These cupcakes are like a mini pecan pie but better. They have a rich, nutty filling and are topped with a smooth and creamy Swiss meringue buttercream. They're a bit fancy but not too hard to make!
Ingredients
For Cupcakes:
2 ½cupsall-purpose flour
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1teaspoonsalt
12tablespoonsunsalted butter, softened
¾cuplight brown sugar
¾cupgranulated sugar
3largeeggs
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
1cupmilkwhole or 2%
For Pecan Pie Filling:
⅔cupwater
1largeegg yolk
½cupbrown sugar
2tablespoonscornstarch
1cupchopped pecans
2tablespoonsunsalted butter
1teaspoonvanilla extract
For Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
5largeegg whites
1 ⅔cupslight brown sugar
2cupsunsalted buttersoftened
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
½cuppecan halvesfor decoration
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place 24 liners in your cupcake pans.
To make the cupcake bases:
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt), and set aside.
In a mixer, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth.
Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix it all up. Pour in milk and mix again.
Pour batter into cupcake pans. Bake 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool.
To make the pecan filling:
In a medium saucepan, combine water, egg yolk, brown sugar, cornstarch, and chopped pecans. Cook over medium heat and stirring occasionally, heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Whisking constantly, boil for one minute.
Turn off the heat, add butter and vanilla, stir, and let it cool completely. Once cool, transfer the filling to a piping bag, and set aside.
To make the buttercream:
Create a double broiler using the bowl of a stand mixer placed over a large pot filled with about 2 inches of water. Allow the water to come to a boil before starting the frosting.
In the bowl of the stand mixer placed over the pot in the double broiler, combine the brown sugar and egg whites. Whisking constantly, continue to heat the mixture for approximately 3-5 minutes. If you have a thermometer, the mixture should reach 160°F (71°C). Otherwise, dab the mixture and it should no longer be grainy. It will be very sticky!
Place the bowl in the stand mixer and whisk on medium speed for about 5-10 minutes or until stiff peaks is achieved and the bowl is no longer warm to the touch.
Switch the whisk attachment for a paddle attachment. While the mixer is going on low/medium speed, add the vanilla and slowly add in cubes of butter, mixing well between each addition. The mixture may look curdled at some point - just keep mixing until smooth.
Transfer some of the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Set aside until ready to assemble.
To assemble:
Remove the center of each cooled cupcake using a rounded teaspoon, a cupcake corer, or small ice cream scoop.
Fill the hole with pecan filling. Pipe the Swiss meringue buttercream on top. Add a pecan half for decoration.
Notes
If frosting is stiff, add a bit of cream and whip again.
For thin frosting, chill briefly and whip again or add more powdered sugar.
If you're not eating the cupcakes right away, it's best to store them in the fridge. Put them in an airtight container to keep them fresh. They'll last about 3-4 days.