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Apple Butter Cupcakes With Cinnamon Apple Cream Cheese Frosting

Apple butter cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are soft, moist spiced cupcakes topped with a whipped cinnamon apple cream cheese frosting. This is surprisingly simple cupcake is perfect for fall and the holiday season.

apple butter cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting on an orange plate

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I love to bake any time of year, but fall and the holiday season just really kicks my love of whipping up a homemade batch of treats into high gear.

And I love nothing more than the scent of the seasonal flavors wafting through the air.

Rich, earthly flavors and spices that speak straight to your soul.

apple butter cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting on an orange plate

Cozy, comforting aromas and flavors that these apple butter cupcakes pack really pack in.

These take seasonal eating to a whole new level and will wow after a day of pumpkin picking, Thanksgiving, or at the end of a holiday dinner.

Ingredients

To make them you’ll need a set of ingredients for the apple butter cupcakes themselves and another for the cream cheese frosting.

an overhead image showing the measured ingredients needed to make a batch of apple butter cupcakes

For the cupcakes you’ll need:

  • Butter– Unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • Sugar– Granulated
  • Sour cream– Use full fat
  • Egg whites
  • Vanilla extract– Use real vanilla for the best flavor.
  • Flour– All purpose
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Apple butter– Either homemade apple butter or store (or orchard!) bought is fine
  • Milk– Again whole is best

For the cream cheese frosting you’ll need:

  • Cream cheese– Full fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • Butter– Unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • Powdered sugar– Sifted
  • Apple Butter- Whatever kind you used in the batter
  • Vanilla– Real vanilla extract
  • Cinnamon
  • Apple chips– For garnish

How to Make

Let’s break this down into a few parts:

  • Making the cupcakes
  • Making the frosting
  • Decorating the cupcakes

To Make the Cupcakes

To make the apple butter cupcakes, cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.

creamed butter and sugar in the silver bowl of a stand mixer

Once the butter and sugar are light and fluffy, mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract until they are well incorporated.

cupcake batter ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer

Beat in half the egg whites until evenly incorporated and then repeat with the second half.

apple butter cupcake batter in the silver bowl of a stand mixer

Turn of the mixer while you get the rest of the batter together.

dry ingredients for cupcake batter in a glass mixing bowl

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

apple butter and milk mixed together in a glass mixing bowl

Then, in a separate small bowl, stir together the apple butter and milk until smooth.

dry ingredients being added to wet for cupcakes in the bowl of a stand mixer

Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and egg white mixture and beat until well combined.

apple butter in cupcake batter in the bowl of a stand mixer

Then beat in the apple butter mixture and mix until well combined.

apple butter cupcake batter in the bowl of a stand mixer

Add in the rest of the dry ingredients and again mix until everything’s incorporated and the batter is smooth.

Line a cupcake pan with liners and scoop the batter into the cavities, filling each about half way full.

apple butter cupcake batter in cupcake liners in a muffin tin

Bake at 350 degrees for 17-19 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.

Remove the cooked cupcakes from the oven to cool.

baked apple butter cupcakes in a metal muffin tin

After the cupcakes cool in the pan for a few minutes, transfer them to wire cooling racks to finish cooling completely.

To Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the room temperature cream cheese and room temperature butter together until the mixture is fluffy and smooth.

whipped cream cheese and butter in a white mixing bowl

Then, beat in half of the powdered sugar mixing until the frosting is smooth and all the sugar incorporated.

apple butter cream cheese frosting ingredients in a white mixing bowl

Stir in the apple butter, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.

apple butter cream cheese frosting ingredients in a white mixing bowl

Finish the frosting by beating in the rest of the sugar, mixing until evenly incorporated.

apple butter cinnamon cream cheese frosting in a white mixing bowl

Decorating the Cupcakes

Once the cupcakes are cooled and you’ve made the frosting, scoop the frosting into a piping bag fitted with your choice of icing tip or a large baggie with the corner snipped off.

apple butter cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting on a wire cooling rack

Pipe a generous dollop of frosting onto each cooled cupcake.

apple butter cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting on a wire cooling rack

Top each frosted cupcake with a dried apple chip.

