Maple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

These maple cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting are pretty spectacular. 

These cupcakes are deeply flavored with maple syrup, both in the cake and in the frosting. These cupcakes are also filled with toasted pecans. 

These maple cupcakes are a wonderful dessert for fall and winter celebrations. The cake is sweetened entirely with maple syrup, which makes it kind of fun to tell everyone that they are "sugar free." The maple syrup also gives the cupcakes an amazingly moist texture. They are unlike any other cupcake I have ever tried. 

In fact, if you need an excuse to make these cupcakes, National Maple Syrup Day is December 17! 

Ingredients in the Cake:

From your Pantry: All purpose flour, baking powder, shortening, and salt. 

From your Fridge: Butter, eggs, and milk.

Maple Syrup: Any grade (real, not artificial). 

Ingredients in the Frosting:

Butter: Either salted or unsalted will work. 

Cream Cheese. 

Powdered Sugar. 

More Maple Syrup!

The first time I made these, several years ago, I took them to work. They disappeared pretty quickly. Before lunch. 

Some of the comments: 

"That was one of the best cupcakes I've ever had." 

"Amazing frosting. Can I have the recipe?"

"Karen, I had one of your cupcakes. Oh Em Gee!" 

"These cupcakes make me want some bacon. They kind of taste like pancakes." 

Actually, they do make me crave bacon.....

Tips for Success:

You can make these cupcakes with either a stand mixer or a hand mixer. For the full recipe, I prefer using my stand mixer, but for smaller amounts, a hand mixer works just fine. It's just a little more hands on. 

For the frosting, be sure to sift the powdered sugar into the bowl before mixing to get rid of any lumps. After measuring the sugar, simply shake it through a sieve over the mixing bowl. 

This recipe can be halved, and even quartered. For this batch, I made just six cupcakes instead of the 24 in the original recipe. It really helps to have a calculator and a kitchen scale, especially in measuring the egg. I converted the three yolks plus one egg to one egg yolk and 1/4 of an egg white by weighing the separated white and then adding 1/4 of it to the yolk. It worked!

Feel free to frost the cupcakes your favorite way. I used a large piping tip with a piping bag and piped in a swirl. You could also simply apply the frosting in swirls with an offset spatula, the same way you might frost a cake. Sprinkles are optional!

Make-Ahead and Storage: 

You can make the frosting a day in advance and keep it in the refrigerator, covered. Let it come to room temperature before frosting the cupcakes. 

These cupcakes will keep for two to three days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring them back to room temperature before serving. 

More Tasty Recipes with Maple: 

• Maple Roasted Salmon from That Recipe
• Maple Snickerdoodles from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Maple Cake with Maple Frosting (made with maple sugar)
• Sourdough Maple Pecan Muffins
• Maple Pecan Oat Bread
• Maple Sugar Cookies
• Maple Pecan Biscotti
• Pork Chops with Cranberry Maple Pan Sauce

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Maple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: 24 Cupcakes

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 55 Min

These maple cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting are pretty spectacular.

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• 3 Cups (13 1/2 ounces by weight) unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 2 cups maple syrup, any grade (real, not artificial)
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk

For the Frosting

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

To Prepare the Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Line two 12 cup cupcake pans with paper liners.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
4. In a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium high with the paddle attachment until fluffy.
5. On low speed, slowly add the maple syrup. Beat on medium high for about 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Add the egg yolks and egg, one at a time, until incorporated.
7. Add half of the dry ingredient mixture and mix on low until it is mixed in.
8. Slowly add the milk while the mixer is on, Turn the mixer off, and add the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
9. Divide the batter among the 24 cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full.
10. Bake the cupcakes, one pan at a time, for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
11. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 15 minutes, and then remove them from the pan and continue to cool them on a wire rack.

To Make the Frosting

1. To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the butter until smooth.
2. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth.
3. Sift the sugar over the bowl (I used a strainer), add the maple syrup, and beat until smooth.
4. You can refrigerate the frosting for up to one day, covered. Bring to room temperature before using.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

374

Fat (grams)

17 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

10 g

Carbs (grams)

53 g

Fiber (grams)

0 g

Net carbs

52 g

Sugar (grams)

38 g

Protein (grams)

4 g

Cholesterol (grams)

73 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2014/12/maple-cupcakes-with-maple-cream-cheese.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

cupcakes, maple syrup

dessert

American

Adapted from Baked Explorations: Classic American Sesserts Reinvented, by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito (2010). I have all four of their books.