Apple Pie Stuffed Chai Spiced Cupcakes
These Apple Pie Stuffed Chai Spiced Cupcakes are vanilla cupcakes spiced with a homemade chai spice mix, filled with a chai spiced apple pie filling and topped with rich salted caramel frosting.
Apple Pie Filled Chai Spiced Cupcakes 🙂
Yep, you read that right, these cupcakes are stuffed with a sweet surprise – apple pie filling! Both the cupcakes and the apple pie filling are flavored with a homemade chai spice mix. The cupcakes are topped with a rich salted caramel frosting and finished off with a drizzle of caramel and sprinkle of flakey sea salt.
They are the most heavenly cupcakes you’ll make this fall! As you bite in you get a little bit of everything, the moist spiced cupcake, perfect apple filling, and the creamy dreamy salted caramel frosting. Sweet, salty and spiced these Apple Pie Filled Chai Spiced Cupcakes have it all!
How to make Homemade Chai Spice Mix
Chai has become very popular in the US, mainly in the form of chai tea lattes. It originates from India, and is typically made with black tea, spices, milk and sugar. The spices that are most associated with chai are cardamon, ginger and cinnamon.
For these cupcakes we use a homemade chai spice mix that is a combination of cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves and star anise. All of these spices are common and can be easily found at most major groceries if you do not already have them in your spice cabinet. We’ll use the chai spice mix to flavor both the cupcakes and the apple pie filling.
How to Fill a Cupcake
There are a whole bunch of fancy cupcake tools out there, but you really don’t need anything special to make a filling cupcake. Use a small knife to carefully cut a small whole in the center of the cupcake. Take a small spoon and hollow out as much of the inside as you can without cracking the whole you cut in the top or breaking the structure of the cupcake. Spoon the filling into the hole and fill almost to the top. Replace the piece you cut out of the top so the cupcake top is flat and you can’t see any of the filling. This may sound tedious and time consuming, but it really is quite simple once you get started.
Finishing Touches
A fancy filled cupcake calls for a little extra decoration. The salted caramel frosting is easy to pipe or spread with an icing knife depending on your skill level and the look you are trying to achieve. The salted caramel frosting is made with a homemade caramel sauce. Before mixing it with confectioners’ sugar to form the frosting, reserve a small amount for drizzling on the cupcakes. A little drizzle of homemade caramel and a sprinkle of flakey sea salt take these cupcakes up a notch in both appearance and in taste!
Planning Tips
All the components of these cupcakes can be made one day in advance. But the cupcakes should be filled and frosted the day of serving.
Apple Pie Stuffed Chai Spiced Cupcakes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
Description
These Apple Pie Stuffed Chai Spiced Cupcakes are vanilla cupcakes spiced with a homemade chai spice mix, filled with a chai spiced apple pie filling and topped with rich salted caramel frosting.
Ingredients
Chai Spice Mix
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cardamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground star anise
Chai Spiced Cupcakes
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups white all-purpose flour
2 tbsp Chai Spice Mix
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
Apple Pie Filling
4 medium sized granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped small
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tbsp water
2 tsp Chai Spice Mix
Salted Caramel Frosting
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
5 tbsp heavy cream, divided
4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
flakey sea salt
Instructions
Chai Spice Mix
Mix all the spices together in a small bowl, set aside
Chai Spiced Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 400°F
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with blade attachment, beat the butter until smooth
Add the sugar, beat until fluffy
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between
Add the vanilla extract, mix
In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, chai spice mix, baking powder and salt
Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients
Alternate adds of flour mixture with adds of whole milk until everything is fully combined
Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners
Spoon the cupcake mixture into the cupcake liners, filling them 3/4 of the way full
Bake for 5 minutes at 400°F
After 5 minutes, without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350°F
Bake for about 20 more minutes, cupcakes are done when a toothpick when inserted in the center comes out clean
Cool cupcakes for about 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature
Apple Pie Filling
Put the apples in a medium sized bowl
Add the lemon juice and cornstarch, toss to coat evenly, set aside
Add the sugars, water and chai spice mix to a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat
Whisk to dissolve the sugar and let it come to a boil
Add in the apples, return to a boil stirring frequently working with a wooden spoon
Once the mixture reaches a rapid boil, reduce to simmer
Simmer 8-10 minutes until the apples are soft and reduced
Remove from heat, set aside
Salted Caramel Frosting
Melt 2 sticks of butter in a small, heavy bottomed, sauce pan over medium heat
Once butter is melted, add the sugars, vanilla and salt, whisk
Bring mixture to a low boil
Reduce heat to simmer
Add 2 tbsp heavy cream, whisk
Remove caramel sauce from heat, set aside
Reserve 2 tbsp of the caramel sauce*
Cool caramel sauce to room temperature
Add the caramel sauce to the bowl of your electric mixer
Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, between adds add 3 tbsp heavy cream
Beat the frosting on high for 5 minutes to make it light and fluffy
Cupcake Assembly
Use a knife to carefully cut a small hole in the top of each cupcake, reserve the piece you cut out
Use a small spoon to hollow out a space to put the apple pie filling
Fill the hole with apple pie filling
Replace the top piece you cut out, you should not be able to see the filling
Frost the cupcakes with a generous amount of salted caramel frosting**
Drizzle the reserved caramel sauce over the frosted cupcakes
Sprinkle with flakey sea salt
Notes
*Use to drizzle over finished cupcakes
**You can pipe the frosting or spread it with an icing knife
Keywords: #fallcupcakes, #fallbaking, #stuffedcupcakes
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If you make these Apple Pie Stuffed Chai Spiced Cupcakes let me know how you like them! Leave a comment here and/or give it a star rating! If you snap a photo I’d love to see it – share it over on Instagram and tag me @sprinklesandseasalt.