Apple Pie Cupcakes

And the pie cupcakes continue! So far, there's three pie cupcakes. And, this one is actually perfect for fall. I've never made an apple pie before. They always seem very hard to make and I don't really like apple pie very much either. These were perfect because I love apples and cupcakes! You can top these cupcakes with either vanilla buttercream or whipped cream. Both are great with the cupcakes. And they're great to make in advance for a get together or family event. I still liked the Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes better, but these come in a close second.

Apple Pie Cupcakes

recipe from Annie's Eats

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

3 cups sifted cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup milk

For the apple filling:

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons sugar

3 large apples, peeled, cored and diced

Directions

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line two cupcake pans like paper liners.

In medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. In separate bowl with electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides of bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix well to combine. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the paper liners, filling them about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 18 to 22 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in pans. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

To make the apple filling, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cinnamon and sugar and cook for a minute, until the mixture begins to bubble. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the apples. Mix well. Cook until the apples are somewhat tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. While the apple mixture is cooling, use the cone method to remove a chunk from the center of each cupcake, making sure to leave a rim around the top of the cupcake. Fill the holes with the apple mixture. To decorate, top each cupcake with a swirl of vanilla buttercream or whipped cream.

Vanilla Buttercream

recipe from Annie's Eats

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoon milk

Directions

In a small bowl with electric mixer, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add the powdered sugar and salt. Beat at medium speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds. Scrape bowl, add vanilla and milk, beat at medium speed until Incorporated, about 1o seconds. Then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping the bowl down once or twice.