Apple Cider Cupcakes

Happy Monday friends! Time for another new cupcake recipe for Cupcake Mondays. Today’s apple cider cupcakes are surely going to get you right into that fall mood. 

We all know cupcakes are one of my favorite things to bake. I’ve dedicated a whole day, Cupcake Mondays to celebrating them on Instagram. If you don’t follow me there already, you should 🙂 I love connecting and interacting with like-minded bakers. 

I shared on Instagram that I was baking up a storm for fall and wanted to hear what readers would like to see. A few of you suggested apple cider treats. I already have an apple cider cake with malted vanilla frosting which is still one of my favorite apple cakes on the blog. These apple cider cupcakes are adapted from this cake but perfected to pack in as much of that cider flavor as possible. 

The cupcake batter is lightly spiced with cinnamon, infused with apple cider, and also had finely grated apples. This bakes up into a moist apple cupcake with a nice texture and amazing spiced level.

Once baked, the cupcakes glisten with a sweet apple cider syrup that brings in more flavor and it keeps the cupcakes moist. 

The cupcakes are then topped with a sweet fluffy apple cider frosting. It is the perfect touch to finish off a fall-tastic cupcake. 

So there you have it, friends, these apple cider cupcakes are meant to get you excited about fall. If you bake just one recipe this September, please let it be these cupcakes! Even my toddler couldn’t get enough and she attacked them while I tried to take pictures. They are full of apples, so it’s okay right? 

Get ready for a LOT new fall recipes. I had a week-long vacation just before Labor Day and I was able to test, test, and photograph new exciting recipes for you all. Given my extensive fall recipe archive, it was a feat to keep topping what I already have. But I think you will love them all. 

For now, check out the fall recipe archives for more fall recipes. 

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Yield: 24 cupcakes

Apple Cider Cupcakes

These moist apple cider cupcakes are filled with spices of the fall and topped with a sweet apple cider frosting.

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

For Cupcakes:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup full-fat plain yogurt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, browned, and cooled
• ¼ cup apple cider
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 apples, peeled and coarsely grated

For Cider Syrup:

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup apple cider
• 2 cinnamon sticks OR 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For Apple Cider Frosting

• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• a pinch of salt
• 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons apple cider syrup (above)

Instructions

For Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, cooled browned butter, apple cider, and eggs.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Increase speed to medium and mix for 1 minute. Be careful not to overmix. Gently fold in the grated apples.
4. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tins. Fill each 2/3 of the way.
5. Bake cupcakes until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center come out clean, about 12-15 minutes.

For the Syrup:

1. Make the syrup while the cupcakes are baking. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until the syrup starts to thicken, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Remove cupcakes from oven and let cool slightly in pans, 2-3 minutes. Poke holes in the tops of the cupcakes with a skewer. Brush the tops of the hot cupcakes with the syrup. Let cool completely in pans.

For the Frosting:

1. In a medium bowl, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix on low for a minute. Increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Assembly:

1. Frost cupcakes with your decorating tip as desired. I used Wilton 4B.
2. Drizzle leftover cider syrup over frosting.
3. Cupcakes will store at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Notes

Adapted from Cake Magic with permission from publisher.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Wilton 2105-6789 Perfect Results Premium Non-Stick Bakeware Muffin and Cupcake Pan, 12-Cup, Standard, Silver
• 
  Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3-Piece)
• 
  Regency Parchment Paper Liners for Round Cake Pans 8 inch diameter, 24 pack

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