Fireball Cupcakes
Fireball cupcakes are filled with flavor… and alcohol. Fireball whiskey and hard cider are infused in this spiced cupcake recipe.
This recipe was originally published November 2013. It was last updated August 2020.
Let me start by saying that I am a seasonal personโseasonal eater, seasonal drinker, and seasonal runner (I do not run in the cold, sorry). My go-to drink in the fall is hard cider (sometimes with a shot of Fireball!) I made the drink into a cupcake!
Why this recipe works: This spiced cupcake batter lends itself well to spiced whiskey and hard dry cider. The whiskey increased the flavor and the carbonation in the cider makes for a light, fluffy cupcake. The sautรฉed apples and buttercream frosting are flavored as well for ultimate seasonal taste.
Step by step instructions
- Make the cupcakes: Whisk together dry ingredients in one bowl. Beat remaining ingredients (except hard cider) together in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in hard cider last.
- Bake the cupcakes: Spoon batter into cupcake tin and bake at 350 Ffor 15 to 18 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely.
- Sautรฉe the apples: Whisk together cornstarch and whisk in a small bowl. Set aside. Add remaining ingredients to a sauce pan and cook over medium-low heat until apples are soft. Stir in whiskey cornstarch mixture. Let mixture cool completely.
- Prepare frosting: Beat butter for 2 minutes, then add remaining ingredients. Mix until light and fluffy.
- Assembly: Core cooled cupcakes and spoon apple mixture into the center. Frosting the cupcakes and top with more sautรฉed apples if desired.
Related recipes
Fireball cinnamon whiskey can be used in many recipes. I’m personally of fan of desserts like Fireball whiskey brown butter chocolate chip cookies (Cupcakes for Dinner blog) and Fireball whiskey caramel sauce – (The Gold Lining Girl blog).
However, you can use Fireball in more savory recipes such as candied Fireball whiskey nuts (The Lazy Mom Cooks blog) and smoked Fireball whiskey meatballs (Girls Can Grill blog).
Hard cider and Fireball cupcakes are every bit of deliciousness you need in a dessert. Spiced with fall flavors and kicked up a notch with some alcohol, once you take a bite there is no turning back.
Did you try this recipe? Tag @ifyougiveablondeakitchen on social media so I can see your creation!
Get the Recipe: Fireball Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cinnamon Spice Hard Cider Cupcakes
- โ cup butter
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- โ cup sugar
- ยฝ Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ยฝ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ยฝ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon baking soda
- 1 cup hard apple cider, room temperature*
Whiskey Caramel Apple Filling
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 2 large, or 3 small crisp apples peeled, cored, and diced (I used Gala apples)
- ยผ cup dark brown sugar
- ยผ teaspoon cinnamon
- ยผ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons whiskey**
Cinnamon Whiskey Buttercream:
- 1 cup 2 sticks butter, room temperature
- 3 ยฝ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ยผ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 Tablespoons whiskey**
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐ F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat, whisking constantly.
- The butter will start smelling sweet and brown specks will appear, remove from heat and continue whisking for 30 more seconds. Pour into stand mixer and let cool. Once the butter is cool, add the buttermilk, egg, sugars and vanilla, and mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add the flour to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Once the flour is fully incorporated, stir in the hard cider, being careful not to over mix. Scrape the sides and bottom to make sure there arenโt any clumps. Fill each prepared cupcake liner a little more than halfway.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Filling
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Cook for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and have released their juices. (It will smell delicious!)
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the whiskey with cornstarch. Then add to the pan with the apples and cook for another 3 minutes, until the liquid thickens. Set aside to cool.
Frosting
- Cream the butter for a minute or two. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until creamy.
- Add the whiskey, start with one tablespoon and add more until you reach desired consistency (I ended up using 2 tablespoons). Beat on high for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy and whipped.
Assembly
- Core each cupcake with a cupcake corer (if youโre fancy like that) or a melon baller.
- Fill the cupcake with apples, then top with buttercream frosting. Garnish with any left over apples and enjoy!
Notes
**I used Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey. Again, if you donโt want alcohol in your cupcakes, replace with regular cider.
Recipe adapted from Veggie & the Beast
29 Comments on “Fireball Cupcakes”
I’ve never really gotten into the whole cup cake thing but these cup cakes…these cup cake have changed my mind. I may have to make a booze run to make these but that’s never a bad thing. ๐
Reblogged this on Recipe Reblog.
