I love to welcome fall with these moist, flavorful Easy Apple Cider Cupcakes. With warm flavors like apple, cinnamon, and allspice you get the taste of Autumn every single bite. Top it off with cinnamon cream cheese frosting and it's heaven on Earth.
You guys are going to love this apple cider cupcake recipe. One of my favorite things to do during the cooler months of fall is to bake. I love making our like our bento cake and gluten free apple cake especially.
Cupcakes are great for my friends with kids and at gatherings because they are so much easier to serve. I also love getting creative with the cupcake liners we use and packaging. This recipe is such an easy fall cupcake recipe, so it's perfect for get-togethers.
If you're a big apple flavor fan, you HAVE to check out our gluten free apple pie jars. They are so tasty and too cute. We also have our crockpot apple cider that is like fall in a cup.
What you need
Making these delicious cupcakes is a great way to celebrate the fall season. I think it's fun to make these after going to the apple orchard. That's such a perfect fall day in my opinion.
Gluten-Free Yellow Box Cake Mix
We have good news if you like to bake from scratch all year around. We have a variation that includes a from scratch cake mix. King Arthur brand of gluten free products make it tough for even the most avid gluten eater to tell the difference.
Our razzleberry pie uses King Arthur pie crust and everyone always asks for the recipe. We love this brand in our house. Oreo brand makes good gluten free products as well. We love making these gluten free Oreo balls and gluten free pineapple upside down cake as well.
Apple Cider
The key ingredient for these sweet apple cider cupcakes is the apple cider. I find that using apple cider rather than apple juice gives these beautiful cupcakes their strong flavor. If you can't find apple cider though, apple juice will do.
Top tip: Use room temperature ingredients for the best cupcakes.
How to make them
- Preheat oven to 350° and prepare cupcake pan with baking cups
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cake mix, whole eggs, butter, 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 3 tablespoons apple cider together and mix well
- Fill greased cupcake liners ⅔ full
- Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean
Pro Tip: Decorate these cupcakes with drizzled caramel, a cinnamon stick and fresh apples
- While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting by beating cream cheese and butter until fluffy
- Mix in apple cider and cinnamon
- Slowly add in the powdered sugar. *If it is too thick, add more apple cider by the teaspoon slowly
- After the cupcakes have cooled, top with apple cider frosting and a sprinkling more of cinnamon plus a cinnamon stick and some warm caramel drizzled if you desire
Cupcakes have a softer texture, which comes from the fluffy batter. Muffins are a bit more dense and moist. Cupcakes are usually sweeter and have frosting on top.
Yes! You can even freeze them with frosting on top. Wrap each cupcake individually in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container. You can leave them in the freezer for up to three months.
They should be placed in an airtight container. You will want to make sure the frosting is not squished. For the best quality, you will want to eat them within 2-4 days.
Try these amazing cupcake treats as well:
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Easy Apple Cider Cupcakes
Ingredients
Apple Cider Cupcakes
- 15 ounces bag gluten-free yellow cake mix (regular cake mix is great as well)
- .5 cup butter melted
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons apple cider
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
Apple Cider Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons apple cider
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and prepare cupcake pan with baking cups
- In a stand mixer, combine cake mix, eggs, butter, 1 Tablespoon cinnamon and ½ cup apple cider together and mix well
- Fill greased cupcake liners ⅔ full
- Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean
- While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting by beating cream cheese until fluffy
- Mix in 2 tablespoons apple cider and 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Slowly add in the powdered sugar. *If it is too thick, add more apple cider by the teaspoon slowly
- After the cupcakes have cooled, top with apple cider frosting and a sprinkling more of cinnamon plus a cinnamon stick and warm caramel if you desire
Notes
Can you freeze them?
Yes! You can even freeze them with frosting on top. Wrap each cupcake individually in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container. You can leave them in the freezer for up to three months.How should I store the leftovers?
They should be placed in an airtight container. You will want to make sure the frosting is not squished. For the best quality, you will want to eat them within 2-4 days. Top tip: Use room temperature ingredients for the best cupcakes.Nutrition
*Originally published September 2016, but has been updated on September 9, 2022 with new information and tips. Here is the original photo.
