Apple cupcakes
These apple cupcakes are a delicious lightly spiced cupcake filled with real apple and topped with a caramel frosting. Best of all they’re really easy to make.
These delicious apple cupcakes are beautifully moist and flavoursome. They’re filled with real apple and spices and topped with a scrumptious caramel buttercream. Cinnamon, caramel and apple are a great flavour combination so these are a real winner in my opinion.
Made using our favourite easy cupcake recipe for kids, they’re the perfect autumnal treat (although that shouldn’t stop you from making them at any time of year.) And if you (or your neighbour) has an apple tree and you’ve got a glut of apples, this is a great simple recipe for using some up.
How can kids help to make apple cupcakes?
Cupcakes are great bakes for kids and these apple cupcakes are no exception. Not only are cupcakes nice and easy, kids (and grown ups!) will love eating the end product.
These apple cupcakes, are a bit of a twist on our easy cupcake recipe for kids, so they’re really simple to make and the addition of apple, spices and caramel doesn’t make them too much more complicated.
Our basic cupcake recipe is perfect for kids, as everything just gets mixed together in one bowl. This not only limits the mess, it means there’s less washing up to do!
Your kids will be able to measure out all the ingredients and add them to the mixing bowl. And once they’ve done that you just mix it all together.
If your kids want to help practice their cutting skills they can help you to cut up the apple into small pieces. It’s sometimes easier if you start by coring and quartering the apple and they can cut it into small chunks from there.
Your kids may also be able to help you divide the cupcake batter among the cupcake cases. You might find it easier and less messy if they use a soup spoon or an ice-cream scoop to do it as they for the most part distribute just the right amount.
Finally, your kids might like to help make the caramel frosting and then use that to decorate the cupcakes. They’ll have the chance to practice their piping skills, or if that’s too difficult you can simply spread the icing on top of each cupcake with a spoon.
How long do apple cupcakes keep?
These apple cupcakes have real fruit in them so they won’t keep for quite as long as our other plain cupcakes but having said that they will still keep for a few days in an air tight container.
If you want to freeze them, you can pop each cupcake (before it’s been iced) into a freezer bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. Defrost them full before you decorate and serve them.
Do I have to peel the apples?
It’s entirely up to you whether you peel the apples or not. You can leave the apple peels on for added texture and nutrition, or peel them, like we have, if you prefer a smoother filling.
What apples are best for using in baking?
I like an apple with a slight tartness to it to balance the sweetness of the caramel buttercream topping. Granny Smith apples, Bramley apples or even Braeburn apples all work well in this traybake
What can I use instead of self raising flour?
Self raising flour should be easy to find in your local supermarket here in the UK, but if you don’t have any you can swap it for an equal amount of plain or all-purpose flour and add an extra 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder and a generous pinch of salt.
What is baking margarine/baking?
A baking spread is just a non dairy margarine – something like Stork being a famous example. They’re perfect for baking cakes and cupcakes as they make them lighter and fluffier than butter. They’re also great for people with dairy allergies.
I still use real butter for making icing as I find it has a better texture and flavour.
What else can I make with apples?
If you have more apples to use up, or have some more caramel in your tin, why not try our favourite caramel or apple recipes below:
Caramel recipes
Caramel apple crumble
Caramel apple poke cake
Chocolate caramel cupcakes
Caramel banana bread
Caramel stuffed cookies
Apple recipes
Apple loaf cake
Eve’s pudding
Apple and blackberry cake
Plum and apple crumble
Apple cinnamon muffins
Apple traybake
Caramel apple cinnamon rolls
Apple crumble
Mary Berry’s apple cake
Apple flapjacks
Apple scones
Blueberry and apple muffins
Apple turnovers
Apple pinwheels
Or if you want to make some other easy cupcakes, why not try one of these easy recipes:
Peach cupcakes
Blackberry cupcakes
Lemon cupcakes
Eton mess cupcakes
Victoria sponge cupcakes
Raspberry cupcakes
Orange cupcakes
White chocolate cupcakes
Strawberry cupcakes
Blueberry cupcakes
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these apple cupcakes
Digital scales
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoons
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Apple slicer
Muffin tin
Cupcake cases
Wire rack
Piping bag
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Please refer to my Privacy Policy Page for more details.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
150g (2/3 cup) butter or baking margarine
150g (¾ cup) caster sugar
175g (1 ¾ cups) self raising flour
½ teaspoon of baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
150g apples (about 1- 2 medium apples)
For the caramel frosting
350g (2 cups) icing / confectioners sugar
150g (2/3 cup) butter
100g caramel (we used a tin of Carnation Caramel)
A drizzle of caramel to decorate (optional)
* If you don’t have any self raising flour, swap it for an equal amount of plain or all-purpose flour and add an extra teaspoon of baking powder.
