Apple Crumble Cupcakes are apple cider cupcakes with cinnamon frosting, apple pie topping, and crumble pieces. They are fun to make, a unique twist on a classic dessert, and perfect for any fall or winter gathering!
These fit right in with my many fall bakes because that apple flavor is just so cozy and perfect for the season! Apple Pie Thumbprint Cookies are also a MUST-try and are always a hit, or you could whip up these super unique Apple Pie Whoopie Pies.
Interested in other fun cupcake recipes? Take a look at my entire cupcake section for inspiration, or take a look at these Peach Cobbler Cupcakes for a summery version of this recipe or Pumpkin Cupcakes for another fall favorite.
Why You'll Love These
- moist, fluffy, and flavorful apple cider cupcakes made in one bowl with a whisk
- easy, 4-ingredient cinnamon frosting
- soft and flavorful apple pie filling as a topping
- unique, fun, and delicious for any fall or winter gathering
Ingredients
- Vegetable Oil: Vegetable oil is perfect for fluffy and moist cupcakes. If necessary, you can substitute vegetable oil with another unflavored oil like canola.
- Granulated Sugar & Light Brown Sugar: Both granulated sugar and light brown sugar are used for sweetness, moisture, and structure.
- Egg: You will need one egg at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract helps with the flavor, so do not skip it!
- Apple Cider: The apple cider in this recipe provides extra moisture and TONS of flavor. Use room temperature apple cider for best results.
- All Purpose Flour: Plain, simple all purpose flour is the only flour you’ll need for these soft and fluffy cupcakes! However, make sure to measure properly by using a kitchen scale or by using a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cups and leveling off the tops with a knife.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Both baking soda and baking powder are used to help these cupcakes get a beautiful rise and dome in the oven. Importantly, the two are not interchangeable, so make sure to follow the proper measurements of both!
- Salt: In these cupcakes, salt brings out sweetness and truly completes the flavor.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: The combination of cinnamon and nutmeg aids these apple cider cupcakes in being the most flavorful around! The cupcakes literally scream fall because of these two special spices.
Step by Step Cupcake Process
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-count muffin tin with liners.
STEP 2: In a large bowl, whisk vegetable oil, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, a room temperature egg, vanilla extract, and room temperature apple cider together until smooth.
STEP 3: Pour all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the bowl. Mix only until you see the dry ingredients disappear into the batter, as overmixing could lead to dense cupcakes.
STEP 4: Evenly divide batter between the liners, between ¼ and ⅓ cup of batter in each liner. The liners should be about ⅔ full. Bake cupcakes for 16-20 minutes or until the tops spring back when poked quickly in the center, are slightly crusted, and golden brown in color. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with moist crumbs.
Apple Pie Topping
STEP 1: Chop Granny Smith (or other tart) apples into small chunks, none larger than about ½ inch in size.
STEP 2: Combine butter and chopped apple pieces in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and stir until soft, about 5 minutes total.
STEP 3: Add light brown sugar and cinnamon to the apples, and lower heat. Continue cooking on medium-low heat for an additional 3-5 minutes until the apples are soft enough to squish with a spoon or spatula. Allow the filling to cool before using.
Crumble Topping
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a metal sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
STEP 2: Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together.
STEP 3: Pour melted butter into the flour mixture. Use a fork to combine the mixture.
STEP 4: Use your fingers to create clumps of the mixture and spread them on your prepared pan. Bake the crumble pieces for 7-10 minutes or until they are golden brown. Let them fully cool before using.
Cinnamon Buttercream
STEP 1: In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth.
STEP 2: Beat cinnamon into the frosting on medium speed before pouring milk into the bowl. Beat on high speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag or zippable plastic bag with the corner snipped off if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Even though the recipe recommends baking for 16-20 minutes, all ovens bake differently, so make sure to keep an eye on your cupcakes. The cupcakes are done when the tops are golden brown in color, domed and shiny, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Luckily, you can use any apple to make the apple pie topping because you will still achieve a nice flavor, but I find Granny Smith apples to provide the best taste and balance between sweet and tart!
Apple crumble is a dessert made with apple pie filling baked in a sheet or deep-dish pan and topped with a cinnamon-flavored streusel topping. The crumble topping is made with flour, melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon and has a crunchy texture and nutty flavor.
Expert Tips
Mixing: Do not overmix when adding the dry ingredients to the wet cupcake batter. Doing so could lead to drier or denser cupcakes rather than a light and fluffy cupcake.