Amanda says
I haven’t tasted the cake yet but I am struggling with the icing. I made it as per the recipe and it is so runny I don’t think I’d get it to stay in the cupcake even with a knife. I’ve added an extra block of cream cheese and several cups of extra powdered sugar with barely any change. It tastes delicious, but do you have any suggestions?
Chandice says
Shoot I am so sorry... Can you refrigerate it for a few hours or try freezing it for 20 minutes?
Amanda says
Don’t be sorry! I ended up adding an extra block of cream cheese and ton more powdered sugar. I frosted them, got them in the fridge quick and it stayed well. Maybe I did something wrong from the start. They turned out to be a total hit and they were delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
Ariel says
Hello! These sound delicious. Regarding the amount of apple cider used in the cupcakes, the ingredients list calls for 3 Tbsp but in the instructions it says 1/2 a cup. Which is correct?? Thanks!
Chandice says
I updated it sorry, it is the 3 tablespoons. 🙂
Abby says
I’m confused by the fact that the ratio of ingredients is about 4 parts dry to 1 part liquid (I made the batter but it’s not even holding together like dough much less looking like batter)...am I doing something wrong? Or will the cupcakes somehow turn out fine anyway?
Chandice says
They are runny but it will turn out. Mine always did... Let me know
Abby says
No, I mean that that ratio is incredibly dry (most cupcake recipes are 2-3 parts dry to one part liquid) - for me the batter was so crumbly it barely even resembled dough, but when packed into a cupcake liner, they somehow baked just fine and tasted great. 😉
C says
The recipe calls for one cup of cider. A half cup goes in the batter and one-third in the frosting though doesn’t equal one cup. What am I missing?
Chandice says
I apologize it has been updated. There is only 1/2 cup in the batter and 1/3 cup in the frosting.
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Chandice says
Most gluten-free goodies keep for a few days. The fridge will dry them out so I would store them covered on the counter. Enjoy! 🙂
Alie says
Hiya! Do you use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe?
Chandice says
I always use salted but either will work. 🙂
Celina says
Where does the xantham gum come in to play? It’s mentioned in the list of ingredients but not in the directions. Thanks for he help!
Chandice says
Hi Celina, you either use a GF cake mix OR use the other ingredients listed in parentheses including the xanthan gum to make a homemade gf cake mix, not both. Hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Allison says
Where is the recipe for the apple cider frosting for the gluten -free apple cider cupcakes?
Chandice says
Its right there in the post. It says, while cupcakes are baking, prepare frosting then goes on to explain how... 🙂
Lana says
How many cupcakes does this yield?
Lana says
How many cupcakes does this make?
Noel G says
I doubled my recipe and the frosting is waaaay to thin even with extra sugar. Any suggestions?
Chandice says
Did you only do the 1/3 C apple cider in the frosting? The other 2/3 goes in the cupcake batter...
Brittany says
I followed your directions for the frosting and my turned out thin as well, even with adding a little extra sugar. Thoughts?
Chandice says
You can cut the apple cider by half and keep the sugar the same.
Paula Schlotterbeck says
This look absolutely wonderful! I'm a Celiac and I'm hoping to make these as a treat for both myself and my family. Do you have a particular brand of apple cider that you would recommend? Thank you so much for the recipe!
Chandice says
You bet, I am so excited for you to make them! 🙂 You can use any apple cider from the store however, don't use sparkling. Enjoy!
Dee says
2 C (Cups)? of Powdered sugar seems extreme
Is it a typo?
Chandice says
Nope, you need a lot to make the frosting. That is actually much less than most people use in their frostings.
Nikki says
These look wonderful and I'm excited to try them for Thanksgiving!! Do you know approximately how many cupcakes this recipe makes? I'm not sure if I should double the batch. Thank you in advance :-). -Nikki
Chandice says
Hi Nikki, I am so excited for you to make them too! This recipe made about two dozen. Can't wait to hear how the family enjoys it. Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Sue says
Your packaging is adorable. Where did you find the box and tag? Looking forward to trying your recipe as it looks delicious!
Chandice says
Aw, thank you so much Sue! 🙂 I actually ordered it with a bunch of other bakery boxes for gifting specifically through a bakery wholesale website. The tags were found in the Target dollar bin. Love that area!