The summer has seemingly passed us by without appearing to have brought us much nice weather. So, because we're moving into autumn I thought I'd share some cupcakes to really get us in the mood, and what better combination than maple and pecan?!
I love autumn! It's my favourite season because it's so beautiful and cosy.
In the spirit of all thing's autumn, I thought I'd introduce us slowly with some scrumptious maple pecan cupcakes.
These are such a delicious treat as we move into the colder weather. The sponge is rich and sweet with maple flavour and bites of chopped pecans, and the frosting is cream cheese, which is always, always a winner in my book!
The nutty pecan flavour, combined with that completely delicious unique maple syrup and the cream cheese is to die for.
They're so so easy peasy to make. Simply mix up the sponge and whip up the frosting and hey-presto its done!
Enjoy with a cuppa and start to prepare for those cosy days wrapped up and keeping warm from the chill.
Let's get Caking It!
Recipe
180C (170C fan)
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep: 10 mins
Bake: 20 mins
Assembly: 5 minutes
Ingredients
Sponge
150g unsalted butter
150g light brown sugar
4 medium eggs
100ml maple syrup
150g gluten free self-raising flour
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
100g pecans, chopped
2 1/2 tbsp sour cream
Frosting
80g unsalted butter
120g cream cheese
450g icing sugar
Pecans
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Method: Sponge
Don't forget to wait until all the ingredients are room temperature before starting.
Preheat oven to 180C. Fill 16 muffin holes with cases.
Cream the butter until pale, then add the sugar and cream together until fully incorporated.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing with an electric whisk between each addition, then add the maple syrup.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate, and xanthan gum with a fork, and then add this to the mixture, mixing until fully incorporated.
Roughly chop the pecans and add them to the batter.
Spoon in the sour cream and fold until combined.
Spoon 2 tbsp of the mixture into each muffin case..
Let the mixture sit in the cases for 20 minutes before placing in an oven for 20 minutes. A skewer or toothpick inserted into the cupcakes should come out clean.
Method: Cream cheese frosting
This cream cheese frosting is the same as for my Coconut & Cherry Cupcakes and slightly thicker than the frosting for my carrot cupcakes.
While they are cooling, move onto the cream cheese frosting. Cream the butter and cream cheese together, and gradually add in the icing sugar until it is all incorporated. You can do this either with a standing mixer, an electric hand whisk, or a fork.
Assembly
Making sure the sponges are completely cool, spread a dollop of frosting on each cupcake and sprinkle some chopped pecans on top.
Enjoy!
