Apple Spice Cupcakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

4.79 from 33 votes

Apple Spice Cupcakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Apple spice cupcakes with diced apple, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, topped with a nutty brown butter cream cheese frosting and cinnamon sugar.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Cooling time for Butter1

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple, apple cupcakes, apple spice cupcakes, apple spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, brown butter, brown butter cream cheese frosting, cinnamon, cream cheese, dessert, fall, fall cupcakes, nutmeg, spice, spice cupcakes

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 284kcal

Author: Dana

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