These high altitude apple cider cupcakes are flavored with warm spices, applesauce and apple cider concentrate, frosted with fluffy cinnamon cream cheese buttercream, and decorated with dried apple slices.
You might also love these recipes for apple fritter cake, baked apple cider doughnuts, and apple cider cookies.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to Decorate. See my cupcake decorating video tutorial to learn how to pipe the pretty drop flowers with buttercream. For a lovely finish, the dried apple slices are so simple to make.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Applesauce. Be sure to choose unsweetened applesauce, so you don’t add extra sugar to the cake batter.
- Apple Cider Concentrate. The apple cider concentrate or reduction will add a stronger apple flavor than just plain apple cider.
- Apples. For the pretty dried apples decoration on top, you can use any variety of apples.
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line two standard sized muffin pans with 16 paper liners. Lightly spray the liners with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
- In another bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, applesauce, apple cider concentrate, oil, milk, eggs and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk until combined, then divide the batter between 16 paper liners, filling them about 2/3 full.
- Bake the cupcakes for about 17-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
- Gently transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack, and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cold cream cheese for one minute, until smooth. Add the softened butter and beat until well combined. Add the vanilla.
- In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar, corn starch, meringue powder, cinnamon and salt. With the mixer on low, add the sugar mixture by spoonfuls.
- Turn the speed up to medium, and beat for several minutes until light and fluffy.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes with buttercream. Decorate with dried apple slices and a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.
Dried Apple Slices
- Preheat the oven to 175 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Combine the water and lemon juice in a bowl.
- Thinly slice the apples (unpeeled), about 1/8 inch thick. Leave the core intact, but remove the seeds. Soak the apple slices in the water and lemon juice for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
- Lay the apple slices in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Dry the apples in the oven for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes. The apples will have the dry and chewy texture of dried fruit, and as they dry, they will shrink in size, with the edges curling into ruffles. If you cut them thicker, they will take longer to dry and curl up.
- I suggest making the dried apple slices one day in advance, storing them loosely covered at room temperature until ready to decorate your cupcakes.
- Note that you can slice your apples two different ways, depending on the design you like. Cut them from top to bottom for apple-shaped slices. Or, cut them cross-wise, for round slices with a star-shaped design in the center.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.
For the apple cider concentrate, you can either buy concentrated apple cider (or boiled cider, which is more concentrated), or you can make it. I reduced one cup of apple cider down to 1/4 cup for today’s recipe. But for a more concentrated apple flavor, you can start with 1 1/2 cups of cider and reduce it down to 1/4 cup.
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High Altitude Apple Cider Cupcakes
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- Muffin Pans + Paper Liners
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup apple cider concentrate (see note)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
- 4 oz block cream cheese, cold
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 tsp meringue powder, optional
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
Dried Apple Slices
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 large apples
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line two standard sized muffin pans with 16 paper liners. Lightly spray the liners with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
- In another bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, applesauce, apple cider concentrate, oil, milk, eggs and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk until combined, then divide the batter between 16 paper liners, filling them about 2/3 full.
- Bake the cupcakes for about 17-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
- Gently transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack, and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cold cream cheese for one minute, until smooth. Add the softened butter and beat until well combined. Add the vanilla.
- In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar, corn starch, meringue powder, cinnamon and salt. With the mixer on low, add the sugar mixture by spoonfuls.
- Turn the speed up to medium, and beat for several minutes until light and fluffy.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes with buttercream. Decorate with dried apple slices and a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.
Dried Apple Slices
- Preheat the oven to 175 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Combine the water and lemon juice in a bowl.
- Thinly slice the apples (unpeeled), about 1/8 inch thick. Leave the core intact, but remove the seeds. Soak the apple slices in the water and lemon juice for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
- Lay the apple slices in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Dry the apples in the oven for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes. The apples will have the dry and chewy texture of dried fruit, and as they dry, they will shrink in size, with the edges curling into ruffles. If you cut them thicker, they will take longer to dry and curl up.
- I suggest making the dried apple slices one day in advance, storing them loosely covered at room temperature until ready to decorate your cupcakes.
- Note that you can slice your apples two different ways, depending on the design you like. Cut them from top to bottom for apple-shaped slices. Or, cut them cross-wise, for round slices with a star-shaped design in the center.
Notes
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