Maple and Pecan Cupcakes

Today, I had a very ambitious Monday afternoon. I made two batches of cupcakes and did a whole lot of washing. I have dry hands to prove it. But I think the results were worth it in the end. There is some tweaking  to do if I were to make them again, but right now, I'm happy that I can just sit back, listen to holiday music on the radio, and enjoy a cupcake.

Maple and Pecan Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from The Primrose Bakery Book
(Makes about 12 cupcakes)

60 grams of pecans, chopped
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
50 grams of brown sugar
160 millilitres of pure maple syrup
2 large eggs
115 grams of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

1. Measure out 60 grams of pecans and carefully chop them into pieces. The chopped pecans should be about 0.5 centimetres wide (see photo above).
2. Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°C) and line your tray with cupcake liners.
3. Using a mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth. 
4. Pour in the maple syrup and mix well.
5. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated.
6. Gently fold in the flour and baking powder into the batter. The original recipe calls for self-raising flour and next time, I would stick to it and omit the baking powder. I didn't have self-raising flour and guessed at how much baking powder would be needed - I should have used more, the cupcakes did not rise very much.
7. Then, fold in the chopped pecans.
8. Use an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute your batter into the liners, filling them about 2/3 full.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Caramelized Pecans
60 grams of granulated sugar
12 pecans, halved

1. Heat the granulated sugar in a heavy-based saucepan until the sugar has melted and is a pale golden colour.
2. Spread out the pecans on a silicone baking mat, then pour the melted sugar over the nuts.
3. Leave to cool and harden. Once the caramel is ready, break into pieces.

You know what I learned? I am terrible at pouring hot sugar over pecans. Furthermore, I am terrible at breaking them into even shards.

Maple Syrup Buttercream Icing
(Makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes)

1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups of icing sugar
1/4 cup of pure maple syrup

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth. 
2. Gradually add in the maple syrup until creamy and smooth.

Like I said in my notes above, not having self-raising flour was my downfall! The cupcake turned out short and dense.

They're also very sweet, so I would omit some of the brown sugar and maple syrup in the future. I did enjoy the crunch of the pecans inside the cupcake though.

I also loved the caramelized pecan toppings. All those extra shards without a pecan made lovely snacks for me. Ha! I know, I shouldn't be eating so much sugar.

Tender Pancakes

Do you know that feeling when you re-discover how good something is, and then you binge? I think I'm at the point where I can't stop making pancakes for breakfast. Since last week, I have made pancakes three times. Three!

Well, who can blame me? My usual morning routine consists of waking up at 6:30am and rushing to catch a bus, my breakfast consists of cold cereal, a piece of toast, or half a bagel. Not exactly Mmmm worthy.

So when I found a quick and easy pancake recipe, I just couldn't stop. I wanted a nice hot breakfast with fruits and maple syrup!

Tender Pancakes

Recipe adapted from Gale Gand's Brunch!

(Makes about eight to ten 3- to 4-inch wide pancakes)

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon of sugar

3/8 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder

1 large egg

1 cup of milk

2 tablespoons of canola oil

unsalted butter, for cooking

1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional but highly recommended)

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg with a fork and then mix in the milk and oil.
3. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and combine. It doesn't have to be smooth, lumps are actually encouraged! If you want, add the chocolate chips into the batter.
4. Use a ladle, spoon, or transfer the batter to a pitcher for easy pouring.
5. Heat your griddle/pan over medium heat. Melt 1 teaspoon of butter on it.
6. Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of the batter. Watch for bubbles that rise to the top of the pancake. This is generally the time to flip! You can also take a peek with your spatula to see if the other side is golden brown.
7. Flip your pancake and when it is golden brown, it is ready to be served!

Those are the instructions from the cookbook, but I found doing a one bowl method to work just as well. I added all the ingredients at once and then gave it a good stir and it was ready to go!

Don't forget to add fresh fruit and maple syrup! Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Wordless Wednesday: February 2, 2011