High-carb low-fat frostings are tough. They require me to engage all my unconventional baking imagination. Well not chocolate frosting. Chocolate frosting is (on top of) a piece of cake. But non-chocolate frostings require me to pull out all the sweet fruity stops and try every crazy idea that comes to me. Like this one…
In FF frosting history we’ve had…
– Freeze dried banana AND freeze dried strawberry frosting
– Purple sweet potato frosting
– Rice Whip frosting
– Chia frosting
– Caramel frosting
– Beet-dyed coconut frosting
– and a whole lot of other failed attempts that never left my kitchen.
Today I’m adding a new one to the list: Applesauceting! Applesauce + frosting. After making those Raw Blueberry Slices from Simple and Light Desserts, I had a whole new appreciation for dried apple slices. So I frosting-ed them.
It’s sweet and SO perfect perched on top of yet another flavor of Everything-Free cupcakes: cinnamon! And when the frosting soaks into the cake a little bit…WOW! I would say that this is my favorite flavor of Everything-Free cupcakes yet, but I probably said that last time…and the time before. I just can’t pick a favorite.
If you haven’t tried any of my Everything-Free cupcakes by now than you need to put that at the top of your to-do list. The vanilla, chocolate, and black bottom are all deeelicious! Everything-Free cupcakes are a feat of fruity baking! They are gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, oil-free, and sugar-free. And I’ve discovered that they last up to a week in the fridge without losing any cupcake quality.
Vegan Cinnamon Cupcakes with Apple Frosting
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 cupcakes 1x
Ingredients
- FOR THE CAKE
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/4 cup flour (I used oat flour, but all-purpose or wheat or spelt works too)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup milk
- FOR THE APPLESAUCETING
- 1 1/2 cup dried apple slices
- 1/3 cup apple juice
- 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
Instructions
- FOR THE CUPCAKES: Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Combine the dates and water in a food processor or blender.
- Blend till smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and milk.
- Process to combine.
- Divide the batter into 6 cupcake tins lined with paper liners or lightly oiled.
- Bake for approximately 22 minutes at 350F, or until the tops are firm when touched.
- Let the cupcakes cool.
- FOR THE FROSTING: Soak the dried apple slices in the apple juice and milk for 15-20 minutes.
- Blend the soaked apples with 3/4 of the soaking liquid. Add as little of the remaining 1/4 cup liquid as possible to keep the blender moving but keep the applesauceting thick.
- Once cool, frost the cupcakes. Keep the cupcakes in the fridge for up to a week.
What flavor of Everything-Free cupcakes should I make next?
yum! so easy and looks delicious! i love that your recipes don’t have super long ingredient lists, it makes a super-healthy cupcake very do-able {which is amazing!}
Thanks Mel, I love the simple ones too 🙂 I don’t feel like typing those long ingredient lists and you don’t feel like having to buy all those ingredients, so it’s a win win for both of us!
I love this so much! apples and cinnamon marriage made in heaven!! I just love your thinking process… simple ingredients yet yummy guilt free outcome! (may I suggest you make something minty as my mint is taking over my kitchen and I don’t know what to do with it!! haha only joking no pressure!) I’ll be making these as soon as!! 🙂
Marriage made in heaven right alongside bananas and chocolate 😉 OMG I actually just made a mint recipe, but its for a collaborative cookbook project and I can’t share yet 🙁 🙁 🙁 It’s really killing me too, because you would love it. I’ll come up with another one though, because I have some leftover mint in the fridge! I hope you don’t mind if there’s some chocolate involved as well ;D
These are so cute Natalie! My favorite flavor of all flavors is cinnamon and apples of course pair beautifully with cinnamon!! They compliment each other so well. Did you use regular all purpose flour or oat flour? They look like they have an oat consistency and I thought that’s the flour you usually use, but didn’t see it noted, so was just curious. They look yum!
I used oat flour in this particular batch, but I didn’t note it because either works fine. In fact I’ve made them with all-purpose and wheat and spelt and oat, and they all work just fine 🙂 And definitely one of my favorite pairings too!
Everything-free! That makes me giggle a little bit. Kudos to you for being innovative AND flavorful AND healthy with all your recipes. You make “everything-free” so delicious!
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Thanks Michelle! Writing out Gluten-free, soy-free, oil-free, etc. in the title didn’t seem very attractive, so I just went with everything free 😀
I didn’t get around to have a look at this earlier, but oh my gosh – your applesauceting sounds so good! I actually have a bunch of dried apple rings hanging around because I got them gifted recently. I might just have to try that on top of my breakfast soon 😉
Ooh I never considered putting this on top of breakfast, but a big bowl of cinnamon oats with a dollop of this goodness would be AMAZING! I feel like dried apple rings are an under-appreciated ingredient overshadowed by dried figs and raisins and dates 😀 haha
What a great idea to use dried apple slices as a base for a healthy cupcake frosting! You’re so creative! Also the muffins look amazing. Love the apple-cinnamon-combo, I have to make these soon. ^.^
Thanks Bianca! Come to think of it I’m totally off season with an apple cinnamon recipe, but that flavor pairing tastes so good regardless of time of year 🙂
Sure thing! It’s the same with my apple strudel (it also has the apple-cinnamon-combo). I’m making it all year round. So I can totally relate 😀
You nailed that frosting!!!! Omg! And just this whole recipe <3 Although, I'll be pouring in half a bottle of cinnamon for mine 😉 LOAD it up!
