These Apple Pie Cupcakes are filled with delicious pie filling and decorated with buttercream frosting. The addition of caramel drizzle adds a bakery-style touch and the taste is absolutely incredible.
This amazing cupcake recipe for Apple Cupcakes starts with a cake mix! No one will ever guess because the results are fabulous. A basic cake mix gets a makeover with a few jazzed up ingredients.
Then a simple but delicious homemade frosting brings it all together. The drizzle of caramel on top with a sprinkling of cinnamon make this your new favorite Fall treat.
You get to enjoy everything you love about apple pie and cupcakes in one fabulous recipe. It does not disappoint any time of year! For more apple recipes, you might also love Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups, Apple Cider Cupcakes and Easy Apple Pie Spice Recipe. If you love the slow cooker, make Crock Pot Apple Crisp. The options are endless for Thanksgiving Apple Desserts.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe
- It starts with a cake mix. We love homemade cake but sometimes there isn’t time. This recipe starts with a cake mix and takes hardly any effort to prepare.
- Store bought apple pie filling. The canned stuff is pretty tasty and makes this recipe even easier.
- The flavor is amazing. This cupcake recipe is sweet and delicous with the perfect amount of Fall flavors.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- Yellow Cake Mix. Plus, ingredients to prepare the cake mix based on package instructions.
- Ground Cinnamon. You can adjust this to taste.
- Apple Pie Filling. I used store bought.
Frosting
- Unsalted Butter. Softened at room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar. Sift to remove any lumps.
- Vanilla extract. Pure vanilla extract is best.
- Brown Sugar. Homemade Brown Sugar Recipe is so easy.
- Heavy Cream. Make sure it is cold.
For Serving
- Caramel Topping. I love Homemade Caramel Sauce Recipe.
- Ground Cinnamon. This is optional but really delicious on top.
Get the complete ingredient list at the bottom of the page.
Variations
- Cream Cheese Frosting. Substitute your favorite cream cheese frosting in this recipe. It is so delicious and a great flavor change from regular buttercream.
- Cool Whip Cream Cheese Frosting. This is another delicious topping idea for this cupcake recipe. We love Cool Whip Cream Cheese frosting for a lighter option.
- Fresh Apple Pieces. You can opt to use fresh apples in this recipe instead of easy apple pie filling. We suggest using lemon juice to coat the apples so they don’t turn brown. Granny smith apples taste great cooked until tender over medium heat in a skillet or saucepan.
- Whipped Cream. Skip the frosting all together and dollop the cupcakes with whipped cream. Then sprinkle cinnamon on top if desired.
- Pie filling. You can actually make this recipe using other types of cake filling. It is a fun and tasty way to make an entirely new creation.
- Canned icing. If you need to save more time, skip the homemade icing and use a store bought icing instead.
How to Make Apple Pie Cupcakes
- Step 1. Preheat the oven and line the muffin pan. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 12 cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.
Step 2. Prepare the cupcake batter based on the yellow cake mix instructions in a large bowl. Then whisk in the ground cinnamon. Mix until the wet ingredients and dry ingredients are smooth.
Step 3. Fill the cupcake liners. Pour the batter into the cupcake liners filling them approximately 2/3 of the way full. Place a spoonful of the apple pie filling into each muffin cup into the center of the batter.
Step 4. Bake the cupcakes for 17-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let the cupcake pan cool at room temperature on wire racks completely before topping with the frosting.
Step 5. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until it’s creamy, light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar into the butter mixture. Make sure that the powdered sugar is completely mixed in before adding more.
Step 6. Mix in the brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Mix on a medium-high speed for 3 minutes using an electric mixer so that the frosting is well combined. You can also use the bowl of a stand mixer. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat until the frosting is a good consistency.
Step 7. Use a piping bag to pipe the frosting onto each of the cupcakes. Top with cinnamon and caramel. Nutmeg is another good option.
Storage
Refrigerate the leftover cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
They can be frozen up to 3 months. We suggest freezing them without frosting.
Then allow to thaw at room temperature. Frost as normal and enjoy the cupcakes.
Expert Tips
- Yellow Cake mix is best. The flavor of yellow cake mix pairs perfectly with the flavors of cinnamon and apples. You can substitute white cake mix but yellow really is the best with this recipe. Spice cake mix is another good option.
- Adjust the amount of cinnamon. If you prefer more or less cinnamon taste, adjust the amount accordingly.
- Don’t overmix the cupcake batter. Just stir the ingredients until just combined. Overmixing will result in cupcakes that are too dense and not very fluffy.
- Store bought Apple Pie Filling. We suggest canned apple pie filling for this recipe as opposed to homemade. The texture is different and we can’t guarantee the final product will turn out the same.
More Easy Cupcake Recipes
- Butterscotch Cupcakes
- Oreo Cupcakes Recipe
- Caramel Apple Cupcakes
- Confetti Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
It’s your turn to try this apple pie cupcakes recipe. Please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating.
Apple Pie Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 box Yellow Cake Mix 15.25 ounces
- Ingredients to prepare the cake mix based on package instructions
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 can Apple Pie Filling 21 ounces
For the Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
For Serving:
- 1/2 cup Caramel Topping
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 12 cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- Prepare the cupcake batter based on the yellow cake mix instructions and then stir in the ground cinnamon. Mix until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the cupcake liners filling them approximately 2/3 of the way full.
- Chop up the apple pie filling. Place a spoonful of the apple pie filling into each muffin cup into the center of the batter.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool at room temperature on wire racks completely before topping with the frosting.
For the Frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until it’s creamy, light and fluffy.
- Gradually mix the powdered sugar into the butter mixture ½ cup at a time. Make sure that the powdered sugar is completely mixed in before adding more.
- Mix in the brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Mix on a high speed for 3 minutes so that the frosting is well combined.
- Turn the mixer speed to low and add in the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat for approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute until the frosting is a good consistency.
- Pour the frosting in a decorator’s bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe the frosting onto each of the cupcakes.
- When serving, top the cupcakes with the ground cinnamon and caramel topping. Enjoy!
