I love honey butter so much that I’ve been known to choose restaurants just because it’s on the menu. But, when my friend asked me if I’d ever had maple butter, I had to say no. How was it possible that I’d never had it? Maple is just as good as – if not better than – honey!

I soon learned that there are two different products called maple butter. One is made by cooking down maple syrup until it turns into something with the texture of butter. This, of course, is completely delicious. However, the version I’m sharing here is also amazingly good and SO much easier to make. You don’t need to cook anything on the stove, and it’s ready to eat in three minutes.

While pineapple upside-down cake is the most common upside-down cake (I even make that into pineapple upside-down cupcakes), pineapple isn’t the only cake that works incredibly well upside-down!

In this version, the apples become perfectly caramelized and taste like apple pie filling. The tartness of the apples balances out the sweetness of the caramel. Plus, the top of the cake ends up getting some of the apple flavor as well.

Like my pumpkin cupcakes, this delicious dessert is one of the many reasons that I look forward to fall baking! It’s ideal for a festive treat in October or November!

Ingredients and Equipment

This recipe is made with pumpkin pie spices – cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg.

How to Make Madeleines

Start by beating eggs, vanilla, and salt in an electric mixer.

It’s a brittle-like candy made by heating sesame seeds and a sweetener together, pouring the mixture onto a baking sheet, and baking. Once it’s cool, you break it up into chunks.

While English muffins are a key player in Eggs Benedict (where they are topped with bacon, eggs, and drippy, buttery Hollandaise sauce), cupcakes play it safe with perfectly coiffed frosting. This liaison between cupcakes and Eggs Benedict adds some sweetness to the classic in both the cupcake and in the special Hollandaise sauce.

How to Make Cupcakes Benedict

Start with jumbo, Texas-sized cupcakes (a regular-sized cupcake isn’t big enough to please its new partner). You can use any flavor cupcakes that you like – but I recommend maple cupcakes (see the recipe below).

For me, brunch isn’t brunch without maple syrup. Despite my proclivity toward carbs, if eggs were more regularly paired with maple, I would show them more love. This leads me to my creation: maple Hollandaise sauce – a thing of beauty. Maple Hollandaise sauce tastes just like traditional Hollandaise, but with a distinct maple flavor and a bit milder lemon flavor. Maple Hollandaise makes eggs happy.

As I was preparing my maple Hollandaise for the third time (I had to get it right so Jonathan could get the perfect photo), I happened to be making my dinner – a sweet potato prepared in the microwave. Yes, this food blogger often has a simple, unadulterated microwaved sweet potato for dinner, sometimes with a bowl of Cheerios on the side.  On a whim, I dipped my sweet potato in the maple Hollandaise sauce. Screw eggs. This maple Hollandaise was made for sweet potatoes. You may already put maple and butter on your sweet potatoes; maple Hollandaise is the same thing but with the thick and satisfying addition of egg yolks. Have sweet potato and maple Hollandaise for dinner if you like, or fancy up a Fall brunch by serving a sweet potato hash topped with this maple Hollandaise.

Diving into these maple pecan cupcakes from the top, you’ll be met with butter pecan buttercream frosting that tastes exactly like butter pecan ice cream – so much so that you may be tempted to put it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon.  That wouldn’t be a bad choice, but then you would miss out on discovering how well the butter pecan pairs with the pecan-packed maple cupcakes made with a half cup of pure maple syrup.  Together, frosting and cupcake are pecan perfection!

And if you can’t get enough of the sweet and comforting maple flavor, try this easy Maple Butter as well!

Print

Maple Pecan Cupcakes with Butter Pecan Buttercream Frosting

Diving into these maple pecan cupcakes from the top, you’ll be met with butter pecan buttercream frosting that tastes exactly like butter pecan ice cream – so much so that you may be tempted to put it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 16 cupcakes

Calories 480kcal

Author Stefani

Ingredients

Cupcake Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup finely crushed pecans
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup 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

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 cup roughly chopped pecans
• Pinch salt
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cupcake Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together flour, crushed pecans, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Mix in the sugar and maple syrup until fully combined.
• Add the butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes.
• Mix in the eggs and vanilla until just combined.
• Mix in the milk until just combined.
• Fold in the chopped pecans.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when lightly touched.

Frosting Instructions

• Frosting Directions
• To prepare the butter pecans, melt two tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium low heat.
• Add pecans and salt to the skillet. Cook for six to eight minutes, stirring periodically, until almost all of the butter is absorbed. Remove from heat, but leave in the skillet.
• To prepare the frosting, in a medium-sized mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix remaining one cup of butter on medium-low speed for three minutes or until light and fluffy.
• Slowly mix in powdered sugar until fully combined.
• Mix in vanilla until fully combined.
• Scrape the cooled pecans and any butter left in the skillet into the frosting and fold in.
• Spread onto cooled cupcakes.

Nutrition

Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 174mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 585IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1.2mg