Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Moist brown sugar cupcakes filled with a delicious apple cinnamon filling and topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting.

I didn’t think that we would have the time to go apple picking this year but I am so glad that we made the time. It is one of my favourite fall traditions. We decided to check out a new orchard this year and I am glad that we did. The orchard also made hard cider, so we had the opportunity to taste test a few different varieties. They also had the most delicious apple cider donuts - I am still dreaming about them! I already can’t wait to go back next year! Of course I had to make something with all of the apples that we picked. The most requested dessert from my friends and family is still this Apple Pie Cheesecake that I made last year. I won’t lie its a bit time consuming to make so I decided to take inspiration from it and made these cupcakes using similar flavours.

The cupcake itself is a moist cake with a delicious brown sugar flavour that compliments both the apple filling and the cream cheese frosting. The apple filling is quick and easy to make on the stove just the right amount of cinnamon - its great not only in these cupcakes but also in yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast! The cream cheese frosting is one of my go-to recipes. As my friends like to say everything is better with cream cheese frosting!

Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes

Makes: 1 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes

1 ½ c cake flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

½ c butter, at room temperature

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

½ c milk

For the Apple Filling

2-3 apples, peeled and diced

½ c sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp cornstarch

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 c butter, room temperature

8oz cream cheese, room temperature

4 c icing sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1-2 tbsp heavy cream (optional)

Pie crust cut-out shapes (optional)

Directions:

For the cupcakes: Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, over medium - high speed beat together butter, sugar and brown sugar, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, scrapping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Alternating between wet and dry ingredients, add in half the flour mixture, followed by the milk and ending with the flour mixture.

Fill cupcake liners 1/2 to 2/3s of the way full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely. 

For the filling: In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine apples, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Cover and let cook, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes. The apples should release their liquids and begin to soften. Stir in cornstarch and allow mixture to come to a boil. The mixture should begin to thicken. Continue to stir until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before filling cupcakes.

For the Frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes).

Reduce speed to low and add in icing sugar one cup at a time. Mix until combined. Add in vanilla. Whip frosting on medium - high speed until light, fluffy and pale in colour.

If you would prefer a thinner frosting, add in heavy cream until desired consistency is reached.

To Assemble: Use a knife to cut a small cone out of the cupcake. Fill with approximately one teaspoon of cooled apple filling. Frost cupcakes as desired. If you wish, top with additional filling and cut-out pie crust shapes.

Brown Butter Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These banana cupcakes are incredibly moist and full of flavour. The hint of cinnamon combined with the tartness of the cream cheese frosting and the sweet crunch of the candied walnuts - delicious!  

It's starting to feel like fall around here! I can't believe that it is already September! Where did the summer go? There is always something special about back to school season. Now that I am a student again, I am loving browsing all of the adorable back to school supplies and stocking up on post-it notes and highlighters. Is there anything more quintessentially back to school than banana bread? I knew I wanted to make a cupcake so I decided to celebrate the back to school season with these Brown Butter Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Everything is better with cream cheese frosting! And lately I have been obsessed with brown butter, if you couldn't tell! 

The brown butter adds a lovely depth of flavour to these banana cupcakes and nicely complements the candied walnuts. I kept the cream cheese frosting on the tangy side to account for the sweetness of the candied walnuts. The tanginess pairs nicely with the sweetness of the bananas as well. I love the added crunch that the walnuts add to the cupcakes - its a wonderful added texture - but feel free to omit them or switch out the walnuts for a different nut, pecans would also work well! 

Brown Butter Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Walnuts

Makes: 18 cupcakes

Ingredients: 

For the cupcakes:
1 ¾ c cake flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½  tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
½  c butter, browned
1 c sugar
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
8oz cream cheese, at room temp
½ c butter, at room temp
2 to 4 c icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tbsp heavy cream (optional)

For the Candied Walnuts:
½ c walnut pieces
¼ c sugar

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line a cupcake tray with liners, set aside.

In a medium saucepan, over medium to high heat, melt butter. Once melted allow the butter to brown and caramelize in colour (3-4 minutes). Caramelized bits should start to form at the bottom of the pan. Take care not to let the butter burn. Transfer browned butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, be sure to scrape all the browned bits from the pan (they are full of flavour!). Mix on low-medium speed for about 5 minutes to allow butter to cool slightly.

While the butter is cooling, in a medium sized bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. 

