Apple Cider Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

Apple Cider Cupcakes - these delicious cupcakes are full of Fall cider flavor and topped with a cinnamon sugar buttercream. A warm spiced cupcake with an indulgent sweet frosting.

Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream Ingredients

Apple Cider Cupcakes

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt

Cinnamon Sugar Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar

Drizzle

• Caramel Sauce (I use store bought)

How to make apple cider cupcakes

Detailed instructions and measurements are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.
3. Once creamed together, add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and apple cider.
4. Gently add in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt mixing just until combined. Do not over mix. This will cause air pockets and your cupcakes will be dense.
5. Fill each liner ⅔ of the way full.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and muffin tin. Set aside to cool completely.

How to make Brown Sugar Cinnamon Frosting

1. Cream together butter and brown sugar. Add in cinnamon and vanilla.
2. Once the butter mixture is fully whipped, add in the powdered sugar a little at a time to avoid a mess.
3. Pipe on to fully cooled cupcakes. I used a 1M Wilton tip.
4. Drizzle with caramel.

Apple Cider Cupcake Tips and Tricks

• It's very important to let your butter soften when you make your cinnamon sugar buttercream. The key to a great, fluffy buttercream is to have softened butter and cream it together properly with the sugar.
• Don't overfill your cupcake liners. Your cupcakes will be uneven and spill. By filling them ⅔ of the way, they will rise properly and evenly.
• If your frosting is a little too thick, you can add a splash of milk to thin it out. Add very little at a time to avoid adding too much.
• To keep your cupcakes from showing through the liners, I recommend using a grease-proof or foil cupcake liner like these. Please note that this is an affiliate link that if you choose to purchase through, I may earn a very small commission at no additional cost to you.

Apple Cider Cupcake Recipe FAQ

tools you'll need to make cupcakes

muffin pan

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glass mixing bowls

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KitchenAid Stand Mixer

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measuring cups

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measuring spoons

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Piping Bag

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Piping Tip: 1M

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cupcake/muffins liners

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Alterations for picky eaters

Not much would need to be done to these! If they aren't big on cinnamon, you could go with a standard buttercream.

I often find that people who are picky in terms of cupcakes and cake relates to the frosting/cake ratio. You can easily alter them to have more or less frosting to suit tastes.

Alterations to lower the calories or WW points

Keep in mind that these are meant to be an indulgence! With that said, there are still a few ways to lighten them up.

• Use a sugar and brown sugar substitute (monk fruit sweetener, Swerve, etc.)
• Use a butter substitute, but be careful of texture as it's very important in the frosting
• Omit the caramel drizzle

You may also like

• Strawberry Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream
• Butter Beer Cupcakes
• Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

Apple Cider Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

Kara - Sweetly Splendid

Apple Cider Cupcakes - these delicious cupcakes are full of Fall cider flavor and topped with a cinnamon sugar buttercream. A warm spiced cupcake with an indulgent sweet frosting.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 14 cupcakes

Calories 522 kcal

Protein 2.9 g

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x4x

Apple Cider Cupcakes

• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt

Cinnamon Sugar Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar

Drizzle

• Caramel Sauce I use store bought

Instructions

 

Apple Cider Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.
• Once creamed together, add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and apple cider.
• Gently add in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt mixing just until combined. Do not over mix. This will cause air pockets and your cupcakes will be dense.
• Fill each liner ⅔ of the way full.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and muffin tin. Set aside to cool completely.

Cinnamon Sugar Buttercream

• Cream together butter and brown sugar. Add in cinnamon and vanilla.
• Once the butter mixture is fully whipped, add in the powdered sugar a little at a time to avoid a mess.
• Pipe on to fully cooled cupcakes. I used a 1M Wilton tip.
• Drizzle with caramel.

Notes

• It's very important to let your butter soften when you make your buttercream. The key to a great, fluffy buttercream is to have softened butter and cream it together properly with the sugar.
• Don't overfill your cupcake liners. Your cupcakes will be uneven and spill. By filling them ⅔ of the way, they will rise properly and evenly.
• If your frosting is a little too thick, you can add a splash of milk to thin it out. Add very little at a time to avoid adding too much.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Apple Cider Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

Serving Size

 

1 cupcake

Amount per Serving

Calories

522

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

27.1

g

42

%

Saturated Fat

 

16.9

g

106

%

Cholesterol

 

93

mg

31

%

Sodium

 

102

mg

4

%

Carbohydrates

 

69

g

23

%

Fiber

 

0.7

g

3

%

Sugar

 

54

g

60

%

Protein

 

2.9

g

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword apple, cupcakes, desserts

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