Apple Cider Cupcakes with Apple Cider Cream Cheese Frosting are full of sweet, warm spices and fresh apples, making them perfect for celebrating fall!
Better than the mini-donuts you get at the apple orchard each year, Apple Cider Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting have all the fall flavors you love, plus a mouthwatering cider-spiked cream cheese topping! Set out fresh apples, spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, along with a few pantry items and apple cider, to make a perfect fall treat that everyone will love!
Frosted Fall Treat
Fall flavors are warm and comforting, and hit all the sweet spots, which is why Apple Cider Cupcakes with apple cider cream cheese frosting are the ultimate autumn treat! The cupcake is more like a muffin with bits of fresh, shredded apple. If you leave it unfrosted, it’s an excellent breakfast. Or leave the frosting on, I won’t tell a soul. The creamy frosting is infused with apple cider, giving these cupcakes incredible flavor from top to bottom. These apple cider cupcakes are everything we love about fall and the perfect way to celebrate the season!
Two of the season’s must-have treats are, without a doubt, Apple Cider Muffins, topped with cinnamon and sugar, and deliciously baked Apple Cider Donuts!
Other Recipes to Serve with Apple Cider Cupcakes
- Beautiful fall days are even better with a tall glass of Apple Cider Shandy, a delicious mix of apple cider and beer!
- Brew up your own sweet Homemade Apple Cider to enjoy or include in all your favorite baked treats!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients: To make these cupcakes, you will need all-purpose flour, baking powder, and granulated sugar.
Wet Ingredients: Set out buttermilk, eggs, and butter to come to room temperature.
Apples: Pick up a few of your favorite apples from the apple orchard or grocery store to grate.
Spices: For this recipe, you will need ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, salt, and vanilla extract.
To make the frosting: You will need softened cream cheese, softened butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, powdered sugar, and apple cider.
How to Make Apple Cider Cupcakes
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 35 degrees F and fill a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice in a medium bowl and whisk until well incorporated.
STEP TWO: Using a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer), beat the butter until it is fluffy. Then, add the sugar and vanilla extract and continue beating for an additional 2 minutes. Beat in one egg at a time until it is thoroughly mixed in, and then add the buttermilk.
STEP THREE: Turn off the mixer and add the dry ingredients. Slowly beat the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the shredded apple using a rubber spatula.
STEP FOUR: Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full of batter and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
STEP FIVE: Remove the pans from the oven and let the cupcakes cool in the pans for a few minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
STEP SIX: Make the frosting by beating the cream cheese using a stand mixer until fluffy. Add the butter and beat again until it is fully incorporated. Then add the cinnamon, allspice, and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Beat that together, and add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until it’s all mixed in. Lastly, add the apple cider and mix until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
STEP SEVEN: Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Frost the cooled cupcakes and then garnish each one with a small slice of apple, if desired, before serving.
Tips for Success
- Be sure to set the refrigerated items out to come to room temperature. This will make mixing the batter and whipping the frosting much easier, resulting in a lighter cupcake and frosting!
- For a little added texture and delicious flavor, try adding 1/2 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter when you fold in the grated apple!
- Store leftover cupcakes covered in the fridge for up to three days. You can also place unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months.
What’s the difference between apple juice and apple cider?
There are a few key differences between apple juice and apple cider, but the most obvious is the taste. Both apple juice and cider are made with apples, but apple juice then undergoes a filtering and pasteurizing process that removes pulp and produces a clear, golden juice. The addition of sugar and preservatives gives apple juice a light, sweet flavor, unlike the full-bodied flavor of apple cider. Apple cider isn’t pasteurized or filtered, so it has a deeper apple flavor that is often enhanced with spices like cinnamon. Because apple cider doesn’t contain preservatives, it has a shorter shelf life and is really more of a seasonal drink, so be sure to pick as much as you can when you find it to make all of the apple cider goodies you can!
What is the secret to fluffy cupcakes?
Light, fluffy cupcakes are everyone’s goal, especially if you’re planning to wow a crowd! There are a couple of things you can do to ensure your cupcakes turn out fluffy. The first is to check your baking powder. Expired baking powder is a common reason why cupcakes don’t fully rise, so check yours to ensure it hasn’t expired. Secondly, don’t over-mix. Once the dry ingredients have been just incorporated, proceed to fold in the apple. This will prevent the batter from getting overbeaten and dense.
More Delicious Apple Cider Goodies!
- Apple Cider Snickerdoodles
- Spiced Apple Cider Floats
- Apple Cider Cookies with Caramel Filling
- Warm Caramel Apple Cider Cocktail
- Spiced Apple Coffee Cake with Cider Glaze
*This post originally posted on 09/28/2014.
Equipment
Ingredients
Apple Cider Cupcakes
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ¾ cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 3 large Fuji apples peeled and grated (about 3 cups)
Apple Cider Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider
- Apple slices for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two muffin tins with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter with the paddle attachment on medium speed until it becomes light and fluffy. (You can also do this in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer.) Add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Then pour in the buttermilk and mix. (The batter will look lumpy, but don't worry.)
- Turn off the mixer and add the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer back on at low speed, gradually increasing the speed to medium. Allow it to work until ingredients are just combined
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the shredded apple with a rubber spatula. Portion the cupcake batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each cup 3/4 full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for a couple of minutes. Then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
Apple Cider Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a stand mixer (or a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl), beat the cream cheese until it's light and fluffy. Add the butter and beat again for 2 minutes until fluffy.
- Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to the bowl along with 1 cup of powdered sugar. Mix to combine. Add the remaining sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Pour in the apple cider and mix until smooth and combined.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Frost the cooled cupcakes. Garnish with a slice of apple, if desired.
Jan Bryan says
love the recipes on your Facebook page.
Can’t wait to try this apple cider cupcake, especially now as betting closer to cooler weather.
I love apples. Would pecans or walnuts possibly work in the recipe?
Does it taste similar to an apple cake?
Thanks for sharing the recipe, and look forward to being placed on email list to possible receive more scrumptious recipes
Jan Bryan
Aubrey says
Thanks Jan! 🙂
Aubrey Cota (Admin) says
I think you could add walnuts. It does have an apple cake taste.