Recipe
Maple Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream
Although it will always be my favorite use for it, maple syrup can be used for so much more than just topping pancakes and waffles. I’ve used it to sweeten cookies and homemade granola before, where it accents the other ingredients with its rich, sweet flavor. But there is no reason to keep maple as a background flavor and here I’ve made it the star flavor of a batch of Maple Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream, where there is real maple syrup in both the cake and the frosting.The cupcake recipe uses some brown sugar and some maple syrup for sweetness. The brown sugar helps give the cupcakes a tender consistency, and it also goes well with the maple syrup. There is no maple extract in here, so all that maple flavor comes from the syrup. I used Grade B maple syrup, which has a slightly stronger flavor than Grade A syrup. You can use either, but I’ll recommend B if you’re going out to buy some syrup. Do not use pancake syrup in these cupcakes.
The frosting also has some maple syrup in it. Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature when you mix them together so you get a very smooth frosting. Often, maple syrup is stored in the fridge, so consider this a quick reminder to take it out before you start to bake!
These have a great maple flavor to them, with a buttery undertone. I don’t think that they taste like pancakes, but if that is where you usually use maple syrup, the cupcakes might remind you of them! The cake has a slightly firm, tender crumb and holds up really well to frosting and to traveling, so consider these as an option for winter or holiday get-togethers.
Maple Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup maple syrup
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract. Stir in buttermilk and maple syrup. Gradually blend in the flour mixture, stirring only until batter is just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.
Divide evenly into prepared muffin tin.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.. Turn cupcakes out on to a wire rack to cool before frosting.
Makes 12 cupcakes.
Maple Buttercream
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 tbsp maple syrup, room temperature
2-3 tbsp milk, room temperature
2-3 cups confectioners’ sugar
Combine butter, maple syrup, milk and 2 cups confectioners sugar in a large bowl and beat at medium-high speed until smooth. Add remaining sugar in gradually until frosting is thick enough to spread easily. You may not use all the sugar. If icing is too dry, add additional milk until desired consistency is reached.
Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.