These sound fantastic — I can’t wait to try them. I’m a seasonal eater too so these suit my sensibilities this time of year.
Thank you, Dreena! Let me know how they turn out if you do ๐
Your cupcakes look, sound and I am positive are delicious. I am so impressed with your skill. ๐
I have the same kitchenaid mixer as you! I also love everything boozy – these cupcakes look so gorgeous!
I love my kitchenaid! The white is a classic. Thanks for checking out the recipe!
I’m so making these this weekend! Angry Orchard and Fireball is my new fav drink!
Just made these to take to a party. Going to assemble them tomorrow before we go, but had to try one. So yummy!
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Hello, these cupcakes look great! I wanted to get your opinion – if I wanted to make more of an apple muffin (no icing) vs apple cupcake with icing, do you think I could just mix in your apple filling into the muffin mix and bake as muffins (keeping all the alcohol you mentioned in the muffin mix and the apples)? Do you think that would work? Any advice as to what I might need to change while keeping the alcohol (i love fireball!) in the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Amy, thanks for visiting my blog! The apple mixture is more of a compoteโvery syrupy. I would not advise putting the apple mixture into the muffins as it would result in a very dense and heavy muffin. Instead I would skip the heating process. Take a bowl and toss together 1 cup chopped apples with 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 Tablespoon whiskey. Let it sit for 5 minutes to marinate and then stir into the batter. Bake as instructed in the recipe! Let me know how they turn out ๐
Hi! I’m planning to make these cupcakes this weekend! In terms on advanced assembly, will the filling/icing/apple garnish last a few hours uncooled before serving?
Hi Mary, sorry for the late response! The items should be fine before serving. I would keep them at room temp. I hope they turned out well!
What would be the best way to half this recipe? Any help would be appreciated!
Hi Diana! Halving all the ingredients should work just fine. For the egg, I would whisk one large egg in a small bowl and use two tablespoons of it. Here’s a link that will help with some of the conversion: http://www.avartsycooking.com/2012/08/cupcake-basics-scaling-a-recipe/
Haley, I’m catering my sons fraternity Parents Day…doing boozy cupcakes for dessert table. Want to make these, but it’s a 3 hour drive to his school (no actual functional kitchen…ah college boys houses) so I need to make these the night before…do you think they’ll be too mushy in the middle if I make ’em, refrigerate over night then let them go back to room temp the next day? I am really wanting to make these… they sound delish!!
Hi Carol, I love this story you just shared with me! My brother is currently pledging a fraternity so I know exactly the situation you are in. The cupcakes will be just fine if you refrigerate over night. If the apples seem too liquidy to you, just add a bit more cornstarch to thicken up the filling (it will also thicken slightly as it cools). I would just make sure the apples reach room temperature before filling the cupcakes. Good luckโthe boys will definitely enjoy these!
It cuts off when it says on the bottom if you do not want alcohol in your cupcakes for the whiskey part. What was that going to say?
Substitute with cider as well
Hi! I made these for a bake sale at work and they turned out great. I do have some leftover that my sisters want to try this weekend. How long do these stay good for?
That’s amazing! They are only good for about three days. Definitely keep them in the refrigerator and let them sit on the counter for an hour before serving so they come to room temperature.
I’ve made this recipe every fall for at least 5 years! It is a hit EVERY TIME! I’ve even replaced the flour with Bob’s Red Mill 1-for-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour to make them gluten free for the past 3-4 years with great results. I use the Perfect Fries chopper to cut the apples into perfect cubes too.
Thanks for the recommendations, Jenna! I’m glad you like this recipe and I’m flattered you make it every year. Enjoy!
I made these because I too am a seasonal baker/eater and I was tired of the pumpkin everything. These were divine! While I didn’t make the filling and used store bought icing (They were going to be sitting out at work) that I doctored up, they were still amazing. I didn’t use hard cider in the cupcake but used half a cup of regular cider and half a cup of fireball. SO good!! They were a hit at the office. I also drizzled some homemade salted caramel sauce on top of them.
found you through google searching for boozy cider cupcakes, making these now to take to the Turkey trot fun run with friends. I skipped the middle since I was out of apples, and out of fireball, what!, so going to add cider and spiced rum to some of the icing. Hope it turns out!! Can’t wait to try!
Nice! Spiced rum should work for the icing. Hope your friends enjoy the trot and the cupcakes!
So good! Obsessed with this cupcakes!