Thanks girl! A half bottle of cinnamon sounds like a reasonable amount to me 😉
Apples and cinnamon belong together – such a perfect combination! I absolutely LOVED your everything free chocolate cupcakes, so I have no doubt that I will love these, too!
p.s. – I thought I was subscribed to your blog all along, but I apparently never hit that confirm button! Oops! But I’m following now and won’t miss a recipe! 🙂
Thanks Mandy 🙂 I’m kind of a chocoholic, but I REALLY loved this flavor! Plus apple cinnamon just feels a little more fitting when you want cupcakes for breakfast haha!
I appreciate you subscribing, but you’ll usually catch all my recipes on IG…although IG has become more like Facebook and doesn’t show everything from everyone you follow anymore which is kind of annoying 🙁 I definitely don’t want to miss it when you announce you body butters are for sale! And it just so happens the lotion I have is nearing empty!!!
These look so delicous, and that is avery creative frosting recipe! Yum!
Thanks Kelly! The flavors are perfect together, just in an unusual frosted form 🙂
I love the applesauceting idea for something like graham cracker/pretzel dip, toast topper or swirled into some spiced oatmeal! I saw that the cupcakes will keep for week in the fridge, but how about the sauceting? Do you think if kept in an airtight jar, it might last maybe 2 weeks? I know i could find lots of uses for it and want to make a bouble batch!
I LOVE the pretzel dipping idea! Applesauce and pretzels is such an amazing combo <3 And the oatmeal too! I haven't tested the applesauceting for too long in the fridge, I probably only kept mine about a week before it was gone, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't last longer! All the ingredients keep for at least 2 weeks separately and applesauce can last for up to a month in my experience, so it shouldn't be problem sealed in the fridge. I worry that it might start to separate and get a little liquidy, but you could just stir it to fix that. I say go for it!
Applesauceting!! I love it! What a creative idea 🙂
Haha 😀 Thanks Sarah!
I made this recipe for my wife’s grandmother who has to be on a special diet. We looked at several recipes and finally found this one. I actually doubled the recipe and made a cake out of it. It turned out really good and she loved it.
I was trying to post a picture of it on here but I guess you cannot.
That’s wonderful Peter, I’m so glad it worked out! I wish there was a way to drop a picture here too, but I don’t think there is. I’d love to see it, if you want you can email it to me or post it to my FB page. Anyways, I’m glad she loved it and thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback here 🙂
Hello Natalie, I´m a big fan of your page! You have amazing recipes and i want to try everything!
But there is a thing… In my country we don´t have dates (and the few that sell are really expensive). There is any way to replace the dates? For example in your muffins or cookies (i really want to try the chip cookie).
Hope you have a good day and sorry for my weird english, i´m from south america 🙂
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Hi Karina! I’m so glad you like the recipes, and bummer about no dates around you. But yes there is definitely a way around them in most recipes! It will depend on the recipe of course, but in general I would suggest a combination of mashed banana (for binding and moisture) and coconut sugar or another sugar (for sweetness).
For the cookies for example, you would basically follow this recipe: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/gluten-free-mint-chocolate-chip-cookies/ but just leave out the mint and use chocolate chips.
Or for the cupcakes I would follow this basic muffin recipe: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/vanilla-blueberry-muffins-oil-free-gf/ and then add the chocolate or cinnamon that you want. I hope that makes sense, and if you have any other questions or recipes you need help adjusting just ask 🙂
Hi Natalie,
I just discovered your page (actually found you on IG first). Made everything free cupcakes today and liked them. Wanted to try frosting them with apples because I just realized that I have a humongous bag of dried apples that I had forgot about but I don’t have apple juice. Will it still work if I use water or extra milk?
Also do you think that prunes might work similarly to dates (I have some that are getting old and wonder if I could use them up this way…)?
Thanks for majorly contributing to the vegan low fat movement 😉 Not easy to find vegan recipes without oil or vegan butters and cheeses.
Hi Milda! I’m so happy you found my site 🙂 Yes the apple frosting will be fine with just water or plant milk. The apple juice just makes it extra sweet, but honestly dried apples are pretty sweet on their own already. I have had readers make them with prunes before successfully, I have never tried it myself. It will taste different of course, but it should work just fine. Let me know how it goes! Yes I know what you mean, oil-free can be hard to come by. Thanks for your support 🙂
Yum!! Will it work if I add in frozen blueberries? Thanks! 🙂
Should be fine although it’s hard to predict how fruit will affect the moisture/texture while baking. Perhaps reduce the non-dairy milk just to just 2 tablespoons to be safe so they don’t turn out mushy. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Would love to try this recipe,
1. Can I use fresh apples instead of dried?
2. Dates are too sweet. What else can I use?
Thanks