Why I love this apple cupcakes recipe
Remember last week when I shared those chocolate cupcakes? I told you that I went totally crazy and made, not one, but two different cupcakes for Marc’s birthday.
Something I will probably never do again because I have way to many things on my plate to be turning my kitchen into a bakery for one month a year. Two birthdays a week apart is not an easy thing, but luckily, Marc makes things easy and doesn’t ever expect anything. He’s the best.
Thankfully, these apple cider cupcakes were worth the effort. They turned out amazing, and the spiced apple flavor is perfect for this time of year. These cupcakes would be great for Halloween or Thanksgiving celebration.
And, they’re a great way to use up leftover apple cider from my chicken and dumplings.
If you like this recipe, you have to try these apple pie bars, and this apple cider sangria and these fried cinnamon apples. But you don’t want to miss, one of my favorite apple desserts, this vegan apple crisp.
Searching for more cupcake recipes? birthday cupcakes / oreo cupcakes / s’mores brownie cupcakes / raspberry cupcakes / coconut cupcakes
Ingredients & substitutions
- Vegetable shortening – You can use vegan butter if you prefer, or traditional butter if you do not have any dairy restrictions in your diet.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make apple cider cupcakes
Mise en place. Preheat your oven to 350˚F, line your muffin pan with cupcake liners and measure out all your ingredients before getting started.
Make the batter. Whisk the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices together in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until everything is evenly combined.
Bake the cupcakes. Divide the batter between 12 cupcake liners and bake the cupcakes for 15 – 17 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove them from the oven and let them cool until you can safely transfer them to a cooling rack.
Whip up the frosting. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the vegan butter or vegetable shortening with brown sugar, apple cider, vanilla and spices until they’re light and fluffy.
Then add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, slowly mixing until combined. Keep adding powdered sugar until your frosting reaches the consistency you want.
Top with frosting. When the apple cider cupcakes have completely cooled, pipe or spread the frosting on top of the cupcakes. If you want, sprinkle with extra cinnamon for garnish.
Apple Cider Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 3/4 cup apple cider
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
For the frosting:
- 1 cup vegetable shortening, or vegan butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons apple cider
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- Pinch coarse salt
- 3 – 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350˚F and line a muffin pan with paper cups.
- In a small bowl, combine wet ingredients (no need to stir).
- In a separate larger bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and beat with an electric mixer until completely smooth.
- Fill cupcake liners halfway with batter and bake for 15 – 17 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let rest for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
For the frosting:
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the frosting ingredients, adding 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Hello!
This recipe was delicious but the brown sugar never “dissolved” in the frosting. Even after 10 minutes of whipping, I could still taste the grains of the brown sugar.
I omitted the brown sugar and it was still delicious though! But is there something else I can do to smoothly incorporate it? Thank you!