Applesauce cupcakes will be your new favorite fall dessert. Moist and tender cupcakes are filled with applesauce and cozy spices and topped with a sweet brown butter frosting.
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Moist, tender cupcake is lightly sweetened and filled with cozy fall spices.
Frosting: Cupcakes are topped with sweet buttercream frosting made with brown butter that adds caramelized, nutty flavor.
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Similar to: Gingerbread Cupcakes, Carrot Cake Cupcakes, Applesauce Spice Cake
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Wet ingredients - Vegetable oil, granulated sugar, egg, and applesauce add moisture and flavor to your cupcakes. Unsweetened applesauce works best in this recipe. Sweetened applesauce can make your cupcakes turn out too sweet.
- Dry ingredients - All-purpose flour, baking soda, and baking powder balance with the wet ingredients and provide lift to help your cupcakes rise in the oven. I've only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour.
- Flavor - Salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg add flavor to your cupcakes. Spices could be substituted with an equal amount of your favorite apple pie spice blend or pumpkin pie spice blend.
- Frosting - Unsalted butter, vanilla, salt, confectioner's sugar, and whole milk create a sweet brown butter frosting. If you prefer a less-sweet frosting, try an Ermine Frosting or a dollop of Homemade Whipped Cream instead.
How to make applesauce cupcakes
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- It will begin to bubble.
- Stir frequently. The butter will begin to look foamy and golden.
- Once you see medium-brown flecks forming in the bottom of the pan, remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and refrigerate while you make the cupcakes.
- Add wet ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.
- Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then stir into the wet ingredients.
- Divide batter between 12 cupcake liners.
- Bake until the center pops back when gently pressed.
- Mix frosting while your cupcakes cool. Use a hand mixer to beat until fluffy and smooth.
- Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.
Heather's top tip
To test for doneness, gently press the top of your cake. If it springs right back, it's done. If an indent is left, it needs more time. For accurate results every time, use an instant read thermometer. Cake is done when it reaches 210F in the center.
Tips and tricks
For all of my favorite cake tips, see my full post: 10 tips for baking cake
Don't overmix the batter - Mix your dry ingredients just enough to incorporate them into the batter. Overmixing can overwork the gluten, causing your cupcakes to turn out tough.
Don't omit or reduce any of the moisture-adding ingredients - Oil, applesauce, eggs, and granulated sugar all do their part in ensuring your cake turns out moist and tender. Reducing, omitting, or substituting these ingredients can cause your cake to turn out dry.
Dividing batter - When dividing cupcake batter, I like to use a large cookie scoop (Amazon) which is the perfect size to fill a cupcake liner. This ensures your cupcakes all turn out the same size and makes dividing batter a breeze.
Allow cupcakes to cool completely - Do not unwrap warm cupcakes. Cupcakes will stick to the liners until they're completely cool. Warm cupcakes will melt a buttercream frosting, so wait until they're completely cooled to frost.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, feel free to use any type of frosting with this cupcake recipe. If you prefer a less sweet frosting, try my recipes for Ermine Frosting or Homemade Whipped Cream.
These are the methods I use to check for doneness every time I make cupcakes:
Jiggle test - Gently jiggle the pan. Are your cupcakes still jiggly and liquid in the middle? They need more time.
Spring back - Gently press the top of a cupcake. If it springs right back, your cupcakes are done. If it leaves an indent, they need more time.
Thermometer - Use an instant read thermometer to test for doneness. Cupcakes are done when they reach 210 degrees Fahrenheit in the center.
Applesauce cupcakes will keep for 3-4 days in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.
Yes, cupcakes (frosted or unfrosted) can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for several hours on the countertop before serving.
Applesauce adds moisture and some structure to a baking recipe. In this particular recipe, we're replacing one egg and all of the milk with applesauce.
Troubleshooting
Baked goods can turn out dry for a few reasons:
- Baking too long.
- Adding too many dry ingredients.
- Adding too few wet ingredients.
- Butter-based cake is refrigerated (it feels dry when chilled, but softens when it comes back to room temperature).
It's important to follow the recipe exactly, including the measurements and exact ingredients listed. I recommend using an instant-read thermometer to make sure your cake doesn't get overbaked in the oven.
Sinking can happen for many reasons. Overmixing the batter (which adds extra air that's released during baking), underbaking, using expired leavening, using the wrong leavening, or accidentally doubling the leavening can all cause your cupcakes to sink in the middle.
Cupcake can turn out dense from expired leavening, overmixing the wet and dry ingredients (this overworks the gluten), not whipping the butter and sugar long enough, or adding extra wet ingredients (like adding sour cream or extra applesauce to make cupcakes "extra moist"). If the balance of wet and dry ingredients is off, this can cause a change in texture, preventing your cupcakes from rising properly in the oven.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Applesauce Cupcakes
Ingredients
Frosting
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ cups (400 g) confectioner's sugar
- ¼ cup (56 g) whole milk
Cupcakes
- ¾ cup (190 g) unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (66 g) vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (150 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
Brown butter
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, stirring frequently. Butter will begin to foam and boil.
- After 4 to 5 minutes you will see brown flecks appear in the bottom of the pan. Continue to stir until butter is golden and flecks are a medium brown color. Watch closely, butter will brown quickly. The entire process takes about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Remove butter from heat and pour into a small bowl. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes, or until butter has cooled to room temperature and just solidifies.
- While butter cools, prepare cupcakes.
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a cupcake pan with 12 paper liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add wet ingredients: applesauce, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, add dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Whisk to remove clumps.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir to combine.
- Divide batter between 12 cupcake liners.
- Bake for about 18-21 minutes, or until the tops pop back when gently pressed and cake reaches 210F in the center.
- Remove pan from oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes to cool slightly, then transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack to bring to room temperature.
- While cupcakes cool, prepare the frosting.
Frosting
- Add solidified browned butter, vanilla, and salt to a large bowl and whip until creamy and smooth.
- Add confectioner's sugar, half at a time alternating with the milk, and mix until combined. (Add more milk as needed to achieve desired consistency)
- Beat until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Pipe or spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes and serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Storage: Cupcakes will keep for 3-4 days at room temperature in a tightly sealed container.
- Cool cupcakes: Allow cupcakes to cool completely before removing from paper liners or frosting. If still warm, cupcakes will stick to the paper liners. Buttercream frosting melts between 90-95 degrees, and will melt if frosted onto a warm cupcake.
- Want less frosting? Frosting recipe makes enough frosting for tall, dramatic piped frosting (as shown in the photos). For less frosting, cut the frosting portion of the recipe in half.
- Top tips: Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cake, based on reader comments and questions!
Have you tried freezing these?
Yes, cupcakes (frosted or unfrosted) can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for several hours on the countertop before serving.
Would it be ok to add raisins to the recipe or would that mess it up?
I haven't tried adding raisins to this recipe before, so I can't say for sure how it would turn out. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Why just one egg? Thanks Sandy
Hi Sandy, the applesauce adds structure and moisture, so we're able to reduce the amount of eggs needed.
Light, fluffy and delicious!! Also super easy!
Made these and they're so delicious! The browned butter frosting is the best part for sure!!