Get ready for all the Fall flavors with these maple cupcakes with maple syrup buttercream! These brown sugar cupcakes are sweetened with maple syrup and are so simple to make - they only take 15 minutes to prepare! They're then topped with a delicious maple syrup frosting.
These extra fluffy maple cupcakes are the perfect fall dessert, and in total it takes just 20 minutes to prepare the cupcakes and the frosting. The frosting is similar to my espresso frosting, but flavored with maple syrup instead of coffee.
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Tell me about this recipe!
- The cupcakes are sweetened with sugar, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Because there isn't a lot of sugar added to these maple cupcakes, it provides a perfect balance of sweetness.
- They're lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg - my favorite fall flavors!
- The cupcakes are topped with an American buttercream which is sweetened with pure maple syrup. I then sprinkled over some chopped pecans and drizzled some extra maple syrup on top.
Ingredients Needed
The printable recipe card with the full list of ingredients and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.
- Maple Syrup: use real maple syrup for the cupcakes and the frosting, it will make a huge difference to the final cupcakes.
- Butter: I use European style butter, like Kerry Gold, in all of my recipes. This will make your cupcake and frosting much creamier and richer, as European style butter has a higher butterfat content.
- Oil: Instead of just butter in my cupcakes, I add some oil - this gives moisture to the cupcake. Use a neutral oil like vegetable, canola, or rapeseed oil.
How to make this recipe
One: In a bowl or large jug, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.
Two: In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and two sugars together until light and airy. Slow down the mixer and slowly pour in your maple syrup.
Three: Add your oil and beat well. Add your eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally, add in your vanilla extract. Make sure you are scraping the sides of the bowl every few minutes.
Four: On a low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with your buttermilk. Make sure not to overmix!
Five: Line your muffin pan with cupcake liners and fill each one until it is three quarters full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Six: Allow your maple cupcakes to cool in the tray for 10 minutes before removing them and letting them cool completely.
Seven: In your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners's sugar together on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium until it becomes thick.
Eight: Add the vanilla extract, salt and maple syrup and beat again on medium-high speed. Turn your mixer to your lowest speed and slowly pour in your cream until it becomes a spreadable consistency.
Recipe Tips:
- I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It makes a huge difference to your baking and is the most accurate way to bake!
- I make sure that all of my ingredients are at room temperature before I start the recipe, so pull out all of the ingredients about 2 hours before you start baking.
- Only fill up your cupcake liners to three quarters of the way, if you fill it up any further they will overflow in the oven!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make the cupcakes the day before. You can make the buttercream a day before, but make sure to place clingfilm on the surface so it doesn’t develop a crust. You may need to beat the frosting for a minute or two to make it spreadable again.
I used a Wilton 1M piping tip to frost these cupcakes
I don't recommend using pancake syrup or golden syrup for the cupcakes or the frosting.
If you don't have any buttermilk, you can replace it with an equal amount of sour cream. You can add in other spices like ginger and cloves (though you only need a very small amount of ground cloves!) if you want them to be even more spiced.
More Cake Recipes You Should Try!
Have you made this recipe? Make sure to tag me on Instagram @alpineella and leave a review below if you have! If you want more baking ideas, you can follow me on Pinterest.
Recipe
Maple Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream
Equipment
- 12 cup muffin pan
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 142 grams all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 85 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 50 grams light brown sugar
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 78 grams maple syrup
- 113 grams buttermilk
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Frosting
- 226 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 339 grams confectioners's sugar
- 60 ml heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- pecans crushed, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Place 12 cupcake cases in a muffin tray.
- Whisk together your flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, light brown sugar and granulated together on medium speed until light and fluffy - it takes about 3-4 minutes.
- Turn the speed to low and slowly pour in your maple syrup. Add the oil and beat again.
- Add your eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl well after each addition. Add in your vanilla extract.
- Turn the speed to low and add in a third of your dry ingredients. Mix well, then add half of the buttermilk. Repeat again, then end with the last third of your dry ingredients. Make sure there are no pockets of flour in the batter.
- Fill each cupcake case up until it is ¾ full. Bake for 15-18 minutes, they should turn golden brown. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar together on low speed
- Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until it becomes thick
- Add the vanilla extract, salt and maple syrup and beat on medium-high
- Turn the mixer to low, and pour in the cream until it becomes creamy and spreadable
- Use a 1M piping tip to frost each cupcake. Sprinkle over chopped pecans!
Arvella says
If only the U S customary button worked!
Ella says
Hi there, it might be an issue with your browser. I recommend clearing your cookies and trying another browser because the US customary button does work 🙂
Grammy says
Yes it would be nice if the US Customery button did work !? Or if I could find the conversions she mentioned. I guess I’ll just skip this recipe!! No problem!!
Ella says
Hi there! I've just checked for you and it appears to work for me. I've tried it on my phone and my laptop, and both work. I have emailed the developer for the recipe card to check on it for you, but I recommend trying a different browser or clearing your cache or cookies. Thank you so much for your patience!
Nicole says
These cupcakes were delicious! Used olive oil for the sponge. The frosting is amazing. So autumnal 💕
Ella says
Thank you so much!!
Katherine says
When putting a real maple drizzle on top of a cupcske,how long(days) can they stay out at room temp??
Ella says
I would only drizzle the maple syrup just before serving!