These gluten-free apple cider cupcakes are abundant in warm fall flavors like cinnamon and apple. They are perfect for any harvest gathering.
This post is created in partnership with Glutino
Each bite of these apple cider cupcakes is like a explosion of autumn flavors. Nobody would ever guess they are gluten-free!
One of my favorite things to do during the cooler months of fall is to bake. I don’t just want to bake anything though. No, I want to bake treats and bread loafs full of cozy fall flavors like cinnamon, cloves, apple and nutmeg. Similar flavors to our chocolate dipped pumpkin spice donuts. These gluten-free apple cider cupcakes totally take the cake (no pun intended) and leave me feeling ready for leaf jumping and cider sipping!
While I typically love gifting friends with spiced zucchini bread this time of year, I wanted to change it up. 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.
I am a big fan of single cupcake boxes tied in rustic twine and a cute kraft label. These thankful tags were found at one of my favorite places…the dollar spot in Target. I love that they are both affordable and so cute. They really take the gift to the next level by providing text in a gorgeous foil print that I couldn’t create on my own.
Ingredients
- 1 (15 oz) bag Glutino gluten-free yellow cake mix (OR 2 1/4 C all-purpose gluten-free flour-Glutino brand works fabulously, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, 3 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. xanthan gum, 1 1/4 C sugar)
- 1/4 C butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 C real apple cider (not from concentrate), divided
- 1 T cinnamon
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 2 T butter
- 2 C powdered sugar
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Meanwhile, prepare cupcake pan with baking cups.
- In a stand mixer, combine cake mix, eggs, butter, 1 T cinnamon and 2/3 C apple cider together and mix well.
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting.
- Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
- Mix in 1/3 C apple cider and 2 tsp. cinnamon.
- Slowly add in the powdered sugar.
- *If it is too thick, add apple cider slowly.
- After the cupcakes have cooled, top with apple cider frosting and a sprinkling more of cinnamon.
My favorite thing about this recipe is that it can be made semi-homemade which totally saves you time in the kitchen. I don’t know about all of you but with the holiday season just weeks away, I want to save my “baking from scratch” energy until then. I promise you though, nobody will ever know the difference. Good news, if you like to bake from scratch all year around. We have a variation that includes a from scratch cake mix. Glutino brand products make it tough for even the most avid gluten eater to tell the difference.
Their yellow cake mix and their all -purpose flour are both delicious and affordable. I love that they are also readily available at most grocery stores. 
If you like this recipe, you are going to love these other fall flavor treats…
Chocolate Dipped Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Gluten-Free Caramel Apple Pear Mason Jar Pies
*This is a sponsored post by Glutino. I was provided with monetary compensation and products. Opinions are all my own and truly reflective of how we feel about these products. We love Glutino brand and use their products ALL the time! 🙂
Your packaging is adorable. Where did you find the box and tag? Looking forward to trying your recipe as it looks delicious!
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!
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
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! 🙂
2 C (Cups)? of Powdered sugar seems extreme
Is it a typo?
Nope, you need a lot to make the frosting. That is actually much less than most people use in their frostings.
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!
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!
I doubled my recipe and the frosting is waaaay to thin even with extra sugar. Any suggestions?
Did you only do the 1/3 C apple cider in the frosting? The other 2/3 goes in the cupcake batter…
I followed your directions for the frosting and my turned out thin as well, even with adding a little extra sugar. Thoughts?
You can cut the apple cider by half and keep the sugar the same.
How many cupcakes does this make?
How many cupcakes does this yield?
Where is the recipe for the apple cider frosting for the gluten -free apple cider cupcakes?
Its right there in the post. It says, while cupcakes are baking, prepare frosting then goes on to explain how… 🙂