Apple Crisp Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

By Rachel // October 13, 2020 // 2 comments // Share

Moist and fluffy homemade spiced apple crisp cupcakes with fresh apple pie filling, caramel cream cheese frosting and crunchy cinnamon oatmeal crisp topping. Apple crisp cupcakes are a perfect treat for any Fall occasion!

In the Spring, when all of this craziness started, we decided to make a list of all of the movie series we could watch. It ranged from all of the Marvel movies, to Hunger Games and Back to the Future… and so much more. But, eventually we ran out of fun series to watch. Fast forward to now…October! We have all of the fun Halloween themed movies to go through! I, of course, kicked off the month with Hocus Pocus. It’s quite possibly my favorite Halloween movie. I’m not big on scary movies and never have been, so that’s not on my list. But, tons of fun family-friendly spooky movies to indulge in and since monsters are clearly an acceptable addition to any freight night, we decided that Godzilla and other similar movies are totally acceptable too! It definitely opens up the collection of options to many more movies that way.

In other holiday news… we now have bats hanging from the ceiling in multiple rooms and a ceiling fan. That was by far the most interesting to watch. I was hoping our pup Lucy would’ve noticed them flying around with the fan and been amused but perhaps they’re too high or she just doesn’t care. I feel like I need a flying bat drone type toy to fly around for giggles. That would get some attention from the fur children. Lucy tends to hop and bounce at things and get extra silly. I suggested flying turkeys from the ceiling for Thanksgiving – we’ll see if that happens. I know once Thanksgiving passes, snowflakes will likely be going back up. They’re kind of magical twirling with the airflow of the rooms.

Stop everything you’re doing and make these apple crisp cupcakes. Okay, well… maybe finish reading and gather your ingredients but seriously, they need to be made asap!

These apple crisp cupcakes are truly incredible. It’s a perfect mashup of cake and pie. Pure Fall deliciousness. Soft, fluffy and perfectly moist cinnamon cupcakes with a cinnamon apple pie filling, caramel cream cheese frosting and crunchy cinnamon oatmeal crisp topping. Seriously out of this world amazing. The surprise apple pie filling sends these cupcakes over the top.

If you’re a huge fan of apple desserts, like me, you absolutely need them in your life.

A fun family-friendly treat, perfect for any Fall occasion! Be sure to add these easy homemade apple crisp cupcakes to the top of your baking list this season!

Tips tricks and questions answered…

Can I make this into a cake instead?
This should work well as an 8 or 9-inch cake. You’ll want to check your bake time, as it may vary from the cupcake bake time listed below. If making into a cake, frosting can be reduced in half. You can also choose to follow the recipe for apple cinnamon coffee cake and omit the streusel in that recipe, instead opting for a cream cheese frosting.

Can I use store bought apple pie filling?
In a pinch you probably could, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Freshly prepped apples will taste so much better and won’t have too much excess liquid to deal with.

Can I make buttercream frosting instead?
Absolutely! Follow the directions for this vanilla buttercream recipe. Play around with the flavor or keep it as is.

Help! I need more cupcakes than this recipe makes.
No problem! Double or triple the ingredient quantities until you reach your desired number of cupcakes. However, you may have an easier time following the recipe as is, and making it as many additional times as you need.

Can I make substitutions to the ingredients?
Yes and no. Baking is a science. This recipe works with the exact measurements listed. Altering one or several of those can cause the recipe to fail. If you’re familiar with baking substitutions, go for it! Outside of any alterations I’ve already mentioned, for specific substitution questions, ask in the comments below.

How do you pipe the frosting to look like that?
Using a piping bag fit with a jumbo round piping tip, hold your tip just above the center of your cupcake top. Squeeze frosting out with steady pressure, creating a large dollop. Stop piping when the desired frosting dollop has been reached.

How should I store these cupcakes?
If eating within a day or two, they can absolutely be stored at room temperature. Any longer than that and I’d suggest storing them in the refrigerator, where they can be kept for at least 4-5 days, maybe a bit longer. If you refrigerate the cupcakes, the frosting will firm up a bit. If you prefer softer frosting and fluffy cupcake, bring the cupcakes to room temperature prior to eating.

How many will this serve?
This recipe will serve 11, as it makes 11 standard sized cupcakes.

Print Recipe

Apple Crisp Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Moist and fluffy homemade spiced apple crisp cupcakes with fresh apple pie filling, caramel cream cheese frosting and crunchy cinnamon oatmeal crisp topping.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time55 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cupcake

Servings: 11

Ingredients

Cupcake

• 1/4 C unsalted butter softened
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 1/4 C light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp all spice
• pinch ground cloves
• 1 1/4 C all purpose flour
• 2/3 C sour cream

Topping

• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 2-3 Tbsp old fashioned oats
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter melted

Filling

• 2 C apples
• 1 tsp lemon juice optional, see notes
• 1/2 C apple cider juice or water, see notes
• 1/4 C light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

Frosting

• 6 oz cream cheese softened
• 1/4 C unsalted butter softened
• 4 C powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp caramel sauce room temperature

Instructions

Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard cupcake pan with 11 paper liners.
• In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in one egg at a time, followed by vanilla, salt, baking powder and remaining spices. Scrape bowl as needed. Alternate additions of flour and sour cream, mixing until fully combined and no streaks remain.
• Divide batter equally between prepared baking cups, using a large cookie scoop or filling roughly 2/3 full. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs. Cool in pan until easy to handle, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping

• In a small bowl, combine dry topping ingredients. Add in melted butter. Use a fork to toss and combine, creating no larger than pea sized balls of crumbs. Transfer to a clean rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes. Cool on pan. Set aside.

Filling

• Peel and chop apples into small chunks. Optionally, toss apples with lemon juice if the variety being used browns fast. Toss apples with sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Add to a saucepan along with apple cider. Cook over medium heat, tossing and stirring regularly. Continue cooking until apples have softened and liquid has thickened. If desired, use a potato masher to gently mash the apples into smaller pieces. Transfer mixture to a bowl to cool.
• When all prepared items have cooled completely, core and fill cupcakes. Using a sharp knife or cupcake corer, carefully remove the center of each cupcake. Do not cut all the way to the bottom. Trim off the bottom portion of the removed cupcake core. Set aside the top portion. Apples may be added to a small piping bag, plastic bag or spooned into cupcakes by hand. Fill each cupcake with apple pie filling and replace the top of the cake core back on each cupcake

Frosting

• In a large bowl or stand mixer, fit with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in butter, mixing until well combined. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time. Scrape bowl as needed. Lastly, drizzle in 3 tablespoons of caramel sauce. Transfer frosting to a large piping bag fit with desired piping tip. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Immediately top off with prepared oatmeal crisp topping.
• Store in an airtight container for up to several days or chill in the refrigerator. Bring cupcakes to room temperature prior to eating.

Notes

*Apples may be tossed in lemon juice if using an apple variety that browns quickly. It may otherwise be omitted.
*Apple cider, apple juice or water may be used when cooking the apples. Do not use apple cider vinegar.

A jumbo round piping tip was used for this recipe.

An original recipe from Baked by Rachel

More dessert recipes perfect for Fall:

• Apple butter cupcakes with caramel cream cheese frosting
• Cinnamon streusel pumpkin coffee cake
• Pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting
• Stovetop apple butter
• Apple cinnamon coffee cake
• Pumpkin kiss cookies
• Pumpkin cheesecake with caramel sauce
• Apple butter snickerdoodle cookies
• Apple crumb slab pie

Items used in this recipe:

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