Hellloooooo pumpkin season! It’s the season of warm, buttery, comforting flavors – my favorite! This cupcake is now one of my all-time favorites, because it tastes like fall. The pumpkin spice cupcake is filled with a homemade maple praline, and topped with a light white chocolate buttercream. It’s the perfect cupcake to celebrate season!
WHAT YOU NEED:
PUMPKIN SPICE CUPCAKE
- 1 box vanilla cake mix
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter (melted)
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
Pumpkin Spice (make it from ingredients below or use generous 1.5 teaspoons pre-made)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
MAPLE PRALINE FILLING
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese (room temp)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar + 2 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon maple extract/flavoring OR 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (roasted & cooled)
WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- 1 cup butter (room temperature)
- 3 – 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 (3.4 oz) box White Chocolate Pudding Mix (I use Hershey’s)
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla (I use uncolored)
MAKE THEM:
CUPCAKES
Pre-heat oven to 350. Prep your muffin pan – for minis, spray each section. For regular-sized, use cupcake liners. These cupcake liners are super cute and give off that fall vibe!
In a medium bowl, use a whisk to lightly mix the cake mix, oil, water, eggs, and pumpkin spice until just combined.
Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
Bake 18-21 minutes for regular-sized, and 12-16 minutes for minis. Let cool completely.
MAPLE PRALINE FILLING
Toast your pecans either on medium-low heat on the stove, or in the oven, then dice them up finely.
Combine the mascarpone, powdered sugar, and maple flavoring until well mixed.
Fold in pecans, leaving some larger pieces aside for a topping.
Core each cupcake, setting the tops to the side, then fill with the maple praline filling and replace tops.
WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
Place your metal mixing bowl and mixer in the freezer for a few minutes. This will help the buttercream seriously rock when you’re ready to make it.
On medium-high, beat the butter for a solid 4 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl when needed.
Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time.
Add pudding mix, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla and beat on high until you have the consistency you want.
Add more powdered sugar to make it thicker, and more heavy whipping cream to thin it out.
Frost your cupcake and top with toasted pecans!
TRY THESE FUN CUPCAKES, TOO!
Pumpkin Maple Praline Cupcakes
Ingredients
PUMPKIN SPICE CUPCAKE
- 1 box vanilla cake mix
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- Pumpkin Spice make it from ingredients below or use generous 1.5 teaspoons pre-made
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
MAPLE PRALINE FILLING
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese room temp
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar + 2 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon maple extract/flavoring OR 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans roasted & cooled
WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 3.4 oz box White Chocolate Pudding Mix (I use Hershey's)
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla I use uncolored
Instructions
CUPCAKES
- Pre-heat oven to 350. Prep your muffin pan – for minis, spray each section. For regular-sized, use cupcake liners. These cupcake liners are super cute and give off that fall vibe!
- In a medium bowl, use a whisk to lightly mix the cake mix, oil, water, eggs, and pumpkin spice until just combined.
- Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
- Bake 18-21 minutes for regular-sized, and 12-16 minutes for minis. Let cool completely.
MAPLE PRALINE FILLING
- Toast your pecans either on medium-low heat on the stove, or in the oven, then dice them up finely.
- Combine the mascarpone, powdered sugar, and maple flavoring until well mixed.
- Fold in pecans, leaving some larger pieces aside for a topping.
- Core each cupcake, setting the tops to the side, then fill with the maple praline filling and replace tops.
WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- Place your metal mixing bowl and mixer in the freezer for a few minutes. This will help the buttercream seriously rock when you're ready to make it.
- On medium-high, beat the butter for a solid 4 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl when needed.
- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time.
- Add pudding mix, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla and beat on high until you have the consistency you want.
- Add more powdered sugar to make it thicker, and more heavy whipping cream to thin it out.
- Frost your cupcake and top with toasted pecans!
Jeni’s Disclaimer: I’m just a regular girl. I love to drink wine while I bake. I’m by no means a professional baker or pro photographer. My creations aren’t staged, they just are what they are, and that’s probably obvious from the pictures. I create my recipes from inspiration of scents and flavors around me. I also repurpose my grandma’s old recipes. If you love to bake and your food ends up looking like REAL food, and not like something you’ll see on Instagram, you’re in the right place.
9 Comments
These looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try them!
I got hungry just reading this recipe I so have to make these.
That’s a great cupcake for Fall. Good flavors in it.
These sound so delicious!! and love that the recipe doesn’t call for so many ingredients.
@tisonlyme143
I like the filling for this cupcake.
I think I could eat the MAPLE PRALINE FILLING just by itself….
These cupcakes sound delicious! I need to make these for my daughter she loves anything pumpkin.
These look fabulous! What a great flavour combination.
I love spice and pumpkin cakes, yummy.