Pecan Pie Cupcakes (Easy Holiday Recipe)
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Pecan pie cupcakes are a delightful hybrid dessert that captures all the rich, buttery flavor of a traditional holiday pie in a convenient, handheld form.
This recipe started as a way to win over family who doesn’t like traditional pecan pie. Now it’s a must-make for every holiday season, especially after getting rave reviews from my taste testers. I make the cupcakes with my all-time favorite vanilla cupcake recipe. I swap the white sugar for dark brown sugar and add in toasted chopped pecans.
The brown sugar frosting adds to the pecan pie flavor. This recipe is simple and doesn’t require you to make actual pecan pie filling in order to achieve the classic flavor. Serve these alongside a steaming mug of coffee or hot cider, and finish each one with a toasted pecan or a rich caramel drizzle for the ultimate crunch.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Moist brown-sugar cupcake base: Built with a rich, caramel-like brown sugar crumb that delivers deep, cozy flavor in every single bite without needing a complex batter.
- No pie crust to fuss with: Eliminates the stress of rolling, chilling, blind-baking, or crimping traditional pie pastry, making holiday baking completely foolproof.
- Makes exactly 24 cupcakes: Yields a precise, standard party-sized batch that takes the guesswork out of scaling quantities for a crowd.
- Easy to transport to a party: Pre-portioned into handheld servings, they travel easily in a standard cupcake carrier without the crumbling or mess of slicing a traditional.
Ingredients
For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.
- Oil and butter: I like to use canola oil, but vegetable oil works just as well. Use unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt.
- Brown sugar: Dark brown sugar will yield more flavor, but light brown sugar will work in a pinch.
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Flour: For the best texture, use cake flour instead of all-purpose.
- Leavening: This recipe calls for both baking powder and baking soda.
- Salt
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is necessary for the tender crumb.
- Pecans: I prefer to toast them before using, but it’s not a make-or-break. It only adds more flavor.
- Heavy cream
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Pecan Pie Cupcakes
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
- Make the cupcakes. Beat the oil, butter, and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat in the vanilla.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add half the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk, then the remaining flour. Fold in the chopped pecans.
- Bake the cupcakes. Divide the batter between 24 muffin cups and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Make the frosting. Melt butter in a saucepan, then add brown sugar and heavy cream. Transfer the hot caramel to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed until cooled to room temperature.
- Add powdered sugar and heavy cream and mix until fluffy and pipeable.
- Decorate cupcakes. Pipe frosting as desired, then top with a toasted pecan.
Tips For Success
- You can add 1-2 tablespoons of bourbon to the cake batter for added flavor.
- You can also make the chocolate by using my chocolate cupcakes and adding pecans to the batter.
- You can make mini cupcakes by baking them in a mini muffin tin for about half the time. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t overbake.
- Baked cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then frost with homemade frosting.
FAQ
Yes, you can easily make pecan pie cupcakes using a box cake mix. Simply use vanilla cake mix and fold in chopped pecans.
Yes! Stir in 1-2 tablespoons when you add the vanilla.
Yes! Use my chocolate cupcake as the base and fold in the chopped pecans. Top with the brown sugar frosting.
You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then frost with homemade frosting.
More Recipes You’ll Love
The Best Pecan Pie Cupcakes for Fall Baking
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- ½ cup (120 ml) canola oil
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups (330 g) cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (170 g) chopped pecans, toasted
For the frosting
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream, plus 8 tablespoons, divided
- 4 cups (480 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- ⅓ cup (37 g) chopped pecans, toasted
Instructions
Make the cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, beat the oil, butter, and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for 20 seconds after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir with a whisk and add half to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until the flour is almost fully incorporated. Add the buttermilk followed by the remaining flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Take care not to over mix. Fold in the toasted pecans.
- Fill each muffin cup ¾ of the way full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with few moist crumbs attached. Take care to not over-bake.
- Cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the brown sugar and heavy cream. Bring to a low boil and let it bubble for about 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Remove from heat, pour into a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Turn the mixer on low and beat until the mixture reaches room temperature.
- Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar and 8 tablespoons of heavy cream until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. Frost cupcakes as desired. Garnish with chopped toasted pecans.
Notes
- Baked cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then frost with homemade frosting.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.