Pecan Cupcakes

I’m going to show you how to make soft, flavorful cupcakes loaded with buttery pecans and topped with maple cinnamon buttercream. Extra egg yolks, buttermilk, and oil in the batter make these cupcakes ultra-rich. I’ll tell you now, your house is going to smell amazing when these are in the oven.

I love cupcakes, in case anyone couldn’t tell from the 100+ cupcake recipes and counting on the site. Cupcakes are less intimidating than a layer cake or even pecan pie, and anyone can make them! Try my turtle cupcakes and snickerdoodle cupcakes next.

Ingredient Notes

Here are the key ingredients in this pecan cupcake recipe. Refer to the recipe card for the printable amounts and recipe steps.

• Pecans – Be sure to chop the pecans up finely so you get plenty of them in each cupcake. Walnuts are a good substitute.
• Brown Sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar, or a mixture of granulated sugar and brown sugar in a pinch.
• Eggs – Using extra yolks in addition to whole eggs makes for a richer cupcake batter.
• Sour Cream – Sour cream is another ingredient that keeps these cupcakes super moist. Greek yogurt is a good substitute.
• Flour – Measure the flour correctly using a digital kitchen scale (first choice) or the spoon and level method to avoid overmeasuring. Fluff and then spoon the flour into the measuring cup. Then, level off the top. This way you won’t end up with too much flour, which leads to dry cupcakes.
• Buttermilk – A slightly acidic batter is key for moist, flavorful cupcakes. If you ever find yourself without buttermilk, you can make a substitute in a pinch. Mix 1 scant cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Stir, and it’s ready to use. I’ve used this buttermilk substitute in everything from pancakes to waffles and yellow cupcakes, and it works very well.

Maple Cinnamon Frosting

• Cold Butter – I always start my buttercream frosting with COLD, unsalted butter. The theory behind it is that thoroughly whipping the frosting makes it better for piping and allows you to better control the consistency.
• Brown Sugar – Regular sugar works in the frosting, too, though it won’t have the same depth of caramelized flavor.
• Maple Syrup – Maple syrup adds a sweet, unique flavor to the frosting, but you can use additional brown sugar instead if needed.
• Heavy Cream – Make sure it’s heavy whipping cream and not pouring cream or otherwise. If you need to, use milk instead.
• Cinnamon – You can skip this or try ground nutmeg instead.

Frosting the Cooled Cupcakes

After baking, allow the cupcakes to cool completely so the frosting doesn’t slide off. I frost my cupcakes with maple-hinted buttercream, but you can easily swap it with maple cinnamon whipped cream for a lighter option. I think these pecan cupcakes would also be delicious decorated with brown butter frosting. 

I use a large open-star piping tip, like the Wilton 1M, to pipe big frosting swirls on top of my pecan cupcakes. Learn more in my tutorials on piping tips and how to decorate cupcakes.

Storing Homemade Pecan Cupcakes

• Make the cupcakes ahead. You can bake these cupcakes up to 2 days in advance and store them in an airtight container, and they will still be moist and delicious. Ideally, leave off the frosting, though, until it’s time to serve.
• Refrigerate once they’re frosted. The frosted cupcakes are OK to store at room temperature for a few hours, but for longer-term storage, move them to the fridge.

More Cupcake Recipes You’ll Love

• Maple Walnut Cupcakes
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• Coconut Cupcakes
• Gingerbread Cupcakes