Soft and fluffy Vegan Apple Pie Cupcakes which feature a spiced vanilla sponge cake, filled with a homemade spiced apple pie filling, topped with a spiced buttercream, made to look like mini apple pies. Vegan, no-egg, no-dairy and surprisingly easy to make.
Vegan Apple Pie Cupcakes
These cupcakes may be the cutest cupcakes I’ve ever seen! I love how they’re made to look like mini apple pies, with the buttercream lattice details and apple pie filling underneath. Apple pie is one of my favourite cosy Autumnal desserts, and i couldn’t not turn them into cute little cupcakes. They start with my one bowl easy vegan vanilla cupcake which has added spice, with a simple 2 ingredient milk soak to keep the cupcakes super moist. They are then filled with a homemade spiced apple pie filling and decorated with piped spiced buttercream, which is of course dairy-free, made with dairy-free cream cheese and butter. These cupcakes are a must make if you love cosy and warming apple pie flavours, or simply want a fun and cute bake to make this Autumn / fall!
Looking for more apple pie recipes? Check out my: Vegan Apple Pop Tarts, Vegan Apple Pie Cheesecake, Vegan Apple Crumble Banana Bread and Vegan Apple Pie Cookies.
Why you’ll love these apple pie cupcakes
- All the cosy flavours of a classic apple pie, but in a cupcake form.
- Fun to make and decorate.
- 100% vegan, made without any anima derived ingredients.
- Made to look just like adorable mini apple pies – obsessed!
- Filled with a deliciously sweet and spiced homemade apple pie filling.
- Surprisingly easy to make.
- Packed with warm cinnamon and comforting flavours!
- The perfect combination of cute and delicious!
- Ideal for sharing, gifting or simply treating yourself (i wont judge if you don’t share- haha).
Recipe tips and tricks
Here are some helpful baking tips and tricks to make sure your vegan apple pie cupcakes turn out perfectly every time:
- Don’t over-mix the batter: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a rubber spatula until just combined. Over-mixing can result in a dense or tough sponge, so stop as soon as you can’t see any dry ingredients.
- Use kitchen scales: For the most accurate results, weigh your ingredients using a set of kitchen scales. Using gram measurements / kitchen scales will ensure your cupcakes have the perfect texture every time.
- Cook the apple filling until thick: Make sure your apple pie filling has softened and most of the excess liquid has cooked away before filling your cupcakes. A thick, jammy filling will give you plenty of apple flavour without making the sponge soggy.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely: Let the cupcakes to cool fully before adding the apple filling or decorating. If they’re still warm, the filling and toppings can soften or melt, making them harder to assemble!
- Don’t overfill with apple: It can be tempting to add lots of filling, but a little goes a long way. Too much apple filling can make the cupcakes difficult to assemble and cause them to become soggy.
- Chill before serving: Once assembled, place the cupcakes into the fridge for a while to help everything set. They’ll be easier to handle and the flavours will have more time to come together!
Tools you’ll need to help make this recipe
I have listed and linked some of the tools you’ll need to help make this recipe below:
- Cupcake tins
- Rubber spatula
- Mixing bowls
- Kitchen scales
- Measuring spoons
- Piping bags
- Piping nozzles
- Cupcake cases
- Saucepan
- Cupcake storage container
If you make, and love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you & happy baking! Make sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram and Facebook! And if you want to pin this recipe for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, above or below this post, or on any of the photos. Happy baking all!
Print
Vegan Apple Pie Cupcakes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 10–12 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Indulge in Vegan Apple Pie Cupcakes: soft, spiced vanilla sponge topped with a delightful apple pie filling and buttercream.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the cupcake
- 210ml of dairy-free milk (soya works best)
- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (or 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste)
- 240g of self raising flour
- 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon of ground all spice
- 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
- 50g of caster sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 60ml of sunflower oil
Ingredients for the milk soak
- 1 + 1/2 tablespoons of vegan condensed milk
- 30ml of dairy-free milk
Ingredients for the apple pie filling
- 150g of apples – peeled and cut into tiny cubes
- 75g of caster sugar / granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground all spice
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
- 1 + 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon of water
Ingredients for the buttercream
- 150g of dairy-free butter (block style, room temperature – not spreadable)
- 50g of vegan cream cheese (full-fat, room temperature)
- 300g of powdered/ icing sugar
- 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract / vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Method (cupcakes)
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC fan and line 2 cupcake tins with cupcake cases.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined. This creates a vegan buttermilk. Add in the vanilla and mix.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, spices, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.
- Add the oil to the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together until a smooth batter.
- Fill the cases 3/4 full with the batter, alternating flavours to create a swirl. Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles. Refer to video for example.
- Pop the cakes into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer down the centre of the cakes and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.
- Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully before filling and decorating.
Method (milk soak)
- In a small bowl, combine the vegan condensed milk and milk until its a thick paste.
- Poke holes in the cupcakes using a small skewer or tooth pick, and gently pour or brush some of the milk soak over the cakes. Enough to keep them moist, but don’t add too much they become soggy. The soak should lightly soak into the sponge.
Method (apple pie filling)
- While the cupcakes soak, prepare the apple filling.
- Peel and dice the apples into very small squares. Add the mini apple pieces into to a medium sized saucepan along with the sugar, lemon juice, and spices. Heat this over medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble, then allow it to cook for around 5 minutes. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon and cook until the apples have softened while still keeping a slight bite.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and stir until completely smooth and lump-free
- Reduce the saucepan to low heat and pour in the cornstarch mixture. Stir continuously for 1–2 minutes, until the filling becomes noticeably thicker.
- Once a thick apple pie filling, transfer it into a bowl, then place it in the fridge and allow it to cool completely before filling the cupcakes.
Method (buttercream)
- In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with balloon whisk attachment, beat the dairy-free butter on medium speed for 2–3 minutes until light, pale and fluffy.
- Add the cream cheese and beat just until combined and smooth. Do not over-mix – this keeps it stable.
- Mix in the vanilla, and add icing sugar and spices gradually. Add the sifted icing sugar in batches, beating on low speed at first, then increasing to medium until smooth and fluffy. Adjust sweetness and thickness to taste.
- Transfer the buttercream into two separate piping bags. One with a small tip snipped off and the other fitted with a small star tip nozzle.
- With the buttercream in the bag with a small tip snipped, pipe 4 lines in a check pattern over the apple pie filling to resemble the lattice on the apple pies.
- Take the buttercream with the star tip nozzle to pipe a border around the edge of the cupcake, to resemble the apple pie crust (refer to video for example).
- Optional: dust the cupcakes with some powdered / icing sugar.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
To store: Store these cupcakes in a sealed container in the fridge. Best enjoyed 3 days of making. Leave at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Make sure the cupcakes are cooled completely before frosting and decorating, or the frosting will melt.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
