Apple Cider Cupcakes (with Apple Juice Reduction)

If you’re looking for the ultimate fall cupcake, you’ve just found it! These Apple Cider Cupcakes are warm, spiced, and full of cozy flavor thanks to a homemade apple juice reduction.

Why Make Apple Cider Cupcakes?

Oh, friends, let me tell you why. These delicious homemade cupcakes are everything great about the fall season. The luscious apple, the cinnamon spice, and then that delicious buttercream? It all merges together into what has truly become one of my all-time favorite cupcakes.

On top of that, each bite is tender, moist, and perfectly sweetened with hints of cinnamon and spice. Topped with a creamy cinnamon cider buttercream, they make the perfect treat for crisp autumn days, holiday dessert tables, or even an everyday pick-me-up when you’re craving comfort food in cupcake form.

At a Glance

• Skill Level: Intermediate – simple techniques, but requires making a cider reduction.
• Flavor Profile: Warm, spiced, and cozy with apple, cinnamon, and caramel notes.
• Options Included: Frosting variations (brown sugar cinnamon buttercream or maple cream cheese), optional apple butter filling, and garnishes like caramel drizzle or apple chips.
• Best For: Fall gatherings, Thanksgiving dessert tables, holiday parties, or bake sales.

Apple Cider Cupcake Ingredients

Friends, you'll find a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, as always. I hope you find it helpful. Just click the print button. Or, save it as a pdf to refer back to later. In the meantime, here's a glance at what you'll need for these delicious (did I mention they're delicious?) cupcakes.

Apple Juice Reduction

• 2 cups apple juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or one cinnamon stick)
• 3 whole cloves
• 2 thin slices of orange peel (optional)

Cupcakes

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or apple pie spice)
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
• ½ cup of the reduced apple juice (cooled slightly)

Cinnamon Cider Buttercream

• ¾ cup butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3-4 tablespoon remaining cider reduction
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt (if you use unsalted butter)

How to Make Apple Cider Cupcakes

You might look at the list of ingredients and think, "Goodness, that's a lot of stuff. These look complicated!" I promise, they're not. They literally come together in minutes and they are so simple to make.

Make the Apple Juice Reduction

You'll want to do this in advance so the reduction has time to cool.

In a small saucepan, combine apple juice, cinnamon stick, cloves, and optional star anise/orange peel. I only had ground cinnamon and clove so it took a minute to incorporate.

Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered until it’s reduced to about ¾ cup (roughly 20–30 minutes).

Strain out the spices. Set aside ½ cup for the cupcakes and save the rest for the frosting (or drizzling later!).

Make the Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes).

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well. Stir in vanilla.

Mix in the sour cream.

Alternate adding the dry ingredients and ½ cup of the cider reduction, beginning and ending with the dry. Don’t overmix!

Divide batter into cupcake liners (about ¾ full).

Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool completely before frosting.

Make the Frosting

Beat butter until fluffy.

Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time.

Mix in 2–3 tablespoon of cider reduction, cinnamon, and salt. Beat until smooth and creamy.

Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes. Garnish with apple chips, a cinnamon stick, or caramel drizzle if desired!

I took mine to the grandkids and didn't fuss with anything fancy. That apple cinnamon frosting was enough, all on its own!

Serve and enjoy!

Store leftovers at room temperature up to two days. By the 3rd day these will require refrigeration. If you're not going to eat them right away, I suggest freezing them to be thawed naturally later one.

Things to Love about this Recipe

I must confess, I've been on a low carb diet for a while now, so the idea of anything sweet is a mixed bag for me. I want so badly to stick with the diet, but cupcakes like these almost cause me to veer off the beaten track.

I tasted this cupcake. A big bite. And every single thing about it appealed to me--the texture, the flavor (the hint of apple merged with that luscious cinnamon). And that frosting? Y'all. I just can't even. . .

This is going to be the absolutely perfect holiday cupcake. And let me say right now that I think this would be amazing in a loaf pan with diced apples and walnuts worked in. Serve it by the slice with apple butter. (Oh, yum!)

No matter how you serve it, you're going to be so glad you did!

Variations on this Recipe

It's so fun to think of ways to mix things up and this cupcake is the perfect canvas for other additions! Here are some things that come to mind:

Diced apples. It won't take many, and you'll want to make sure they're finely chopped.

Fill with apple butter. (I love to hole out the center of a cupcake and then fill it with something sweet.)

Garnish with dried apple slices or a drizzle of caramel. (I happen to have the best-ever caramel recipe that starts with a can of sweetened condensed milk.)

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream: Change this up with a different frosting. I love the brown sugar cinnamon option! I used it on my Old-Fashioned Molasses Cake.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting: If you're looking for something creamy, dreamy, but with a slight tart kick, then maple cream cheese frosting will be perfect for you. Start with my base recipe for cream cheese frosting and add maple extract or real maple syrup.

Other Apple Favorites from Out of the Box Baking

If you're an apple fan you're going to love these great items:

• Easy Cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake: This is delicious and simple!
• Apple Snickerdoodle Dump Cake: Dump cake lovers, unite! This one is so rich and yummy!
• Easy Apple Pie with Homemade Crust: When you're in a hurry but want a traditional apple pie. . .
• Homemade Applesauce Cake: Just like grandma used to make!

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe. Before you go, why not pin some photos to your Pinterest boards?

About the Author

Hi, I’m Janice! I’m the recipe developer, writer, and baker behind Out of the Box Baking. With a passion for creating from-scratch treats and giving boxed cake mixes a gourmet twist, I love sharing recipes that are approachable, fun, and full of flavor. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll find me writing novels, rescuing dogs, or teaching others how to bring creativity into everyday life. My goal? To help home bakers of all skill levels feel confident and inspired.