Apple Pie Cupcakes with Cream “Cheese” Frosting

October 8, 2012 By Leanne Vogel December 17, 2018

I’ve been watching a lot of Food Network TV since we moved in to our new place. Every time I tune in, Anna Olson is front and center preparing another one of her irresistible desserts. Chocolate ganache, creme brulee, ladyfingers, each recipe more delectable than the last but laden with every single ingredient that I’m allergic to. I would love to see her make some dairy-free recipes… but I don’t see that happening any time soon.

Watching her show used to make me upset, make me yearn for a normal life again where I could stuff my cookies full of butter, whip up dessert using pastry flour, and drown my cupcakes in white sugar. That was long before I learned that any recipe, no matter how much gluten, dairy, and sugar it may contain, can be made into something that I can enjoy, allergies and all. It just requires a little practice, patience and creativity!

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When I saw Anna Olson scoop out the middle of her chocolate cupcakes and insert a truffle, followed by an episode of apple cinnamon galettes, you better believe the wheels were spinning at the possibilities of combining the two recipes, making it sugar reduced, gluten-free, grain-free, and… delicious!

Challenge accepted.

One bite of these cupcakes and you’ll be hard pressed to believe that they’re made from a combination of bean flours. Really, you will be. No bitterness, no bean pieces, no strange chickpea flavor. Just apple cinnamon all the way through.

And, you couldn’t get someone to guess that the frosting is made with vinegar and cashews.

Or that there’s no butter.

Or that all of the sugar that should be in this recipe is instead replaced with raw maple syrup.

They’re light and fluffy with a crisp, sugary top and taste just as delicious as they look. Plus, there’s an apple pie treat inside!

The filling is my favorite part, hands down.

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4.7 from 3 reviews

Apple Pie Cupcakes with Cream "Cheese" Frosting

Author: Leanne Vogel

Recipe type: Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined sugar-free, Yeast-free, Corn-free, Grain-free

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 12 servings

Fluffy, irresistible grain-free cupcakes filled with a gooey and sweet apple pie center and topped with dairy-free cream "cheese" icing.

Ingredients

Apple Cupcakes:

1½ cups garfava flour
4½ teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ cup not from concentrate apple juice
½ cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened apple sauce
3 eggs
¾ cup maple syrup
½ cup + 1 tablespoon unrefined walnut oil

Apple Pie Filling:

1 teaspoon unrefined walnut oil
2 apples, diced small and skin left on
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dairy-free Cream "Cheese" Frosting:

1 cup cashews, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ cup ground coconut sugar
2 teaspoon gluten-free pure vanilla extract

Instructions

To prepare cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 325F and line a 12 cup muffin pan with muffin liners. Set aside.
Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Whisk wet ingredients together in a large bowl.
Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until incorporated.
Divide batter into prepared muffin cups.
Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 1 minute before removing from the pan and placing on a cooling rack to cool.

To prepare apple filling:

Add oil to a medium-sized frying pan. Heat on medium heat.
Add remaining ingredients and saute for 8-10 minutes until apples are crisp tender.
Remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare frosting:

Add all ingredients to a small food processor or blender.
Blend until smooth.

To assemble cupcakes:

To insert the apple pie filling, use a melon baller to scoop out a circle of cake from the top of each cupcake. Drop a tablespoon or so of apple pie filling into the hole of each cupcake and press the mixture gently so that it's flush with the top of the cake.
Drop a dollop of frosting onto each cupcake and smooth with an icing knife.

Notes

Cupcakes can be stored for a few days in the fridge or freeze in an air-tight container for up to 2 months.
View nutrition info

Begin by whisking the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer or stand mixer.

Drop dry ingredients into wet and give it a quick mix. Not too much or your cupcakes will be stiff.

Drop into liners and bake.

Apple Pie Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Meanwhile, get your apple pie filling ready!

I used the apples we picked last week, but any apple will do the trick!

Once the cupcakes have had time to cool, scoop out the middle with a melon baller. Take your time with this step to avoid breaking the cupcake or going too deep.

Gobble up the little mounds of cupcake. It’ll do your soul good.

Press apple pie mixture firmly into the cupcake.

Top with prepared icing and spread evenly across the cupcake.

Dive in!

Did you all have a great weekend? Kevin and I sure did! We went to Ottawa on Friday to meet up with our old neighbors from Airdrie, visited the Canadian War Museum, feasted on elk burgers, worked on a couple of home projects and had a lovely turkey dinner last night. Here are some of the pictures from our adventures…

Last but not least, I’ve just posted a new Facebook giveaway on the Healthful Pursuit Facebook Page! Be sure to check it out…