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Apple Crumble Cupcakes

Apple crumble cupcakes with moist, apple-studded batter and a generous oat crumble crown, baked until golden and topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Finished with a simple caramel drizzle for a bakery-style bite.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
refrigerate 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 22 minutes
Servings: 18 cupcakes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 360
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For oat crumble
  • 0.5 cup oats
  • 0.33 cup flour
  • 0.33 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp cold butter Use cold butter for a crumbly topping.
For apple cupcakes
  • 2 cup flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup butter
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.5 cup applesauce
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1.5 cup finely diced apple Finely dice so the fruit bakes evenly.
For cinnamon cream cheese frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese Softened for easy mixing.
  • 0.25 cup butter
  • 3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Caramel for drizzling
  • 1 caramel Warm slightly if it’s too thick to drizzle.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Make oat crumble
  1. Stir oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together, then cut in the cold butter until pea-size crumbs form. Refrigerate the crumble for 30 minutes.
Mix apple cupcake batter
  1. Beat butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, then beat in applesauce, sour cream, and vanilla.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, then fold dry ingredients into the batter just until streak-free. Fold in finely diced apple.
Fill and bake cupcakes
  1. Heat oven to 375F and line a 12-cup muffin pan. Fill each liner about 2/3 full, then press a generous layer of oat crumble on top of each cupcake.
  2. Bake at 375F for 20-22 minutes, until the tops are set and lightly golden. Let cupcakes cool in the pan on the sheet pan.
Frost and finish
  1. Cool the cupcakes completely, then pipe cinnamon cream cheese frosting around the edge of each cupcake. Drizzle with caramel right before serving.

Notes

Pro tip: refrigerating the crumble helps it stay chunky, so it won’t fully melt into the cupcakes. Store cupcakes covered in the fridge for up to 4 days; freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then frost and drizzle. For a lighter twist, you can use reduced-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat sour cream (texture remains good, flavor slightly milder).