In the stand mixer, add sugar to the butter. Beat at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Beat in eggs on at at time, scraping down the side of the bowl after each addition. Beat in ripened bananas until just combined. On low speed, slowly mix in the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3s of the way full. Bake on centre rack for 15-18 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack to cool Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. 

For the frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes). Reduce speed to low and add in icing sugar one cup at a time. If you are using the candied walnuts - I would recommend using 2 cups of sugar, for a less sweet more tart frosting. Mix until combined. Add in vanilla. Whip frosting on medium - high speed until light, fluffy and pale in colour. If you would prefer a thinner frosting, add in heavy cream until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes as desired.

For the Candied Walnuts: In a small pan, over medium to high heat, add walnut pieces and sugar. Stir occasionally, to prevent mixture from burning. When the sugar starts to melt, mix frequently to coat the walnuts. Immediately transfer candied walnuts to parchment paper. If necessary, once cooled, roughly chop candied walnuts into small pieces. 

S'more Cupcakes

Nothing says summer quite like a s'more! These chocolate cupcakes are topped with a rich chocolate ganache buttercream, graham cracker crumbs and a toasted meringue frosting

I'm back! Did you miss me? I didn't mean to take such a long break between posting - but I am super excited to share these s'more cupcakes with you! I also have lots of other fun recipes to share with you over the next couple of weeks. I am so excited about all of the the delicious summer berries and stone fruits that are in season right now. But back to the cupcakes.

 After I made this Lemon Rosemary Meringue Cake, my mom surprised me with a kitchen torch! I was super excited...and a tiny bit nervous (have you seen those flames! haha) to try it out. I debated what to make first. But once the weather really started warming up, I knew that I wanted to make a twist on a summer time classic. One of my favourite things about summer is summer nights sitting around a bon fire with friends, roasting marshmallows and making s'mores. Nothing says summer more than s'mores.

These cupcakes are the perfect summer treat - great for a summer bbq, to celebrate the kids being done school or you know, just because. They have all the elements of a s'more - just in cupcake form! The chocolate cupcake base is one of my favourite go to recipes - slightly modified. It is moist and full of chocolate-y flavour. The chocolate ganache frosting is rich, smooth and creamy - I could eat it with a spoon! the crushed graham crackers add texture to the cupcake. The shinning star of these s'more cupcakes however, is the meringue frosting. It is sweet and sticky - just like a marshmallow. It also browns beautifully.  There is no doubt about it - these cupcakes are visually stunning. The combination of the different textures and flavours makes you want to dive right in and of course have s'more! 

S'more Cupcakes

Makes: 2 dozen

Ingredients 

For the Cupcakes

1/2 c hot water 

1/2 c cocoa powder 

2 1/4 c flour 

1 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp salt 

1c butter, cut into cubes

2 c sugar 

4 eggs, at room temperature

1 c sour cream 

For the Frosting

1/2 c chocolate chips 

1/4 c heavy cream 

1/2 c butter, at room temperature 

2 c icing sugar 

1 c crushed graham crackers

For the Meringue

4 egg whites

1 c sugar 

Directions

For the Cupcakes Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pans with liners. In a small bowl, whisk together hot water, cocoa powder. In another medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat combine the butter and sugar. Stir occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted. Remove from heat and pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. On medium, beat butter & sugar mixture until it begins to thicken and pales in colour (approx. 4-5 mins). You want to ensure the mixture has cooled slightly before adding your eggs. Add eggs one at a time, scrapping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add in cocoa mixture. Mix until incorporated.  With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour, followed by the sour cream, ending with the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated.

Divide batter evenly into prepared cupcake liners. Fill liners 1/2-2/3rds of the way full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

For the Frosting  In a small microwave safe bowl, heat the cream for 30-40 seconds or until almost boiling. Pour over chocolate chips and stir until melted, creating a chocolate ganache, set aside. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, over medium to high speed, cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in chocolate ganache until well incorporated.

For the Meringue  Over a double boiler heat together the egg white and sugar for 5 -7 minutes, whisking constantly. Transfer mixture to a clean stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high for 5 - 7 minutes or until stiff glossy peaks form.

To Assemble Fill pipping bag fitted with a large round tip (or coupler) with the chocolate ganache frosting. Pipe a boarder around the cupcake and roll in crushed graham crackers. Fill a second pipping bag fitted with a large star tip (Wilton tips 1M or 2D) with the meringue. Pipe meringue into the centre of the cupcake and brown using a kitchen torch.