*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more details!*
Light, Soft, Cinnamon Sponges with Apple, Golden Delicious Crumble, Cinnamon Buttercream, and even more Crumble. Apple Crumble Cupcakes, perfect for Autumn.
WELCOME TO SEPTEMBER! Even though Autumn doesn’t technically start till late September, I still say its Autumn now. Therefore, APPLE CRUMBLE CUPCAKES are now a thing on my blog. I posted the Cake version of this last year, and its always been a hit – Apple Crumble Cake. The cake was a beautiful marriage of soft, light sponge, with cinnamon, and the delicious baked apple. These cupcakes? The PERFECT smaller version.
In complete honesty, the cupcake mixture is literally the cake mixture halved. The cake version worked so well, that I didn’t want to mess with it. However, because of this, it did produce more that my usual 12 cupcake batches. You can try and reduce it if you like, but I like the extra cupcakes… who doesn’t?! The Cupcakes have the perfect amount of Cinnamon for me, but you can add some more if you wished. The extra sugar can be a worry for some, but it helps the apple bake perfectly.
When baking these, I was worried that the apple in the cupcakes wouldn’t be baked through enough, so I made the pieces a little smaller than the cake version, and it was ideal. The apple still has a ‘bite’ so that its not just mush, and it helps make sure the cupcakes bake through properly. Coating the apple in a little brown sugar, reduces the tartness of the apple slightly, and gives it a wonderfully delicious flavour. Adding that with the cinnamon, is deeeeeelightful.
I have recently learn to start to love baked fruit.. because originally, I hate cooked fruit. Something about the texture would really get to me, but honestly? These Cupcakes and my Apple Crumble Cake have changed that. Baked enough to make the apple soft enough to eat, but not so mushy that the cupcake can’t even bake. The cupcakes then topped with Crumble mixture gives the cupcakes an amazing taste as well! Then, topped with a lightly hinted Cinnamon and Vanilla Buttercream, and even more crumble goodness makes these cupcakes utterly irresistible and completely moreish! Enjoy your Autumn everyone, and these cupcakes as well! Enjoy! x

Apple Crumble Cupcakes!
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
- 250 g Cooking Apples (peeled + chopped weight)
- 150 g Unsalted Butter/Stork
- 150 g Light Brown Sugar (+25g extra)
- 150 g Self Raising Flour
- 3 Medium Eggs
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Crumble Ingredients
- 120 g Plain Flour
- 60 g Caster Sugar
- 60 g Unsalted Butter
Buttercream Ingredients
- 200 g Unsalted Butter (room temp)
- 400 g Icing Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan and Line a 12 Hole Muffin Tray with Large Cupcake Cases/Muffin Cases or put 12 Iced Jems Baking Cups onto a flat tray! Peel and core the Apples, cube the apples into about 1cm (small) pieces.
- Make the crumble mixture. Rub together the Sugar, Flour and Butter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs, leave to the side for now.
- Put the apples into a bowl, and cover with the 25g of Light Brown Sugar. Mix it up so all the apple pieces are covered and leave to the side.
- Beat together the Butter/Stork and Sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the flour, eggs, and cinnamon and beat till smooth. Fold through the apple mixture and spoon into your cupcake cases. Because of the apple, you will probably get more than 12 out of the batch.
- Sprinkle on a layer of the crumble mixture (only about 1/2cm worth per cupcake) and then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until baked through!
- Once baked, transfer to a rack to cool completely. After they’re out of the oven, sprinkle some of the spare crumble mixture onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until its lightly coloured (170C Fan). Leave the crumble mixture to cool.
- For the Buttercream – Beat the butter for a few minutes until really light and supple. Add in the icing sugar 1/3 at a time and beat fully after each incorporation.
- Add in the cinnamon, vanilla and 1-2tbsps of boiling water and beat for about 5 minutes until really light and fluffy.
- Using a 2D Closed Star Piping Tip, pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle on some of the cooked crumble mixture and maybe an extra sprinkle of cinnamon, and some sprinkles and yaaaay you’re done!
Notes
- I recommend using Iced Jems Baking Cups and a 2D Closed Star Piping Tip to decorate!
- When buying the apples, buy above the 250g as thats the chopped and peeled weight. You need to go for about 400g worth unpeeled, to make sure that its enough!
- Some oven temperatures can vary even if you set it to the ‘correct temperature’. You can tell if a cake is well and truly done by testing them with a skewer, and seeing if it comes out clean. HOWEVER, you need to also listen to the cake, if its still making a crackling/bubbling sound then its not quite done. Keep baking till that sound goes away!
