Description
Rich butter pecan cupcakes combine Southern charm with sweet, nutty goodness. Moist cake layers crowned with creamy frosting create a delectable dessert that will make guests swoon.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (120 g) chopped pecans
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter (for cupcakes)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter (for frosting)
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- 3 tbsps (44 ml) heavy cream or milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of salt
- Extra toasted pecans (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Pecan Toasting: Melt butter in a skillet and toast chopped pecans, stirring consistently until a rich, nutty aroma emerges. Remove from heat and cool completely.
- Oven Preparation: Preheat oven to 350F and line a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Dry Ingredient Combination: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until uniformly blended.
- Wet Ingredient Fusion: Cream butter with granulated and brown sugars until light and fluffy. Incorporate eggs individually, ensuring complete integration after each addition. Blend in vanilla extract for enhanced flavor complexity.
- Batter Assembly: Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients, alternating with buttermilk. Mix until just combined, avoiding overmixing. Gently incorporate toasted pecans throughout the batter.
- Baking Process: Fill cupcake liners two-thirds full with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes, verifying doneness with a clean-emerging toothpick when inserted into the center.
- Brown Butter Frosting Creation: Slowly brown butter in a saucepan until golden and releasing a nutty fragrance. Combine browned butter with powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and cream. Whip until smooth and spreadable, adjusting cream for optimal consistency.
- Cupcake Finalization: Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack. Frost with elegant swirls of brown butter frosting, garnishing with additional toasted pecans for a decorative and textural accent.
Notes
- Perfectly Toast Pecans: Stir continuously in butter over medium-low heat to prevent burning, watching for a golden-brown color and releasing a rich, nutty aroma as the key to developing deep flavor.
- Prevent Overmixing Batter: Gently fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until combined, stopping when no flour streaks remain to ensure tender, light cupcakes with a delicate crumb.
- Brown Butter Technique: Heat butter slowly and steadily, watching for golden-brown color and nutty smell, stirring constantly to develop complex, caramelized notes without scorching the butter.
- Customize Dietary Needs: Swap all-purpose flour with gluten-free blend, use plant-based butter alternatives, and replace eggs with flax eggs for dairy-free and gluten-free variations that maintain the cupcake’s signature rich texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 335
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg