This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy
Apple Spice Cupcakes – Classic spice cake with apples and topped with a cinnamon brown sugar frosting. The perfect apple cupcakes for fall!
These Apple Spice Cupcakes are the perfect cozy treat for fall baking or anytime you’re craving something warm and comforting. They’re filled with real shredded apple and fragrant spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and topped with a cinnamon brown sugar frosting that takes them right over the top. Each bite is soft, moist, and full of that classic fall flavor.
Apple Cider Donuts are a must every year! There is just something about going apple picking, getting fresh cider and turning it into countless treats.
When I was growing up these Apple Bars were a must every year. My grandma used to make multiple sheet pans of them when the whole family would get together. They were always such a hit, everyone devoured them so fast!
Now I like to mix it up with all sorts of different apple desserts. The Apple Blondies are one of my favorite. There is just something about brown sugar and apples together. Which is why I love this brown sugar frosting so much on these apple cupcakes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Cinnamon
- Ground Cloves
- Ground Nutmeg
- Salt
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter in baking
- Brown Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Apple Cider – you could use apple juice as well it just won’t have quite as strong of a flavor
- Apples – shredded (see Best Apples section below for which varieties I recommend)
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
Best Apples To Use
A lot of readers ask which apples work best here, so I wanted to break it down. I usually reach for a mix of Braeburn and Granny Smith. The tartness of the Granny Smith balances out the sweetness of the brown sugar frosting really nicely. If you can’t find Braeburn, Fuji or Gala are great substitutes. Since the apple is shredded rather than left in big chunks, you have a little more flexibility with variety than you would in a pie. I just avoid really soft, mealy apples like Red Delicious, since they break down too much and won’t hold their texture.
Apple Spice Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Apple Spice Cupcakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 whole large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup apple cider or juice
- 1 cup apples, shredded
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin or 24 cup mini muffin tin with liners.
- In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.1/2 cup butter, 1 cup light brown sugar
- Add in the eggs and vanilla until well combined and the eggs are fully incorporated.2 whole large eggs, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the apple cider until well combined.3/4 cup apple cider or juice
- Fold in the shredded apple until evenly distributed1 cup apples
- Fill muffin cups and bake. For mini cupcakes bake for about 12 minutes. For full size cupcakes bake for 18-20 minutes. A tester should come out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting.
- Meanwhile prepare the frosting. Mix together all of the ingredients until flight and fluffy. Adjust the milk and powdered sugar if necessary to get to the desired texture.1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons milk
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How To Make Apple Cupcakes
- Mix Dry – whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.
- Mix Wet – In an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Then add in the eggs and vanilla and beat until the eggs are fully incorporated.
- Combine. With your mixer on low alternate adding in the flour mixture with the apple cider until it is just combined. You want the flour streaks to just disappear, and not overmix.
- Add Apples. Next you fold in the shredded apples with a spatula.
- Bake. Fill your muffin cups and bake.
- Make Frosting. In a bowl cream together all of the ingredients for the frosting until you get a spreadable consistency. You may need to adjust the milk or sugar if your mixture is too thin or thick.
- Frost. Once the cupcakes have cooled completely top with the frosting.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Measure your flour correctly. Fluff it with a fork, spoon it into the measuring cup, then level it off with the back of a knife. Scooping straight from the bag packs in too much flour and can leave your cupcakes dense — this is the #1 cause of dry or heavy cupcakes.
- Don’t overmix once the flour goes in. Mix just until the streaks of flour disappear. Overmixing develops the gluten and makes the cupcakes tougher instead of light and fluffy.
- Shred the apple, don’t dice it. Shredded apple distributes more evenly through the batter and keeps every bite moist without leaving large wet pockets.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. Frosting warm cupcakes will melt the frosting right off.
- Give yourself a little extra prep time. Peeling and shredding the apple and getting everything measured out takes closer to 20–30 minutes, especially if it’s your first time making these.
Recipe Variations
- Add-ins: fold in 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts along with the shredded apple for extra crunch.
- Different frosting: a cream cheese frosting or a simple vanilla buttercream would both work well in place of the cinnamon brown sugar frosting.
- Spice swap: if you have apple pie spice on hand, you could try it in place of the individual cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
If you try any of these, I’d love to hear how it goes in the comments!
Storage
You will want to store cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them. Personally, if I am going to freeze them, I like to freeze them unfrosted. They work with freezing the frosting, I just think it loses a little moisture and makes the cupcakes a little different. But do whatever works for you!
If you have extra apple cider, you can even turn it into a fun cocktail! This Apple Cider Moscow Mule is a fun drink you can enjoy while snacking on these apple cider cupcakes. Or try this Apple Cider Cocktail as well.
More Fun Fall Desserts
These are so cute! Love the piped frosting!
I am ALL about the apple things right now (and always about the mini dessert things ;)). Love these bite-size treats!
What a cute idea for Lauren! Love that you all threw her a virtual shower. And I definitely do not make enough mini cupcakes. Heck it’s been MONTHS since I’ve even made a regular sized cupcake. I think I need medical attention, something is wrong. Maybe these would fix it 😉
Gosh I don’t see how your family could resist these little nuggets. They are wonderful. I had two boys and I agree they were/are soooooo fun. I thought I wanted girls, but when I was pregnant with my second child I actually was quite pleased he was a boy.
Hey these cupcakes are super cute! Love your gorgeous piping!
Oh, the flavours in these sound amazing!
When do the eggs and vanilla go in? Thanks!
I have updated the recipe. Sorry about that! Thanks for pointing it out.
We just bought some apple donuts at a local farm, I like your recipe much better.
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting sounds AMAZING!! I’m not a big frosting fan, but I’m obsessed with anything cinnamon. I’ll be keeping this recipe handy next time I’m in need of frosting!
Gimme allllll of the cupcakes! So cute, poppable and they look delish!