- I reeeeally would recommend using COOKING apples for this rather than regular eating apples because of the length of time the cake is baking for. If you used regular apples, there is a chance they’d turn to mush, and then the cake wouldn’t bake well either. The lovely bright green cooking apples are the ones you’re after!
- You could also use a ready made crumble mix if you like as well as it does save time, but you’ll still need to bake it on top of the cake in the same way, and bake the spare in the same way as well!
- This cake will last in an airtight container for up to 3 days!
ENJOY!
Find my other Cupcake Recipes on my Recipes Page!
You can find me on:
Instagram
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Bloglovin’
Youtube
J x
© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.
24 Comments
Pip
November 15, 2020 at 11:18 amLoved these and easy to make. My elderly mum fancied cake apples and cinnamon so these were ideal choice! I used much more cinnamon in the cake and omitted the crumble as mum only eats very small amounts, she loved them! I made the Apple pieces about 0.5cm and didn’t go soggy. Definitely will make again.
Emma
September 21, 2020 at 7:35 pmDo you think it really needs cinnamon in it? I don’t have any in but really want to make them but I don’t want it to really ruin the flavour?
Jane's Patisserie
September 22, 2020 at 9:10 amI personally think they are best with the cinnamon, but it won’t be the worst without!
Claire
July 19, 2020 at 10:36 pmHad some cooking apples to use up in the fridge, and hubby loves crumble so this just cried out to be made today. Just beautiful. Really tasted like Apple crumble. I only had large eggs so increased the mix slightly to 175g. Had to bake about 5 mins extra too? The cinnamon was just the right amount. Didn’t have spinkles on but the crumble pieces were perfect. Another of your recipes I will be making again.
Sarah
May 24, 2020 at 8:28 pmThese are amazing, Parents seem to be stealing them all from me!
Jane's Patisserie
May 24, 2020 at 8:46 pmHahah amazing!!
Mandy Turner
May 21, 2020 at 12:31 pmMy daughter keeps asking to make apple muffins and these sound divine, can I use regular apples like Braeburn or does it have to be cooking apples?
Jane's Patisserie
May 21, 2020 at 4:04 pmFor the cupcakes it’s better than the traybake/cake version of this recipe, but they can still go a lot mushier in these which is why I recommend baking/cooking apples!
Sandra
August 14, 2019 at 11:44 amHi Jane. We don’t have selfraising flour in Germany. How can I substitute it? Thank you x
Jane's Patisserie
August 14, 2019 at 2:34 pmUse plain flour with 1.5tsp baking powder instead!
Paula
October 2, 2018 at 4:08 pmHi Jane! I love this recipe but I’m not a massive fan of buttercream so do you think this could work in a traybake? I have seen your cookie bar recipe but this one is definitely my favourite! If it could work as as traybake what size tin do you think would be best? Thank you for your help! Paula
Jane's Patisserie
October 3, 2018 at 10:29 amHiya! I’m afraid I haven’t tried this exact recipe as a traybake – but in general I would say one batch of cupcakes makes an 8″ round tin cake. So you could maybe double it, or use the Cake version and bake in a 9×13″ tin?! Keeping an eye on the timings though as I’m not 100% certain of them.
Helen Webb
September 24, 2017 at 9:06 amI love the sound of these, and the big cake version! Have you ever tried the same recipe in a loaf tin?
Jane's Patisserie
September 24, 2017 at 4:12 pmI haven’t unfortunately – but it’s definitely worth a try!
Claire
September 13, 2017 at 1:23 pmHi Jane!!
These look amazing! Can you grate the apple?
Jane's Patisserie
September 13, 2017 at 4:32 pmThe apple would be too small in my opinion – chunks would be better.
Victoria - Foodie for Thought
September 8, 2017 at 9:44 amThese look fab Jane!
Jane's Patisserie
September 8, 2017 at 4:07 pmThank you! ❤️?
Ilze
September 4, 2017 at 9:43 pmYummm! I should try this recipe as soon as my kithcen will be ready!!!
Jane's Patisserie
September 4, 2017 at 10:11 pmYayy! Enjoy! ☺️
Kelly | Maverick Baking
September 4, 2017 at 10:22 amYessssss girl, get Autumn in full swing! These look lush, apple crumble is my deathbed dessert!
Jane's Patisserie
September 4, 2017 at 4:19 pmThank youuu, Kelly! x
Louise
April 29, 2020 at 8:25 pmHi Jane . I’ve made theses but I’m not keen on the sponge being bit soggy where the Apple chunks are is there anyway I can stop the sogginess? Part from that love the taste 😊
Jane's Patisserie
May 3, 2020 at 7:26 pmHiya! I’m not sure really – You can try maybe a slightly higher temp? But because of the moisture from the fruit, it will always be a little softer there!