How to make apple cupcakes
Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C Fan / 350F and get your kids to line a muffin tin with cupcake cases.
Measure all the cupcake ingredients out
Get your kids to help measure out all the cupcake ingredients (except the apple) and add them to a large mixing bowl or a free-standing mixer.
You can add the ingredients in any order as it all gets mixed in together, but if you stick to the order they’re listed you’re less likely to miss anything out.
Start by adding the butter or baking spread if you’re using it. If you’re using butter it needs to be soft so that it will mix in. If yours isn’t soft, you can cut it into a few pieces and pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it. Don’t do it for so long that it starts melting.
If, like us, you’re using a baking spread you can add it straight into your mixing bowl.
Measure out the dry ingredients and add them to your bowl. When you add the baking powder and ground cinnamon, make sure your kids use their finger to level the teaspoon before adding it so that they add just the right amount.
Finally, your kids can crack the eggs into a small bowl and then add them to your bowl. We generally never crack our eggs straight into tend to our mixing bowl just in case any shell goes in. If/when it does just fish it out with a larger piece of shell or a teaspoon as it sticks to that much better than it will your finger. (And it’s a bit less messy).
We also find it handy to have a spare small bowl nearby to put the egg shells in.
Mix the cupcake ingredients together
Using the k-paddle of your free-standing mixer, a hand held mixer or wooden spoons, beat everything together until the batter is nice and smooth. Beat it for a minute or so until there are no lumps of flour or butter showing but be sure not to over mix it or they won’t rise as well.
If you need to, get your kids to scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl with a spatula to make sure there’s no lumps of flour or other unmixed ingredients hiding at the bottom of your bowl.
Add the apple pieces
Peel and core the apples, then get your kids to cut them into small pieces. If you have one, use an apple slicer to core and slice the apples, and then get your kids to use regular knives to chop them up into smaller pieces.
Or if you find it easier, you can use a coarse grater to grate the apple.
Dishes like this are a great way to practice cutting skills as you can do it with a relatively blunt knife and it doesn’t really matter too much if the apple pieces are a little uneven. If there are any large pieces left after your kids have cut them up, chop them up a little more as you don’t want any really large bits of apple in the traybake.
Mix the apple pieces into your batter with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Bake the apple cupcakes
Get your kids to divide the cupcake batter among your paper cases. Using an ice cream scoop or dessert spoon often dishes out the perfect amount but if you need to, even them out with any left over cupcake batter from your bowl.
Each case should end up about ¾ full.
Bake the cupcakes for about 20-25 minutes. They’re ready when they’ve risen and turned a golden brown colour. To double check they are ready press down gently on the top of a cupcake. They should spring straight back up if they’re cooked.
Alternatively, we like to insert a cocktail stick (or a sharp knife) into the middle of each cupcake. It should come
out clean if they’re baked. If there’s still some wet batter on it, pop them back in the oven for a few more minutes.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and leave them to cool in the muffin tin for a minutes before taking them out of the tin and popping them on a wire rack to cool completely
Make the caramel buttercream
While the cupcakes are baking, you can prepare the caramel frosting.
Start by adding the butter, icing / confectioners sugar, caramel and a few teaspoons of milk to a mixing bowl or free-standing mixer. The butter needs to be soft, so if yours isn’t cut it into a few pieces and pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it.
Beat the butter and icing sugar using the k-paddle of your mixer or a hand held mixer until it is nice and soft. The longer you beat it for the softer it will become, so leave it mixing if you can for at least five minutes.
