Apple Pie Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream
There are few things that feel more like fall than warm apple pie and homemade caramel, so we turned those flavors into a cupcake!
These Apple Pie Cupcakes start with a soft vanilla bean cupcake, filled with homemade cinnamon apple pie filling, topped with caramel buttercream and finished with a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce.
From the outside, they look like a pretty caramel cupcake, but the best part is cutting one open and finding that little pocket of gooey cinnamon apples hiding in the center.
They’re such a fun fall dessert for September and October, but they’d also be perfect for Thanksgiving, a fall birthday, bake sale or any time you want all the flavors of apple pie without actually making a pie.
Why You’ll Love These Apple Pie Cupcakes
These cupcakes have a little bit of everything: soft vanilla cake, tender cinnamon apples, creamy caramel frosting and rich homemade caramel.
They’re also a great recipe to prep in stages. The apple pie filling and homemade caramel can both be made ahead, which makes assembling the cupcakes much easier when you’re ready to serve them.
And unlike a lot of fall desserts, there’s no pumpkin involved. If you’re an apple-dessert person once fall arrives, these are for you!
What Are Apple Pie Cupcakes?
Think of these as a cross between a classic vanilla cupcake and homemade apple pie.
Instead of adding apples directly to the cupcake batter, we’re baking vanilla bean cupcakes first and then removing a small portion from the center of each cupcake. This is the tool I used to do this!
That space gets filled with homemade apple pie filling before the cupcakes are piped with caramel buttercream and drizzled with homemade caramel.
Keeping the components separate gives you a really pretty cupcake while still getting plenty of apple pie flavor in every bite.
Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients
- 3 medium apples peeled, cored and diced into small 1/4-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Peel, core and dice the apples into small pieces, about 1/4 inch each.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and lemon juice. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
- Cook for about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to soften but still hold their shape.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth.
- Pour the cornstarch mixture into the apples and stir well.
- Continue cooking for another 1–2 minutes, until the sauce thickens and coats the apples.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Transfer the filling to a bowl and allow it to cool completely before filling the cupcakes.
What Apples Are Best for Apple Pie Cupcakes?
I like using an apple that holds its shape as it cooks. Granny Smith is a great choice if you like a little tartness to balance the caramel, while Honeycrisp gives the filling a sweeter apple flavor.
You can also use a combination of the two.
The biggest thing is cutting the apples small. Big chunks are delicious in a slice of pie but a little awkward inside a cupcake.
How to Fill Cupcakes with Apple Pie Filling
Bake your favorite vanilla bean cupcakes according to the recipe and allow them to cool completely.
Using a small paring knife or cupcake corer, remove a small circle from the center of each cupcake. Don’t cut all the way through to the wrapper—you want to create a little pocket.
Spoon about 1–1 1/2 tablespoons of cooled apple pie filling into each cupcake.
You can replace a thin piece of the removed cake over the filling if you’d like, but it’s not necessary since the buttercream will cover the opening.
Homemade Caramel Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup homemade caramel sauce completely cooled
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1-3 tablespoons heavy cream as needed
Instructions
- Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes, until very light and fluffy.
- Reduce the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, about one cup at a time.
- Once incorporated, add 1/3 cup cooled homemade caramel, vanilla and salt.
- Beat on medium speed until completely combined.
- Increase to medium-high and whip for another 2–3 minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- If the buttercream is too thick, add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired piping consistency.
- Taste the frosting. If you want a stronger caramel flavor and the buttercream is still firm enough to pipe, you can add another 1–2 tablespoons of caramel sauce.
- Mix on low for about 30 seconds at the end to help remove larger air bubbles before piping.
Notes
How to Make Apple Pie Cupcakes
Once all three components are ready, assembly is easy.
Start with completely cooled vanilla bean cupcakes. Core the center of each cupcake and spoon in the cooled apple pie filling.
Pipe a generous swirl of caramel buttercream over each cupcake, making sure the filling is completely covered.
Finish with a drizzle of homemade caramel.
For an extra-pretty finish, you could also add a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon or a few small pieces of cooked apple on top, but I think the caramel drizzle is plenty on its own.
my favorite baking supplies:
Tips for the Best Apple Pie Cupcakes
Cool everything before assembling. The cupcakes, apple filling and caramel should all be completely cool before you add the buttercream.
Dice the apples small. This is probably the most important tip for the filling. You want a little apple in every bite rather than one giant piece hiding inside the cupcake.
Don’t overfill the centers. Leave enough cupcake around the edges to support the frosting.
Make the filling thick. A thick, jammy apple filling stays inside the cupcake much better than a runny pie filling.
Use cooled caramel in the frosting. If the caramel is even slightly warm, it can make your buttercream too soft.
Wait to drizzle until the cupcakes are frosted. If your caramel is thick from chilling, let it come closer to room temperature so it’s easy to drizzle.
Make Them Ahead
These cupcakes are actually really easy to prep ahead because you can make each component separately.
The apple pie filling can be made a few days ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator.
Your homemade caramel sauce can also be prepared ahead according to your recipe and refrigerated.
You can bake the vanilla bean cupcakes the day before assembling them. Once they’re completely cool, keep them tightly covered at room temperature.
Then all that’s left to do is make the caramel buttercream, fill the cupcakes and decorate!
How to Store Apple Pie Cupcakes
Because these cupcakes contain cooked fruit filling, I recommend storing the finished cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Let them sit at room temperature for about 20–30 minutes before serving so the cupcake and buttercream have a chance to soften.
For the best texture and flavor, I’d serve them within about 2–3 days.
Apple Pie Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 batch vanilla bean cupcakes baked and cooled
- 1 batch homemade apple pie filling
- 11 batch caramel buttercream
- Homemade caramel sauce for drizzling
Instructions
- Bake the vanilla bean cupcakes according to your recipe and cool completely.
- Prepare the apple pie filling and allow it to cool completely.
- Use a cupcake corer or small knife to remove the center of each cupcake.
- Fill each cupcake with about 1–1 1/2 tablespoons apple pie filling.
- Prepare the caramel buttercream using completely cooled homemade caramel sauce.
- Pipe the caramel buttercream onto each filled cupcake.
- Drizzle homemade caramel over the frosting. Top with a pie crust leaf.
- Serve and enjoy!
The Perfect Fall Cupcake
I love a dessert that looks beautiful but has a little surprise hiding inside, and these Apple Pie Cupcakes are exactly that.
You get soft vanilla bean cake first, then cinnamon apples, creamy caramel buttercream and that final drizzle of homemade caramel.
It’s basically apple pie and caramel cake wrapped up into one really good cupcake, and such a fun recipe to make all fall long.
If you make this, let me know! I always love hearing from you.
This post contains affiliate links. I only recommend products I actually use and love!
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