It’s a soft, sweet maple vanilla cupcake with a fluffy maple buttercream frosting. Plus some chocolate. Everything you want in a pancake! And a cupcake, for that matter. In honor of Maria and our delicious day in NYC, I’ve recreated this mini maple masterpiece, and I’m so excited to share it with you guys, her sweet friends and loyal readers.
I’ve recently become obsessed with cake flour, and I used it for these cupcakes. Just open a box of cake flour and you’ll see what I mean! It’s that intoxicating smell of a cupcake bakery wrapped up in a delicious little box. It totally knocks you in the face when you open it. Powerful stuff. By the way, in my grocery store the cake flour is with the cake mixes and not with the flour. Took me awhile to figure that one out. Is it like that in your grocery store? I also highly recommend Tahitian vanilla extract for the buttercream frosting if you can find it. I love using Tahitian vanilla for recipes that won’t be cooked. It just gives them that simple, pure vanilla flavor. If you’re into that sort of thing. Hope you enjoy these mini cupcakes!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 1 stick butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups 180 grams cake flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- Maple Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup 1 stick butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp milk
- 2 teaspoons Tahitian vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Measure out 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and stir with just enough of the flour mixture (about 1/2 tbsp) to coat the chips. To the butter and sugar, slowly add the maple syrup, vanilla, eggs, and milk, beating well after each addition until well combined. Add in the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Line a mini muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill the liners 3/4 full of batter. Bake at 350 for 7-9 mins, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
- To make the frosting: Cream the butter, sugar, maple syrup and vanilla on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the milk if needed to thin out the frosting enough to be of a good spreading consistency and beat well to combine. Frost the cupcakes and store at room temperature.
