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.
Ingredients needed for apple cider cupcakes with cinnamon sugar buttercream
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.
- 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.
How to make 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.
Tips and tricks for apple cider cupcakes with cinnamon sugar buttercream
- 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.
FAQs
Why did my cupcakes deflate? Cupcakes often deflate when the batter is overmixed. By creating too much air in the batter, when they cool the air will release and they will deflate. It's important to only mix until just combined.
Why did my cupcakes come out dry? Cupcakes usually become dry from too much flour. When measuring your flour, it's important to measure carefully.
Can I substitute apple juice in place of the apple cider? You can, but it will alter the flavor of the cupcakes. I haven't done it myself so I can't guarantee the flavor outcome.
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, it 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's 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
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Apple Cider Cupcakes with Cinnamon Sugar 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
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.
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