Apple Pie Cupcakes with Browned Butter Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, I’ll just let that sink in for a minute….y’all these cupcakes are ridiculousness, the way the browned butter and cinnamon gives the frosting a rich caramel flavor that pairs so well with the sweet, tart apple pie filling surrounded by the fluffy vanilla cake, drrrrooool…and no joke I had more than 1 coworker (who I bring my cheat day treats to on Mondays) tell me, ‘you have really outdone yourself this time.’
Also, due to the whole apple pie, caramel awesomeness that’s going on with these cupcakes, they are perfect for all of the happenings in the months ending in ‘er,’ obviously I chose October with the adorable bat cupcake liners and little sparkly bats but they most definitely could be served at Thanksgiving or Christmas as a different take on the traditional apple pie.
There are more than a few (but not complicated) steps to make these, but completely worth it…all I’m saying is, make these sooooon.
Yummmmm…
- 1 Box of Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Stick of Butter
- 1 Cup of Water
- 1 Can of Apple Pie Filling
- 2, 8 Ounce Blocks of Cream Cheese
- 2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract
- 1 stick (1/2 Cup) of Browned Butter
- 2-4 Cups of Confectioner's Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons of Cinnamon
- **2 Tablespoons of Meringue Powder**optional
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners (this batch only made 20 for me because I filled the batter to the top, not 3/4 of the way like I should have, don't be like me) For the cupcakes I used a boxed moist yellow cake mix. You can follow the directions on the box or you can make it taste more homemade by using 1 entire melted stick of butter, 3 eggs and 1 cup of water.
- In the bowl of your mixer beat cake mix, eggs, butter and water together until combined. Make sure not to over mix.
- Bake cupcakes for 20 minutes, or until you press them with your finger and they spring back. Let them cool completely after you take them out of the oven so the apple pie filling won't become runny when you place it inside the cupcakes.
- With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the softened cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the cooled browned butter and vanilla extract into the cream cheese and blend again.
- Slowly (no really, you don't want sugar all over the place) incorporate 2-4 cups of confectioner's sugar until well blended--how much sugar you add is your preference on how thick you want the icing to be and how much you want to make--I ultimately used 3 cups of sugar and added 2 Tbsps of meringue powder to thicken it for piping, totally optional of course.
- Now blend in the cinnamon, take a spoonful of this frosting to taste and proceed to have an eye rolling When Harry Met Sally moment, teehee.
- In a pan-I suggest using a pan with a light colored interior so you can easily see when the butter starts to brown and you won't burn it-on medium heat, melt your butter while stirring constantly. Your melted butter will start to bubble up and sputter, then the bubbles will get smaller, and then the bubbles start to subside. At this point start looking for brown flecks to appear on the bottom of your pan, when you start to see a lot more brown flecks and the butter is a rich amber color, immediately remove your pan from the heat and continue stirring. The butter will have the most delicious aromatic nutty rich smell to it, trust me you'll know it's ready.
- Yes I used pre-made apple pie filling (if you're an overachiever please feel free to make your own) but pre-made is delicious and no one knew I hadn't made it. I did pour the filling into a bowl and chop it up with a fork and knife so the apple chunks would be small enough to go inside the cupcakes.
- To hollow out holes in the tops of the cupcakes I used the bottom of a Wilton 2M piping tip, weird I know, but it's the perfect size, keeps the cupcake piece it takes out intact so you can place it back on top and the sizes are all perfectly uniform. You could also use a spoon, or a knife, really whatever is easiest for you.
- So now spoon the filling into the cupcakes and place the tops back on.
- If you feel inclined to pipe this frosting (instead of eating the whole bowl with a spoon) I used a disposable Wilton bag with a Wilton 1M tip. I piped starting from the middle of the cupcake working my way out in a circular motion until the top was completely covered.