Applesauce Spice Cupcakes seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, topped with cream cheese frosting are a delicious treat any time!
Looking for an easy and tasty fall treat? I hope you will try these yummy applesauce spice cupcakes! The recipe makes a dozen delicious dessert cupcakes that can be enjoyed during the Fall season OR any time of the year!
The cupcakes are flavored with the flavorful, warming spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and they are topped with a cream cheese frosting that is perfect! Here’s how to make them for those you love.
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe At The Bottom Of The Page
Make The Cupcake Batter
Before mixing the cupcake batter, remember to preheat your oven to 350°F. so it will be hot and ready to go when the cupcake batter is done (it doesn’t take long)!
Making this cupcake batter is very simple. Using an electric stand mixer (or hand mixer), beat together soft butter and granulated sugar for 2-3 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and mix these very well, until the mixture is very smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves until combined.
Add the flour/spice mixture to the creamed mixture in the bowl a little at a time, alternating it with the applesauce (a little at a time). Beat the batter after each addition.
Continue doing this until all of the flour/spice mixture and applesauce have been mixed and incorporated into the cupcake batter (shown below).
Ready, Set… Bake!
Divide and distribute the cupcake batter evenly into 12 paper-lined standard-size muffin cups, filling each “cup” a bit more than halfway full.
Bake the applesauce spice cupcakes at 350°F. for 22-25 minutes OR until a toothpick you insert into the middle of a cupcake comes out free of batter.
Oven temperatures can vary quite a bit, so I recommend checking them for doneness at the 22 minute mark!
Once they have finished baking, remove the pan from the oven and let the cupcakes cool for about 7-8 minutes, while they are still in the pan.
Once cooled slightly, transfer the cupcakes out of the pan to a wire rack to finish cooling completely before frosting them.
Make The Cream Cheese Frosting
NOTE: If it’s more convenient, you can buy cream cheese frosting at the store to frost the cupcakes. I make mine from scratch using our old family recipe (which makes a little bit more frosting than needed for a dozen cupcakes).
Use an electric mixer to beat the softened cream cheese for about 1 minute. Next, add soft butter and beat these two ingredients very well for another 2-3 minutes. This mixture should be smooth and lump-free when done
Add powdered sugar (about one-third of the total amount at a time), along with milk, vanilla extract and a small pinch of salt to the creamed mixture, until all ingredients are combined.
TIP: If you feel the cream cheese frosting is too thin, add and beat in a little bit more powdered sugar. Too thick? Try adding and beating in a very tiny bit more milk. When done, the frosting should be easy to spread on the cooled cupcakes.
Frost And Serve Applesauce Spice Cupcakes
Place the bowl of frosting on the counter along with ground cinnamon on the side in a small mesh strainer (shown in the bottom right photo above).
Now you’re ready to frost the room-temperature (completely cooled) cupcakes. Spread (or use a pastry bag) some frosting onto each cupcake and gently “sift” a tiny amount of cinnamon on top, as shown below.
Frost one cupcake at a time, then sift cinnamon on top and set aside. Repeat this process with all of the remaining cupcakes.
Let the frosted applesauce spice cupcakes sit for about 30 minutes to allow the frosting time to slightly firm up again.
Once they have had time for the frosting to “set up” slightly, the cupcakes are ready to be served and enjoyed.
TIP: Make sure to cover any uneaten cupcakes and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
I hope you have the opportunity to make these yummy fall treats for yourself, your family and/or your friends. They are easy to make and delicious!
Thank you for stopping by, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day.
Looking For More FALL DESSERT Recipes?
You can find ALL of my Fall dessert recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have many delicious Fall dessert recipes to choose from, including:
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Recipe was adapted from: Edna Hoffman, via Taste of Home magazine (Oct./Nov. 1998 issue), page 67, published in 1998 by Reiman Publications
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Applesauce Spice Cupcakes seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, topped with cream cheese frosting are a delicious treat any time!
- ⅓ cup butter* *soft/room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ cup chunky applesauce (can substitute smooth)
- 4 ounces cream cheese* *soft/room temperature
- 4 Tablespoons butter* *soft/room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Preheat oven to 350℉. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners OR lightly grease.
Using an electric mixer, beat soft butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla extract; mix well, until the mixture is smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves until combined. Alternately add this flour mixture along with applesauce to the butter mixture (add a little at a time, beating after each addition) until they've been incorporated. Distribute batter evenly into muffin cups, filling each one a bit more than halfway full.
Bake cupcakes at 350°F. for 22-25 minutes OR until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out free of batter. TIP: Oven temperatures can vary; I recommend checking for doneness at the 22-minute mark. Once done, remove pan from the oven. Let cupcakes cool 7-8 minutes (still in the pan), then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Use an electric mixer to beat soft cream cheese for 1 minute. Add soft butter; beat well for 2-3 more minutes. Mixture should lump-free. Add powdered sugar (⅓ of the total amount at a time), along with milk, vanilla and salt; mix until combined. TIP: If you feel frosting is too thin, add/beat in a bit more powdered sugar. Too thick? Try adding/beating in a bit more milk. Frosting should be easy to spread.
Place bowl of frosting on the counter along with some ground cinnamon (on the side in a small mesh strainer). Frost room temp. cupcakes. Spread frosting onto each cupcake then gently "sift" a tiny amount of cinnamon on top. Set cupcake aside. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
Let cupcakes rest 10-15 minutes to let frosting slightly firm up, then serve. TIP: Cover/store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in refrigerator.
NOTE: Caloric calculation was made assuming ALL the cream cheese frosting is used. If you do not use ALL of the frosting, your calorie count will be less for each cupcake.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards! 