apples are tender. Stir occasionally. Allow mixture to cool.
  7. Make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or with your hand mixer, cream butter on medium high speed for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add vanilla extract and salted caramel sauce; mix until combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
  8. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and salt; beat on low until powdered sugar is incorporated. Add heavy cream and then add more powdered sugar until desired consistency is achieved.
  9. Increase speed to medium, and beat until smooth and well combined for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
  10. Prepare a piping bag and fill with frosting.
  11. Assembly: Using a small knife, cut and remove a circle in the center of each cupcake.
  12. Fill with apple filling.
  13. Pour a layer of salted caramel over the apples.
  14. Pipe frosting on top. ( I used a Wilton 1M tip )
  15. Drizzle with more salted caramel sauce and add optional toppings if desired.

Notes

Recipe from Kelly at Life Made Sweeter

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 14
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Recipe altered from Baked by Rachel

You may also want to try these other apple recipes from Life Made Sweeter:

Apple Pie Pecan Cinnamon Rolls with Salted Glaze {GF}}

Apple Pie Pecan Cinnamon Rolls with Salted Caramel Glaze {gf}

Baked Apple Cinnnamon Doughnuts with Maple Glaze

 Baked Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts with Maple Glaze

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