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    Home » Dessert » Cupcakes

    Apple Cupcakes Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

    Published: Nov 27, 2020 · by Elizabeth Waterson · This post may contain affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Baking Queen!

    162 shares
    Jump to Recipe
    Apple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting on a wood board

    Deliciously moist cupcakes filled with apple and topped with a maple cream cheese frosting! These delicious maple apple cupcakes will be your favorite fall treat! Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this cupcake recipe!

    apple cupcakes with maple frosting on a wire rack on a light brown surface with a navy linen and apples and cup of coffee

    As of late, I have been a little obsessed with maple and pumpkin. Just a tad. But sometimes I force myself to branch out. Like today with these Apple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting, if I wasn't going to have the pumpkin I was GOING to have maple. Come on people!

    BTW I totally just downed a LARGE oreo cookie shake from Jack in the Box.. OOPS! Seriously though best oreo cookie shake ever, and I have had oreo cookie shakes from everywhere, nothing beats jack in the box.

    You see I was going to order the regular size but then I thought I haven't had one in a while, I'm not going to eat any whipped cream and I won't finish the large, so naturally, I ordered the large. And sad to say I ate all of it, like slurped every last drop, made myself sick all of it.

    Sorry back to these cupcakes. Moist, chock full of apples, that by the way are perfect, not mushy or too crunchy, just perfect, oh and its topped with maple cream cheese frosting, mmmm. Perfect for fall, perfect for my oreo shake slurping dessert-obsessed belly.

    apple cupcake with maple frosting on a stack of plates with a cup of coffee and apples in the background on a light brown surface

    Let's get to the recipe.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Recipe Card
    • Recipe Ratings & Comments

    Ingredients

    The ingredient list looks long, thanks to all of the spices, but really its quite quick to make this cupcake recipe! You'll need:

    • All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour
    • Chemical leavening agents. This recipe uses a combination of both baking soda and baking powder. Baking powder has already been activated while baking soda needs an acid to activate it. The brown sugar and sour cream act as the acid but it's not enough so that's why we use baking powder too. Using just baking powder would create a metallic taste so that's why we don't use just that!
    • Spices. I like the flavors of ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground cinnamon. Feel free to add some cardamom or ginger, I would do ¼-1/2 teaspoon.
    • Large Eggs. Your eggs must be at room temperature so they can evenly combine with the rest of the ingredients.
    • Pure Vanilla Extract. Please, I beg of you don't use the imitation stuff!
    • Sugars. For this cupcake recipe, I wanted to use a mixture of both granulated sugar and brown sugar. The brown sugar is made with molasses creating a warmer sugary flavor, which goes perfect with apple in my humble opinion!
    • Unsweetened Applesauce. You could use butter in this recipe or oil, but applesauce goes well with apple cupcakes, and it's a bit healthier, win-win!
    • Sour Cream. You could also use Greek yogurt, just make sure its plain and unsweetened.
    • Large Apple. For cooking I tend to use Granny Smith or Honey Crisp. But any "cooking" apple works!

    Instructions

    Preheat oven to 350F/180C and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.  

    In a large bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon.

    dry ingredients whisked together in a glass bowl on a light brown surface with two apples

    In another large bowl combine eggs, vanilla, brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, and sour cream.

    wet ingredients in a glass bowl on a light brown surface with two apples

    Mix until fully combined.

    wet ingredients whisked together in a bowl with a metal and black whisk on a light brown surface
    apple shredded on a cutting board

    Add the wet ingredients and shredded apple into the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently fold the batter until just combined.

    wet ingredients and apple shreds added to dry ingredients in a glass bowl on a light brown surface

    Over mixing the batter may create a tougher cake texture.

    apple cupcake batter in a glass bowl with a metal spatula on a light brown surface

    I like to use a large cookie scoop to portion the cupcake batter into the liners. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until set and no wet batter comes out on a toothpick. Let cool completely before frosting.

    apple cupcakes before and after baking on a light brown surface

    Now you'll want to prepare the maple cream cheese frosting! I have a post dedicated on how to make maple cream cheese frosting.

    maple cream cheese frosting in a metal bowl on a light brown surface with a blue linen

    Frost with your favorite piping tip or use a large plastic bag with the corner cut off to make nice swirls.

    unwrapped apple cupcake on a wire rack with more cupcakes and apples in the background on a light brown surface

    half eaten apple cupcake with maple frosting

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    ★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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    Recipe Card

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    apple cupcakes with maple frosting on a wire rack on a light brown surface with a navy linen and apples and cup of coffee

    Apple Cupcakes with a Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Deliciously moist cupcakes filled with apple and topped with a maple cream cheese frosting! These delicious maple apple cupcakes will be your favorite fall treat! Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this cupcake recipe!

