With an apple cider cupcake, apple pie filling and Fireball frosting these apple pie cupcakes might cause you to eat more than one. Yes - Fireball Whisky.
These days, I'm all about apple flavors - from apple cider chicken to an apple Dutch baby to apple empanadas. But these apple cupcakes hold a special place in my heart.
You might be looking at this and be like... why the Fireball? Well if you follow this blog, you know my wife and I got married back in 2016. Like most weddings these days, we had a signature drink. I wanted something that tastes like fall but was easy to make.
So I settled on a drink that consisted of apple cider, dark rum and Fireball Whisky and we named it Applely Ever After. Corny I know but we had so many people come up during the wedding and then afterward asking for the recipe!
So for our two-year anniversary I thought it would be fun to recreate a cupcake inspired by our signature drink. And that's where these apple pie cupcakes come from.
The cupcake itself has apple cider and Fireball which makes it not only really moist, but gives it a spice cake taste. But I had to one-up this cupcake and add the apple pie filling!
Now you can go without the apple pie filling if you want, as the cupcake is great on its own but the filling really does put it over the top. And the Fireball frosting has just the right amount where you get just a hint of it when eating.
Yes I know there wasn't any rum in this apple pie cupcake so it's not exactly like our drink, but I just didn't feel it was necessary. Believe me though, these cupcakes are outstanding and we'll definitely be making them again. Hopefully you'll give them a try and enjoy yourself!
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Recipe Ingredients
- Unsalted butter - cooks the apples and used in the frosting.
- Granny smith apples - has the right tartness for the filling.
- Granulated sugar - sweetens the apples and cupcakes.
- Lemon juice - prevents the apples from browning.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, salt - enhances the flavor.
- Powdered sugar - used to sweeten the frosting.
- Fireball Whisky - adds some spice.
- All-purpose flour - has the right gluten for the apple cupcakes.
- Vanilla extract - enhances the flavors.
- Baking powder - helps the cupcakes rise.
- Light brown sugar - sweetens the batter.
- Eggs - binds everything together and adds structure.
- Apple cider - gives that apple flavor and moistens the apple cupcakes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Heat butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add apples, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt and Fireball. Cook for about 10 minutes or until apples are soft. Add flour to thicken.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes.
- Add Fireball, vanilla and cinnamon and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 more minute, adding some milk if needed for spreading consistency. Place in fridge until ready to use on cupcakes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- In a medium bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Gradually pour in butter, Fireball and vanilla, continuing to beat. Add half the flour mixture, then apple cider, then rest of the flour mixture, beating until just mixed.
- Divide the batter evenly among the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool for 5 minutes before removing and placing on cooling rack.
- Use a small paring knife to cut a cone-shaped piece from the center of each cupcake. Fill the hole with the cooled apple pie filling. Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake.
Do I Have to Make the Apple Pie Filling?
No but it wouldn't be an apple pie cupcake anymore. It would just be an apple cider cupcake. Not saying there is anything wrong with that but the filling definitely puts these over the top!
Key to Light and Fluffy Cupcakes
The key with baking is DO NOT OVERMIX. It’s the death of any baking recipe and with cupcakes, it can lead to something that is dense and just not very appetizing.
So what does not overmixing mean? Well you mix all of your ingredients right until you see the flour disappear.
The other issue can be baking too long. To combat this, you just insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake until it comes out clean.
How Long Do Cupcakes Last?
To maximize the shelf life of apple pie cupcakes, place them in a covered airtight container or cover with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
- Cupcakes at room temperature will last 1-2 days
- Cupcakes in the fridge will last 1 week
- Cupcakes in the freezer will last 4 months
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Do not skip the apple cider as it helps create the moistness you expect from cupcakes.
- If you don’t want to use Fireball Whisky, replace it with the same amount of apple cider.
- All refrigerated items should be at room temperature, which helps the batter mix easily and evenly.
- You may not realize this but baking powder actually expires pretty quickly. Use baking powder that is less than a year old since it has been opened. If you use older baking powder, it won’t be powerful enough to help leaven the donuts. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use.
- When adding the batter to the muffin tin, don’t fill more than ⅔ of the way as they do rise.
- Allow the cupcakes to completely cool before adding the frosting, otherwise it will melt.
Other Cupcake Recipes
- S'mores Cupcakes
- Funfetti Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting
- Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
If you’ve tried these apple pie cupcakes or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Apple Pie Cupcakes
Ingredients
Apple Pie Filling
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 medium granny smith apples, peeled, cored and diced into ¼" cubes
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Fireball whisky
- 2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
Fireball Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (2 sticks)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon Fireball whisky
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Cupcake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup Fireball whisky
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup apple cider
Instructions
Apple Pie Filling
- Heat butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add apples, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt and Fireball. Cook for about 10 minutes or until apples are soft. Add flour to thicken.
Fireball Frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes.
- Add Fireball, vanilla and cinnamon and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 more minute, adding some milk if needed for spreading consistency. Place in fridge until ready to use on cupcakes.
Cupcake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- In a medium bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Gradually pour in butter, Fireball and vanilla, continuing to beat. Add half the flour mixture, then apple cider, then rest of the flour mixture, beating until just mixed.
- Divide the batter evenly among the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool for 5 minutes before removing and placing on cooling rack.
- Use a small paring knife to cut a cone-shaped piece from the center of each cupcake. Fill the hole with the cooled apple pie filling. Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake.
Notes
- Do not skip the apple cider as it helps create the moistness you expect from cupcakes.
- If you don't want to use Fireball whisky, replace it with the same amount of apple cider.
- All refrigerated items should be at room temperature, which helps the batter mix easily and evenly.
- You may not realize this but baking powder actually expires pretty quickly. Use baking powder that is less than a year old since it has been opened. If you use older baking powder, it won’t be powerful enough to help leaven the donuts. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use.
- When adding the batter to the muffin tin, don’t fill more than ⅔ of the way as they do rise.
- Allow the cupcakes to completely cool before adding the frosting, otherwise it will melt.
Chris says
I was one of those that loved your signature drink!
Sarah says
Awesome idea for the fireball frosting! Will have to give this one a go!
Tiffany says
oh wow, these look amazing! Thanks for he recipe 🙂
Elaine says
Looks yummy ????
LaRena Fry says
Sounds beyond divine. Love the imagination with the fireball frosting!