Apple Crisp Cupcakes
Apple crisp cupcakes transform classic apple crisp into cupcake form. The cupcakes are made with moist, fluffy cinnamon cake, cinnamon buttercream frosting, apple cinnamon filling, and a crumble topping. Add these delicious cupcakes to your fall baking list.
Ingredients for Apple Crisp Cupcakes
Cinnamon Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure correctly and level the measuring cups.
- Baking powder – Leavening agent to help the cupcakes rise.
- Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon adds delicious warm flavor.
- Salt – Enhances the flavor of the cupcakes and contrasts the sweetness.
- Granulated sugar – To sweeten the cupcake.
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – Use your preferred neutral baking oil.
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
- Sour cream – Room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract adds amazing vanilla flavor.
- Milk – Room temperature.
Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract adds great underlying vanilla flavor.
- Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon. The fresher the better.
- Salt – A pinch of salt helps to contrast the sweetness of the frosting.
- Heavy cream – Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream makes the buttercream smooth and silky.
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- Apples – Peeled and finely diced. The best apples for this filling are granny smith apples, honeycrisp apples, and pink lady apples.
- Granulated sugar – For a subtle sweetness.
- Water
- Lemon juice – Brightens the flavor of the apples.
- Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon adds warm spice flavor.
- Water + cornstarch – Create a slurry to thicken the apple pie filling.
Crumble Topping
- All-purpose flour
- Light brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature, cubed.
Tools & Supplies for Making Apple Crisp Cupcakes
How to Make Cinnamon Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the granulated sugar, butter and vegetable oil until smooth and creamy. Add in the egg, sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix until mostly combined. Pour in the milk and mix well. Then add the remaining flour mixture and mix until the batter is combined and smooth.
- Portion the cupcake batter into cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop, about 3/4 full.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the cupcakes bounce back when gently touched. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
To make the buttercream, you will need a stand mixer or a hand-held electric mixer.
- Whip the room temperature butter until light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Add the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt.
- Drizzle in the heavy cream and continue to mix on low until combined.
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and whip the buttercream for about 3 minutes to get the desired consistency.
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- Combine the apples, granulated sugar, water, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan.
- Cook the apples over medium-low heat, covered, for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples soften.
- Make a cornstarch slurry from water and cornstarch and add to the apples to thicken the apples. Transfer to a heatproof bowl to cool before using.
How to Make Crumble Topping
- Mix together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add in the unsalted butter. Use a fork to press the butter into the dry ingredients or use a clean hand to make the crumble.
- Spread the streusel onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the crumble topping is golden-brown.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with an Ateco 826 piping tip with the cinnamon buttercream frosting. Pipe a ring of buttercream around the edges of the cupcake, leaving a well in the center.
- Spoon the apple cinnamon filling in the middle of the buttercream ring and sprinkle the top of the apples with the crumble topping.
Apple Crisp Cupcakes Recipe Tips
- Make some of the components ahead of time. You can make the buttercream up to 2 weeks in advance – store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To use, bring to room temperature and rewhip. You can also make the apple cinnamon filling and crumble topping the day before making the cupcakes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Make these cupcakes more decadent by adding a drizzle of salted caramel sauce.
- Check out my baking tips blog post on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes for easy tips and tricks for baking the best cupcakes.
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Serve the cupcakes at room temperature for the best results.
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Apple Crisp Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Apple crisp cupcakes transform classic apple crisp into cupcake form. The cupcakes are made with moist, fluffy cinnamon cake, cinnamon buttercream frosting, apple cinnamon filling, and a crumble topping. Add these delicious cupcakes to your fall baking list.
Equipment
Ingredients
Cinnamon Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp (6 g) baking powder
- 1 tsp (2 g) cinnamon
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup (59 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 (1) egg room temperature
- 2 tbsp (2 tbsp) sour cream room temperature
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (118 ml) milk room temperature
Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsp (1 tsp) cinnamon
- ¼ tsp (0.2 tsp) salt
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) heavy cream
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- 2 ½ cups (313 g) peeled and finely diced apples Granny Smith, honeycrisp, or pink lady
- 2 tbsp (24 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (59 ml) water
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tsp (2 g) cinnamon
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) water
- 1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch
Crumble Topping
- ½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp (0.2 tsp) cinnamon
- 4 tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter room temperature, cubed
Instructions
Cinnamon Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to cream the granulated sugar, unsalted butter and vegetable oil until smooth and creamy. Add in the egg, sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Pour in half of the flour mixture and mix until mostly combined. Pour in the milk and mix well. Add the remaining half of the flour mixture and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop, about ¾ full.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back slightly when touched. Remove the cupcake pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with an electric hand mixer, whip the butter for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides occasionally, until the butter is light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on low until incorporated.
- Add vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and salt and mix on low until combined. Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream while mixing on low speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure the frosting is well mixed.
- Once the heavy cream is added, turn the speed on the mixer to medium and mix for an additional 3 minutes until smooth.
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the peeled and diced apples, granulated sugar, ¼ cup water, lemon juice and cinnamon. Cook for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally until the apples have softened.
- In a separate small bowl, stir together 1 tbsp water and cornstarch to create a slurry. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the cornstarch slurry to the apples and immediately mix well to thicken the filling.
- Transfer to a heatproof container to cool to room temperature before using.
Crumble Topping
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the cubed unsalted butter and use a fork or your hands to mix the butter into the dry ingredients to create the crumble. The mixture should resemble coarse sand.
- Pour the crumble onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the crumble at 350℉ for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes to break up the crumble, until it is golden-brown.
- Remove the crumble from the oven, continuing to stir every few minutes until cooled.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with an Ateco 826 piping tip with the cinnamon buttercream frosting. Pipe a ring of buttercream around the edges of the cupcake to create a well in the center.
- Spoon the apple cinnamon filling in the middle of the buttercream ring and sprinkle the top of the apples with the crumble topping.
Notes
Apple crisp cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Serve at room temperature. For best results, sprinkle the crumble topping on the cupcakes the day you serve the cupcakes.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
Love everything you bake
Hi Sonia! Thank you so much for trying my recipes! Glad you are loving them!
I love this recipe. I did add a few things that really made them off the charts. I diced the apple into small pieces, cooked them on the stove. Let cool and drain the liquid from the apples and save. When mixing the batter instead of 1/2 c of milk I did a 1/4 c of milk and a 1/4 c of the apple juice from the apples I drained. I then stirred in the cooked apples into the batter. They came out amazing
Hi Norma! I love that twist on this recipe! Even more apple flavor! So glad it came out well!
Absolutely delicious!!!
I made these for my young adults group at church and they were a hit! Literally like fall in a cup. Will definitely be making them again.
Hi Isabella! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! It’s definitely one of my fall favorites!
How many apples is 2 1/2 cups?
Hi Carleen! It’s hard to say because apples can vary so much in size. When I tested this recipe, it took me about 2 1/2 apples to yield the 2 1/2 cups. But depending on the size of the apples, it can be very different.
When you update the quantity of cupcakes to make, it doesn’t change the instructions too? Mine didn’t update. Thankfully I caught it. Can’t wait to taste them though!
Hi Susie! The instructions will not change if you update the quantity. It will just reflect the change in the amount of each ingredient.
Have you ever doubled this recipe and made as a cake?
Hi Tami! I haven’t tried that, but I do have a recipe for an apple crisp cake on my blog! https://cakemehometonight.com/apple-crisp-cake/