    • Total Time: 40 Minutes
    • Yield: 14 Cupcakes 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 219 grams (1 ¾ Cups) All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour
    • 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
    • ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
    • ¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
    • ¼ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
    • ½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
    • 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
    • 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
    • 150 grams (¾ Cup) Granulated Sugar/ Caster Sugar
    • 66 grams (⅓ Cup) Light Brown Sugar
    • 4oz (½ Cup) Unsweetened Applesauce
    • 2.5oz (⅓ Cup) Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
    • 200 grams (6.5-7oz) 1 Large Apple, shredded
    • 1 Batch of Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.  
    2. In a large bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon.
    3. In another large bowl combine eggs, vanilla, brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, and sour cream. Mix until fully combined.
    4. Add the wet ingredients and shredded apple into the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently fold the batter until just combined. .Over mixing the batter may create a tougher cake texture.
    5. I like to use a large cookie scoop to portion the cupcake batter into the liners. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until set and no wet batter comes out on a toothpick. Let cool completely before frosting. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or 1 day at room temperature.

    Equipment

    cupcake pan

    Cupcake Pan

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    kitchen aid cordless hand mixer

    Cordless Hand Mixer

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    2oz scoop

    Large Cookie Scoop

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    oxo food scale

    OXO Kitchen Scale

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    • Author: Elizabeth Waterson I Confessions of a Baking Queen
    • Prep Time: 20 Minutes
    • Cook Time: 20 Minutes
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: apple cupcake recipe, maple apple cupcakes, fall cupcake recipe

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @confessionsofabakingqueen on Instagram and hashtag it #cbqbakes

    Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes
    AApple Cupcakes Maple Cream Cheese Frosting served in black and white polka dot liners with a cupcake half eaten showing the apples inside sitting on a wood board with a yellow, white, and grey tea towel

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Rebecca @ Exploits of a Dorm Room Baker says

      October 03, 2013 at 10:44 pm

      These look awesome. I'm especially loving the frosting!

      Reply
    2. Tanya Schroeder says

      October 04, 2013 at 3:22 am

      That is the perfect fall cupcakes my dear! That frosting is incredible!

      Reply
    3. Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says

      October 04, 2013 at 10:56 am

      Love all of these apple chunks! That maple frosting sounds amazing!

      Reply
    4. Averie @ Averie Cooks says

      October 05, 2013 at 3:21 am

      that frosting looks like a DREAM! Omg. Wow I would like that on everything. It's so satiny and shiny and just...perfect. Ive made maple extract cookies before and have used it in frosting but it's been awhile. Thanks for the reminder and such pretty cupcakes!

      Reply
    5. [email protected] Plaid and Paisley Kitchen says

      October 05, 2013 at 12:42 pm

      Oh I think that I am a little obsessed with these cupcakes!! Maple Cream Cheese Frosting?!!??!! Fabulous!

      Reply
    6. miss messy says

      October 06, 2013 at 10:39 am

      Oh my! That frosting sounds to die for! Amazing!

      Reply
    7. Jocelyn says

      October 07, 2013 at 10:04 pm

      I need these!!! Maple cream cheese frosting sounds unbelievable!!!

      Reply
    8. Teresa says

      October 08, 2013 at 7:31 pm

      I pinned this divine looking recipe. Looks so scrumptious. Thanks for sharing at the Wake Up Wednesdays link party.

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        October 08, 2013 at 10:18 pm

        Thank you Teresa 🙂

        Reply
    9. Kristin @ Dizzy Busy and Hungry! says

      October 09, 2013 at 4:41 pm

      These look amazing! I totally want to have one right now! What a great flavor combo this is. And your photos are gorgeous!

      I would love for you to come over and link up at Wine'd Down Wednesday if you get a chance. We are partying from now until Friday! Hope to see you there!

      Reply

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    Apple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting on a wood board
    Waterson, Elizabeth Cropped Size Photo CAke copy 2

    Hiya! I am Elizabeth Waterson, welcome to my treat-filled site. After spending 15 years in the restaurant industry and growing up baking, I wanted to share my love of baking with you all. My step-by-step tutorials will help you learn how to bake at home. Confessions of a Baking Queen (CBQ) has been featured in CBS LA, HuffPost Taste, BuzzFeed, Taste of Home, and more! Here you will find loads of sweet recipes with a few savory ones for good measure. Feel free to message me with any questions! Happy Baking! 

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