Apple spice cupcakes with brown butter cream cheese frosting are moist spice cupcakes loaded with diced apple and topped with a nutty brown butter cream cheese frosting. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in the cake. Brown butter in the frosting.
The brown butter takes an extra hour but most of that is waiting. Brown it while the cream cheese comes to room temperature. By the time the cupcakes are baked and cooled, the butter is solid and ready to beat.
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Why These Apple Spice Cupcakes Work
Applesauce and diced apple together. The applesauce makes the cupcakes moist without extra oil. The diced apple gives little bursts of fruit in every bite. Both matter. One for texture, one for flavor.
Molasses deepens the spice. Half a tablespoon. Just enough to add a dark, almost burnt-sugar note behind the cinnamon and cloves. Do not skip it.
Brown butter frosting beats regular cream cheese frosting. Browning the butter first adds a nutty, toasty flavor that plain butter cannot touch. The tang of the cream cheese and the nuttiness of the brown butter balance each other. Neither one overpowers.
Do not overmix. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. Overmixing builds gluten and the cupcakes turn dense instead of tender.
Fill the liners three-quarters full. Any more and the batter spills over the edges and the tops come out flat. Three-quarters gives you a domed cupcake that holds the frosting.
Brown the butter ahead of time. Melt it, stir until the brown bits form, pour it out, and chill it until solid. This takes an hour in the fridge or about thirty minutes in the freezer. Do it before you start the cupcakes and it is ready when you need it.
How to Make Apple Spice Cupcakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Brown the butter first. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently. It will foam, then brown bits will form on the bottom. When it smells nutty and turns caramel-colored, pour it immediately into a heat-safe container. Refrigerate for about one hour until solid. You can speed this up in the freezer.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, blend together the eggs, milk, brown sugar, applesauce, vanilla extract, and molasses until smooth.
- Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix. A few small lumps are fine.
- Stir in the diced apple until just mixed.
- Fill the liners about three-quarters full. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting. Once the brown butter is solid, beat it with the softened cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar, then add milk one tablespoon at a time until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. Beat until smooth.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar on top for a finished look.
Quick Tips
- Brown the butter first. It needs an hour to chill back to solid.
- Use both applesauce and diced apple. One for moisture, one for bites of fruit.
- Do not skip the molasses. Half a tablespoon deepens the spice.
- Fill liners three-quarters full. More than that and they overflow.
- Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting. Warm cupcakes melt the frosting.
Make Ahead and Storage
Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Bring to room temperature before serving. The frosting softens after about twenty minutes on the counter.
Unfrosted cupcakes freeze well. Wrap them individually and freeze for up to two months. Thaw on the counter and frost the same day.
More Fall Recipes
For more fall baking, try my pumpkin spice latte cupcakes with espresso and salted caramel. My apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies with vanilla icing are another fall favorite.
For more fall desserts, browse the rest of my apple recipes and see all my fall baking ideas.
📖 Recipe
Apple Spice Cupcakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Apple Spice Cupcakes
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ¾ cups packed brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup applesauce - unsweet
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ tablespoon molasses
- 1 cup apple - diced small
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup butter
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon milk - more as needed
Instructions
Apple Spice Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Line muffin tins with 24 liners.
- Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all other spices together in medium bowl.
- In large bowl blend together eggs, milk, brown sugar, applesauce, vanilla extract, and molasses.
- Mix wet mixture slowly into dry mixture until blended. Do not over mix.
- Lastly, slowly mix in diced apple.
- Fill liners about ¾ full and bake for about 15 minutes. Check with toothpick - it it comes out dry, they are done.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet and stir frequently until melted. When butter starts to foam it is close to browning.
- Stir until small brown bits start to show in the pan. Once it starts to brown, remove from heat and immediately pour it into a heat safe container.
- Store in fridge for 1 hour. You can also place in freezer for less time.
- Let it form back into a solid state. Just enough to mix easily.
- Once butter is back to correct form, use a mixer to blend cream cheese, butter, and vanilla.
- Slowly add in powdered sugar and add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time.
- Mix frosting until well combined and smooth. Add more milk to reach desired consistency.
Notes
- Brown the butter first. It needs an hour to chill back to solid.
- Do not overmix the batter. Stir until just combined.
- Fill liners three-quarters full or they overflow.
- Cool cupcakes completely before frosting or the frosting melts.
- Store frosted cupcakes in the fridge. Bring to room temp before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
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Let us know how it was!Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
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Wow! I love the flavors in these cupcakes, especially that frosting - yum! That little sparkle from the cinnamon sugar makes them look even more beautiful!
These are stunning! The taste is just perfect for fall! Thank you for this brown butter cream frosting! I have a new fav!
these are such pretty cupcakes! love this flavor combo so much
These cupcakes are really impressive to me! They look incredibly beautiful! This is absolutely fantastic! So YUMMY! Is good food and this looks like one of the BEST!
Wow! I love the flavors in these cupcakes, especially that frosting - yum! That little sparkle from the cinnamon sugar makes them look even more beautiful!
These are stunning! The taste is just perfect for fall! Thank you for this brown butter cream frosting! I have a new fav!
these are such pretty cupcakes! love this flavor combo so much
Love the flavors and spices going in this cupcake. Perfect for fall season.
These cupcakes are really impressive to me! They look incredibly beautiful! This is absolutely fantastic! So YUMMY! Is good food and this looks like one of the BEST!
These look yummy! Can’t wait to try them!! Thanksgiving morning I do a huge breakfast early for friends and family these will be great!
Omg looks so delicious! Would be perfect for a Christmas party.
These look yummy! Can’t wait to try them!! Thanksgiving morning I do a huge breakfast early for friends and family these will be great!
Omg looks so delicious! Would be perfect for a Christmas party.
These are so good! I didn’t have applesauce so I busted out some homemade chunky applesauce and absolutely love these! They don’t even need frosting but since it’s there already...yum yum!
These are so good! I didn’t have applesauce so I busted out some homemade chunky applesauce and absolutely love these! They don’t even need frosting but since it’s there already...yum yum!
Thanks so much for sharing that you like these cupcakes! The homemade chunky applesauce sounds delicious!
These turned out great! They’re delicious!