Maple Pecan Cupcakes

It appears we a right in the middle of winter now with the promise of more snow this weekend in London which I am very excited about. Ever since I moved close to Regents Park I have been excited by the thought of seeing it covered in snow. Its such a beautiful park in the summer and I bet its even more beautiful covered in the winter, covered in snow.

 

The last couple of months most of my baking orders have consisted of carrot cake cupcakes, chocolate Guinness cupcakes, carrot cupcakes, chocolate Guinness cupcakes... you get the picture. So it was a
nice change to be asked to bake some Maple and Pecan Cupcakes. I had a look around the interwebs at a few baking websites and the recipes all seemed to stem from this original website by Paula Deen and I just loved the idea of actually having some on the chopped pecans in the icing.



Maple Pecan Cupcakes
adapted from Paula Deen 

Makes 16

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup finely crushed pecans
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup caster sugar
½ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup whole milk
1 cup roughly chopped pecans



 Icing
1 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup roughly chopped pecans
Pinch salt
3 cups icing sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

In a stand mixer combine together flour, crushed pecans, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt.



Add in the sugar and maple syrup and mix until fully combined.



Add the butter and beat on medium-low speed for three minutes. 

 

Add in the eggs and vanilla and stir. And then add the milk until just combined.

 

Fold in the chopped pecans.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when lightly touched.
 
To make the icing:

Melt two tablespoons of butter in a small frying pan over medium-low heat.

Add pecans and salt to the pan and cook for six to eight minutes, stirring periodically, until almost all of the butter is absorbed. Remove from heat, but leave in the pan.




In your mixer, add the remaining one cup of butter on medium-low speed for three minutes or until light and fluffy.

Slowly mix in the icing sugar and vanilla an beat until fully combined.
 
Scrape the cooled pecans and any butter left in the pan and add to the icing and fold in.

Spread onto cooled cupcakes with a pallet knife.
 

Luckily they made 16 cupcakes which left me (and Pete) one to enjoy the next day for afternoon tea.

Happy Baking x