Serve and enjoy!

a frosted cinnamon apple butter cupcake on a small white plate

Storing

Store cupcakes in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to enjoy!

The cupcakes will keep for about 5 days in the fridge.

a frosted cinnamon apple butter cupcake on a small white plate

Tips and Tricks

  • Make sure to let the butter for the batter and the butter and the cream cheese for the icing come to room temperature first. I like to pull my ingredients out of the fridge a couple hours before baking. Cold ingredients just don’t incorporate well.
  • Be careful not to overmix the cupcake batter. Overmixing will result in dense chewy cupcakes.
  • Make sure to let the cupcakes cool fully before piping on the frosting. If the cupcakes are still warm, the frosting will melt off.
  • The apple chip garnish is optional but gives the cupcakes a pretty, professional look.
  • You could also sprinkle on a dusting of cinnamon to garnish the cupcakes.

a bitten frosted cinnamon apple butter cupcake on a small white plate

Other Apple Cakes and Cupcakes

Apple butter cupcakes are delicious seasonal dessert that make a sweet ending to any fall or holiday occasion.

Make them and enjoy!

Looking for other apple cakes and cupcakes?

Try these:

If you’ve tried these APPLE BUTTER CUPCAKES, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTERESTFACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

apple butter cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting on an orange plate

Apple Butter Cupcakes with Cinnamon Apple Cream Cheese Frosting

Apple butter cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are soft, moist spiced cupcakes topped with a whipped cinnamon apple cream cheese frosting. This is surprisingly simple cupcake is perfect for fall and the holiday season.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Southern
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 459kcal

Ingredients

For the Apple Butter Cupcakes

  • 6 tbsp butter softened
  • 3/4 cups sugar
  • 6 tbsp sour cream
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp apple butter
  • 2 tbsp milk

For the Cinnamon Apple Butter Frosting

  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • 2 tbsp apple butter
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 12-15 dried apple chips

Instructions

To Make The Apple Butter Cupcakes

  • Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, cream them together.
    6 tbsp butter, 3/4 cups sugar
  • Mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract until evenly incorporated.
    6 tbsp sour cream, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • Mix in half the egg whites until evenly incorporated, repeat with the second half.
    3 egg whites
  • In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
    1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
  • In a separate small bowl, stir together the apple butter and milk until smooth.
    6 tbsp apple butter, 2 tbsp milk
  • Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until well combined. Add the apple butter mixture and mix until well combined. Add in the rest of the dry ingredients and again mix until everything's incorporated and the batter is smooth.
  • Line a cupcake pan and scoop the batter into the liners, filling each about half way full. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-19 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
  • Remove the cooked cupcakes from the oven to cool. After resting in the pan for a few minutes, transfer the cupcakes to wire racks to finish cooling completely.

To Make The Cinnamon Apple Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy and smooth.
    8 oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter
  • Whisk in half of the powdered sugar, mixing until the batter is once again smooth and all the sugar incorporated.
    4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • Stir in the apple butter, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Stir in the rest of the sugar, mixing until evenly incorporated and the batter's once again smooth.
    2 tbsp apple butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • Using the tip of your choice, pipe a generous dollop of frosting onto each cooled cupcake. Top each frosted cupcake with a dried apple chip.
    12-15 dried apple chips
  • Serve immediately, or store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready.

Nutrition

Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 251mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 62g | Vitamin A: 591IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg
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recipe adapted from The Cake Blog

This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details. As always, all opinions are my own.

apple-butter-cupcakes-pin

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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8 Comments

  1. Happy Fiesta Friday! These definitely evoke images of autumn! I love how you’ve apple throughout the cupcake and frosting.

    By the way, how does one make apple butter or is this something that you buy?

    Cheers and don’t forget to be eligible for features you need to link to Judi’s blog as well as my own and Fiesta Friday!

    1. Maggie, while I know you CAN make apple butter, I never have. Around here we’re blessed with local orchards and can buy it a plenty. If not, it can usually be found on store shelves near the jellies.

  2. How many cupcakes does this recipe yield? *Sorry if i’ve missed it on your website somewhere