Name: Mini Maple Walnut Cupcakes
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter; 1 cup sugar; 2 eggs; 2 teaspoons maple extract; 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon each baking powder, baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup each buttermilk, maple syrup; 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 Tablespoons maple syrup; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 2 1/4 cups walnut halves – approx. 84-90 walnuts (enough to top all of your cupcakes); 1 cup unsalted butter; 5 cups icing sugar, sifted; 1/3 cup whipping cream; 1/4 cup maple syrup; 1 teaspoon maple extract

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Mini Maple Walnut Cupcakes with Candied Walnuts

Fall is just about the prettiest time of year, and it’s one of my favourite seasons for baking too. Flavours are full of warmth and spices and just about every baked good seems to go with a hot cup of tea, right? Super rich, sweet and nutty you’ll love these mini Maple Walnut Cupcakes that are just all of that and more. Topped with candied walnuts they are perfect for the fall or the winter months ahead.

They are a sweet little twist from the traditional cupcake, baked with real maple syrup and ground ginger. I recently baked dozens and dozens of these for a dessert table at an Autumn wedding in Bobcaygeon!

This recipe comes from one of my favourite cookbooks – The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book. Canadian Living has become somewhat of my baking bible. I’ve adapted the recipe a little and turned the original large layered cake into mini cupcakes, perfect for feeding a large crowd.

Everyone should have a go to source that they trust and know that their recipes will turn out. How many times have you invested money and time on a recipe that flopped? Even experienced chefs, bakers, and cooks have their favourite sources.

Ever since I was a little girl (or since I can remember) I’d flip through my mom’s magazines looking at all the beautiful pictures of recipes, drooling over all the eye candy and just hoping my mother would decide to bake at least one recipe (lucky for me, she almost always did). And yes, you can bet that magazine/cookbook was Canadian Living.
Who is your trusted source that you always go back to time after time?

Mini Maple Walnut Cupcakes

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A special cupcake for a special event! You’ll love these mini Maple Walnut Cupcakes topped with candied walnuts. They are rich, sweet and nutty. The recipe makes enough to feed a crowd.

Author: Adapted from Canadian Living
Prep Time: 40 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
Yield: 7 Dozen 1x
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: Canadian

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons maple extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon each baking powder, baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup each buttermilk, maple syrup

Candied Walnuts

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups walnut halves – approx. 84-90 walnuts (enough to top all of your cupcakes)

Maple Buttercream Icing

1 cup unsalted butter
5 cups icing sugar, sifted
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon maple extract

Instructions

Line mini cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 350˚F.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, and maple extract. Beat until well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger and salt. Add to the butter mixture alternating with buttermilk and maple syrup; making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of wet. Mix until incorporated.
Scoop out batter (with a mini ice-cream scoop) into each cupcake liner, approx. 2/3 full for each cupcake.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the tops slightly spring back.
While cupcakes cool, make your candied walnuts and icing.
In a pot add maple syrup, butter, 2 tablespoons of water and salt. Heat until melted and whisk together. Turn off the heat and add walnuts, cover to coat all the nuts.
On a lined baking sheet (with parchment paper) spread out walnuts and bake at 325˚F for 20-25 minutes, turning the nuts half way through the baking time. Once baked, let them cool on the baking sheet.
Make your icing. In a large mixing bowl, using the whisk attachment – whisk butter and icing sugar, slowly add your whipping cream, maple syrup, and maple extract. Whisk until light and fluffy. Adjust icing to desired taste, by adding more butter, etc.
Pipe icing on top of mini cupcakes and top each with a candied walnut.

Notes

Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Best eaten day of. You can freeze the cupcakes as well but I’d recommend just freezing the cake part and making the icing and nuts the day of.
The nuts do freeze, but can absorb the odours from the freezer so make sure to store them in an airtight container as well.