MAPLE-PECAN MINI POUND CAKES WITH MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Maple-Pecan Mini Pound Cakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting image

My husband said these mini cakes remind him of a superbly delicious pancake. Since the pecans are a fattier nut, they tend to float to the top of batter--which, when the cakes are flipped, ultimately becomes a nutty crust-like addition to the cakes. Adding chopped pecans as a garnish helps to balance everything out.

Provided by Kim

Categories Mini Cakes

Time 50m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 22

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Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
¼ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
⅔ cup chopped pecans
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¾ cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon maple extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup chopped pecans, or as needed

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a mini Bundt® pan.
Whisk together 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
Mix together butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Mixture will look curdled; this is normal. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and maple extracts. Add in half of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Pour in buttermilk and mix until combined. Add in remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Batter will be thin. Stir in pecans. Divide batter evenly amongst the cavities of the prepared pan.
Place pan into the preheated oven and bake until the bottom of the cakes spring back lightly when touched, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool cakes in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting: mix cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, maple extract, and salt; beat until mixture is completely smooth. Pour in heavy cream and mix until well incorporated. Frost mini cakes as desired, and sprinkle additional chopped pecans on top.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 648.4 calories, Carbohydrate 66.7 g, Cholesterol 164.9 mg, Fat 39.8 g, Fiber 2.2 g, Protein 8.7 g, SaturatedFat 17.7 g, Sodium 393.5 mg, Sugar 44.6 g