Description
Perfectly spiced and tender apple cupcakes studded with tart apples chunks and covered in a luscious maple cream cheese frosting. If these don’t scream fall flavor, I don’t know what will!
Ingredients
Scale
Spiced Apple Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp table salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground all spice
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup apple butter (or apple sauce)
- 1 cup Granny Smith apples, peeled and finely diced
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tsp maple extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Spiced Apple Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together oil and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Mix in vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- To the wet mixer add in the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the apple butter (or apple sauce), beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until there are no more dry streaks, careful not to over mix. Stir in the finely diced apple by hand.
- Spoon the batter into the lined cupcake tins, about 2/3 full. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Allow to cool completely.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer, beat together the softened butter and cream cheese for at least 5 minutes until light and fluffy. On a low speed, begin to add in the powdered sugar. Next, add the maple extract and a pinch of salt and beat again on a medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Once cupcakes are cooled pipe or spread frosting onto the cupcakes.