The Ultimate in fall cupcake baking is here!
Introducing Apple Pie Stuffed Pumpkin Cupcakes with luscious pumpkin spiced buttercream icing!

Miniature Snickerdoodle Apple Pies get stuffed right in to the batter!

Having a no fail pumpkin cake recipe will make your fall baking life so much easier!
For the most perfect Apple Pie Stuffed Pumpkin Cupcakes ever!

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Notes for Success:
In place of all those individual spices I have listed, just use 1½ tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice instead!
Preparing the apple pie bites ahead of time and storing them in the freezer will ensure they keep their shape while baking inside the cupcake
Many people seem to have a hard time finding canned pumpkin, in which case you can always make your own
Although be aware that homemade puree is more liquid than the canned variety which is more like cooked sweet potato mash
But don’t worry I have made the recipe with both types and the results are fine both ways
Both cake flour and all purpose flour are listed together and I like this combination
However some people have complained when using all cake flour in a recipe that the outcome of the cake texture was almost raw and gummy
While this has not been my experience if you are opposed to using cake flour you may use all all purpose flour minus 1 Tbs
WATCH THE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO MAKE THESE CUPCAKES!


Apple Pie Stuffed Pumpkin Cupcakes
Ingredients
for the apple pie bites
for the icing
- 1 Recipe Your Favorite Vegan Buttercream
- ⅓ cup Canned Pumpkin 1/3 cup *see notes
- 2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice 2 teaspoons
For the Pumpkin Cake Batter:
- 6 Tbs Vegetable Oil (90ml)
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar (105g)
- ¾ cup Plant Milk (177ml)
- 1 teaspoon Vinegar (5ml)
- ½ cup Canned Pumpkin (125g)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour (65g)
- 1 cup Cake Flour (120g)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- pinch Ground Cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
- You must first prepare the Snickerdoodle Apple Pie Bites in advance before preparing the cupcake batter *minus the crumb topping & sugar glaze
- Once they are baked & cooled place them in the freezer while you gather your ingredients to prepare the recipe for the pumpkin cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F & line your cupcake pans with paper liners (I also like to give them a very light spray with pan release to make sure they don't stick to the wrappers)
- For the cake batter, combine the vinegar with the plant milk (soy milk is the only milk that will thicken with vinegar)
- In a large mixing bowl combine the oil, brown sugar, salt, pumpkin then the thickened vinegar/plant milk & whisk to combine well
- Sift the flour with all the spices and the baking soda and add it all at once to the wet mixture in the bowl and whisk smooth by hand
- Portion into the cupcake liners, filling slightly less than 3/4 of the way full
- Place a frozen mini snickerdoodle apple pie into the center of each one, pushing it into the batter slightly
- Bake immediately in the preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes
- Then turn the oven temperature down to 300°F and bake for another 8-10 minutes OR when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
- Cool the pumpkin cupcakes in the pan until you can touch it without burning your fingers, then turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool all the way
- Prepare your favorite buttercream recipe *I am using American Style Buttercream* and at the last stage of mixing add the pumpkin & the spices
Video
Notes
Preparing the apple pie bites ahead of time and storing them in the freezer will ensure they keep their shape while baking inside the cupcake
Many people seem to have a hard time finding canned pumpkin, in which case you can always make your own Although be aware that homemade puree is more liquid than the canned variety which is more like cooked sweet potato mash But don't worry I have made the recipe with both types and the results are fine both ways Both cake flour and all purpose flour are listed together and I like this combination However some people have complained when using all cake flour in a recipe that the outcome of the cake texture was almost raw and gummy While this has not been my experience if you are opposed to using cake flour you may use all all purpose flour minus 1 Tbs STORAGE: Apple Pie Stuffed Pumpkin Cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days in a cool ~ not humid~ spot For longer storage (up to 1 week) refrigerate cupcakes wrapped loosely, but it is best to bring them to room temperature before serving Cupcakes may be frozen for up to 1 month, thaw at room temperature before serving

Hi Gretchen! I wanted to make this for my toddler’s teacher appreciation week but don’t have the time to make the apple pie bites. How long should I bake the pumpkin cupcakes for and at what temp? Do I still have to follow tep #11( lowering the temp to 300)?
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing recipes!
Sure! You can do a straight 350F bake for probably about 25 minutes? I always check them at 18 minutes to just to see what’s going on, a gentle press in the center tells me how much longer
Hi Gretchen! Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful recipes! I hope to try this as I’ve had a string of failed vegan pumpkin cupcake attempts recently, but based on personal experience this will not be sweet enough for my taste. Is it possible to increase the sugar without wrecking the chemistry of the recipe? And if so, how much can I add and what, if any, changes would I need to make to accommodate the increased sugar content? TIA!
Hi! It’s funny you bring this up! I was just talking about how I feel like my recipes may not be sweet enough for everyone! I had a friend who agreed! LOL
I definitely have been cutting back on MY sugar intake in my old age which is possibly why I think everything is too sweet lately, because once you ditch sugar EVERYTHING seems too sweet! It’s crazy!
ALL THAT SAID: You can add up to ½ cup more sugar to the pumpkin cake recipe here with no problems!
The buttercream recipe can always be adjusted to your liking with more or less confectioners sugar whether you use American Style BC or Swiss BC
Thanks so much you’re the best