Cooling: Make sure to let the cupcakes cool before frosting, apple pie topping to cool before using, and crumble topping cool before decorating to ensure that the icing does not melt off of the cupcake.
Storage: Store these cupcakes tightly covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the fridge for up to 4 days, and in the freezer for up to 4 months. If freezing, place the decorated cupcakes in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered, before wrapping in plastic wrap or placing upright in an airtight container.
Related Recipes
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Apple Crumble Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Cupcakes, Apple, Fall, Winter
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Apple Crumble Cupcakes are apple cider cupcakes with cinnamon frosting, apple pie topping, and crumble pieces. They are fun to make, a unique twist on a classic dessert, and perfect for any fall or winter gathering!
Ingredients
For the Apple Cider Cupcakes
- 1 ½ (210g) cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (6g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (2g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (5g) salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons (5g) cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅓ cup (70g) vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup (70g) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (160g) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg (50g), room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (190g) apple cider, room temperature
For the Apple Crumble Topping
- ⅓ cup (70g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (70g) all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (55g) unsalted butter, melted
For the Apple Pie Topping
- 2 medium Granny Smith Apples, peeled and chopped (about 325g of chopped apples)
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (60g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon (4g) cinnamon
For the Cinnamon Frosting
- 1 cup (220g) unsalted butter
- 2 ½ cups (300g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons (30g) milk
Instructions
For the Apple Cider Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-count muffin tin with liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk vegetable oil, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, a room temperature egg, vanilla extract, and room temperature apple cider together until the ingredients are smooth and fully incorporated with one another.
- Pour all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the bowl. Only mix until just after you see all of the flour mixture disappear into the batter. Stir just a few more times to ensure the batter is smooth and there are no clumps of dry ingredients. Overmixing will lead to dry cupcakes.
- Evenly divide batter between the liners, between ¼ and ⅓ cup of batter in each liner. The liners should be about ⅔ full.
- Bake cupcakes for 16-20 minutes or until the tops spring back when poked quickly in the center, are slightly crusted, and golden brown in color. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with moist crumbs.
- Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before frosting.
For the Apple Crumble Topping
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a metal sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix granulated sugar, all purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt together with a fork.
- Pour the melted butter into the flour mixture. Use a fork to combine the ingredients together.
- Use your fingers to spread the mixture into clumps on your prepared sheet pan.
- Bake the crumble for 7-10 minutes or until the crumbs turn golden brown in color and are crunchy in texture. Allow the crumble topping to cool before using.
For the Apple Pie Topping
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat chopped apples and butter together for about 5 minutes until the apples are soft and begin to turn slightly more brown in color. Mix consistently to ensure that the apples heat evenly.
- Add light brown sugar and cinnamon to the apple mixture, and lower heat to medium-low. Heat for an additional 3-5 minutes until the apples are soft enough to break apart when you push down on them with a spoon. Stir as the mixture combines.
- Remove the apple pie filling from the heat and let the mixture cool as you prepare the cookies. If baking or assembling later, allow the apple pie filling to cool before storing in an airtight container or covering with cling wrap, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil. Place the filling in the fridge for up to 6 days and heat for about 1 minute in the microwave before adding to the cookies.
For the Cinnamon Frosting and Decoration
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth.
- Add vanilla extract and cinnamon to the frosting and beat until combined.
- Add heavy whipping cream to the frosting and beat on high speed for 3 minutes. This will create air in the frosting, resulting in a smooth, bright, and fluffy frosting. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag or zippable plastic bag with the corner snipped off for greater control if desired.
- Frost each cupcake as desired before placing about ½ tablespoon of apple pie topping on top and sprinkling apple crumble pieces over it.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container or tightly covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Notes
Cooling: Make sure to allow your cupcakes, crumble, and apple pie topping to cool before assembling and decorating the cupcakes. You will risk the icing melting off and creating a big mess if you do not let everything cool.
Frosting: For best results, do not frost the cupcakes with a high peak, as it will make it more difficult to add the apple pie topping and crumble topping and likely hold much less.
Make-Ahead: You can make these cupcakes ahead of time and freeze them for best freshness when serving. After assembling the cupcakes, place them, uncovered, in the freezer for 3o minutes. Wrap each cupcake in a layer of cling wrap and place upright in an airtight container for up to 4 months. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Keywords: Apple Pie Cupcakes, Apple Crumble Cupcakes, Apple Crisp Cupcakes, Apple Cupcakes
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