Maple Cupcakes

I gave up Chocolate for Lent, which left me in a bit of a bind when I was deciding what to make for dessert for a little family get-together at our house last night.  Chocolate, of course, is my go-to flavor so I was at a bit of a loss!

maple cupcakes - yum!

 I scoured my cookbooks looking for something new to try and stumbled upon this recipe for delicious Maple Cupcakes!!  It can be found in "Baked Explorations" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.  So far I have not been disappointed by any of their recipes that I've tried, and they add funny and informative little snippets throughout the book.  Plus, lots of pictures, which are always helpful!

You can find a great summary of their book by following this link:  http://the-dogs-breakfast.com/2010/10/31/baked-explorations/

Anyway.  These cupcakes were simple to make and got rave reviews!  They are not sickeningly sweet, which makes them perfect for a treat with coffee.  They also remind me of eating pancakes covered in syrup, so they therefor also make the perfect breakfast!  I'm telling you - you can't go wrong!  The only substitution I made in the recipe was using pecans instead of walnuts - otherwise I followed the recipe to a "T".  Good luck!

maple cupcakes:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, slightly softened, cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, at room temperature
• 2 cups pure maple syrup
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

1. preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  line two 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners
2. in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt
3. in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening until ribbonlike.  turn the mixer to low and stream in the maple syrup.  increase the spead to medium-high and beat until the mixture is nearly uniform in color, about 3 minutes
4. add the egg yolks and egg, one at a time, and beat until just incorporated.  scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.  add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated.  stream in the milk.  stop the mixer, add the rest of the flour, then turn the mixer on until just combined.  scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and fold in the walnuts
5. fill the prepared cupcake pan about three-quarters full.  bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean  

cream cheese frosting:

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

1. in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter until it is completely smooth.  add the cream cheese and beat until combined
2. add the sugar and maple syrup and beat until smooth.  do not overbeat

I decided to make mini-cupcakes, which took about 13 minutes rather than the 20-25 minutes that the recipe suggests for standard cupcakes.  I frosted them by putting the frosting into a pastry bag fitted with the largest tip I have, and they ended up being adorable!  I topped them three different ways, and got my inspiration from standard breakfast pancakes - one variety had toasted pecans, another had cocoa powder and a chocolate chip, and the other had sea salt.  Next time they most certainly will be topped with bacon!

 toasted pecans, chocolate, and sea salt

These would make a great addition to any dessert table!  Please contact me if you are interested in ordering these or any other flavor of cupcake!  Delivery can be arranged in Southeastern Wisconsin.  I can also make these as a cake-in-a-jar, which can be purchased and shipped on my etsy site:  www.tiamila.etsy.com