Decorate the cupcakes
Put the icing into a piping bag fitted with a large star shaped nozzle and add a bag clip at the end to stop it coming out the top. (The clip isn’t essential but it does make piping a bit easier).
Get your kids to pipe a swirl on each cupcake. If they need a hand you can help them to hold the piping bag down by the nozzle with one hand and squeeze it at the top with their other hand.
Pop a few tablespoons of caramel into a small bowl and heat it for a few seconds in the microwave to make it a bit runnier and easier to drizzle.
Add a drizzle of caramel on the top of each cupcake. Do it with a teaspoon or if you want to be really neat, put it in a small freezer bag and cut a tiny hole in the corner.
Serve and enjoy!
Apple cupcakes
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoons
- Measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- Apple slicer
- Muffin tin
- Cupcake cases
- Wire rack
- Piping bag
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 150 g (⅔ cup) butter or baking margarine
- 150 g (¾ cup) caster sugar
- 175 g (1 ¾ cups) self raising flour
- ½ teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 150 g apples about 1- 2 medium apples
For the caramel frosting
- 350 g (2 cups) icing / confectioners sugar
- 150 g (⅔ cup) butter
- 100 g caramel we used a tin of Carnation Caramel
- A drizzle of caramel to decorate optional
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C Fan / 350F and get your kids to line a muffin tin with cupcake cases.
Measure all the cupcake ingredients out
- Measure out all the cupcake ingredients (except the apple) and add them to a large mixing bowl or a free-standing mixer.You can add the ingredients in any order as it all gets mixed in together, but if you stick to the order they're listed you're less likely to miss anything out.
- Start by adding the butter or baking spread if you're using it. If you're using butter it needs to be soft so that it will mix in.If, like us, you're using a baking spread you can add it straight into your mixing bowl.
- Measure out the dry ingredients and add them to your bowl. When you add the baking powder and ground cinnamon, make sure you use your finger to level the teaspoon before adding it so that they add just the right amount.
- Finally, crack the eggs into a small bowl and then add them to your bowl.
Mix the cupcake ingredients together
- Using the k-paddle of your free-standing mixer, a hand held mixer or wooden spoons, beat everything together until the batter is nice and smooth.
Add the apple pieces
- Peel and core the apples, then cut them into small pieces. Add the apple to your bowl and stiry them through with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Bake the apple cupcakes
- Divide the cupcake batter among your paper cases. Using an ice scream scoop or dessert spoon often dishes out the perfect amount but if you need to, even them out with any left over cupcake batter from your bowl. Each case should end up about ¾ full.
- Bake the cupcakes for about 20-25 minutes. They're ready when they've risen and turned a golden brown colour. To double check they are ready press down gently on the top of a cupcake. They should spring straight back up if they're cooked.Alternatively, we like to insert a cocktail stick (or a sharp knife) into the middle of each cupcake. It should come out clean if they're baked. If there's still some wet batter on it, pop them back in the oven for a few more minutes.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and leave them to cool in the muffin tin for a minutes before taking them out of the tin and popping them on a wire rack to cool completely
Make the caramel buttercream
- Start by adding the butter, icing / confectioners sugar, caramel and a few teaspoons of milk to a mixing bowl or free-standing mixer.Beat the butter and icing sugar using the k-paddle of your mixer or a hand held mixer until it is nice and soft. The longer you beat it for the softer it will become, so leave it mixing if you can for at least five minutes.
Decorate the cupcakes
- Put the icing into a piping bag fitted with a large star shaped nozzle and add a bag clip at the end to stop it coming out the top. (The clip isn't essential but it does make piping a bit easier).Pipe a swirl of icing on to each cupcake.
- Pop a few tablespoons of caramel into a small bowl and heat it for a few seconds in the microwave to make it a bit runnier and easier to drizzle.Add a drizzle of caramel on the top of each cupcake. Do it with a teaspoon or if you want to be really neat, put it in a small freezer bag and cut a tiny hole in the corner.
Pin it for later
Similar recipes
If you liked these apple cupcakes, you’ll love our other easy cupcake recipes for kids as well as our favourite easy bakes for kids.
Wow, this recipe looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try it out this weekend. Thanks for sharing🤗