I went apple picking a few weeks ago, a family friend brought us apples after they went apple picking, and then my mom bought another bag of apples that were on sale at the grocery store. So let’s just say we have a lot of apples in the house…
This is the cue for most people to start rolling out pie crusts for some good ol’ American apple pie (actually apple pie isn’t even technically American), but pie is really not my thing – probably because most pies are fruit-filled, and fruit filling is almost always too sweet, too messy, and too much. There is never enough crust in the crust-to-filling ratio. Even with crust, I’m definitely Team Shortbread Crust (as opposed to Team Flaky Pie Crust…it’s a thing, okay?)
When there’s apple pie in the form of a cupcake, though? Sign me up! The cupcake is a perfect base for the cinnamon-apple topping. It’s light and tender, just barely sweet, and still dense enough to hold up the apple pie mixture perfectly, without getting soggy. The tops of these cupcakes remind me of muffin tops because they crust – if it wasn’t entirely abominable to do so, I would totally just eat all the tops of the cupcakes. Basically it’s the best texture ever. It must have to do with the use of cake flour – so don’t substitute for this recipe!
The apple pie mixture is also hard to resist eating straight from the pan, because it completely embodies fall. If you don’t make these before winter sets in, you are seriously missing out on the perfect fall dessert.
Recipe: Apple Pie Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3 cups sifted cake flour
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 2-3 tbsp. sugar
- 4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
- whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix well to combine. Add in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
- Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake 18-22 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
- To make the apple pie filling, heat the butter a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cinnamon and sugar and cook for a minute, until the mixture begins to bubble. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the apples, coating them with the cinnamon mixture. Cover the pan and cook until the apples are somewhat tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- While the apple mixture is cooling, remove a cone-shaped chunk from the center of each cupcake with a paring knife, making sure to leave a rim around the top of the cupcake. Fill the holes with the cooled apple mixture. Right before serving, top each cupcake with a dollop of whipped cream.
Number of servings (yield): 24 cupcakes
Recipe from Annie’s Eats