Apple Pie Cinnamon Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup ice-cold water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apple Pie Filling

• 1 cup diced apples, I used Gala
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Vegan Buttercream

• 2/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons non-dairy milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Direction

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 12-count cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk cold water, olive oil, apple sauce, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract together, until combined.
3. Pour wet mixture into the dry and whisk until smooth. Using an ice cream scoop (or similar) fill each cupcake line roughly 3/4 of the way full. Bake cupcakes for 20-22 minutes, until a poked toothpick draws clean.
4. Place on cooling rack until they reach room temperature. In the meantime, prepare filling and frosting.

Apple Pie Filling

1. Warm a saute pan over medium heat, placing all filling ingredients in pan and stir until evenly combined. Bring mixture to a simmer and cover with lid, adjusting heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apple pieces are soft but not mushy.
2. Take filling off of heat and transfer it to a bowl, refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the cupcakes.

Vegan Buttercream and assembly

1. In a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl, beat shortening until fluffy, then slowly add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time while mixing at high speed. Once sugar is incorporated, add non-dairy milk and vanilla, beat until fluffy and smooth.
2. Transfer buttercream to a large piping bag with large piping tip (looks fancier and works better for this recipe). Once cupcakes are cool, pipe a “nest” onto each one, making sure the last bit overlaps.
3. When the apple pie filling is cooled down, spoon roughly 1 teaspoon of filling into each frosting nest. Refrigerate cupcakes until you are ready to serve them!