I hope you’re ready to lean hard into maple flavored things today! I got a stuffed cupcake cookbook from my Secret Santa, and it doesn’t mess around! This is going to seem like a huge ingredient list, but you use many of the same things through all three parts, which really cuts down how many various packages you have to take out of the fridge/cabinets.

Ingredients:

Maple Cinnamon Custard:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter

Maple Cinnamon Cupcakes:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup milk, room temp

Maple Buttercream:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 4 cups sifted powdered sugar

• ground cinnamon, for garnish (optional)
• maple candies, for garnish (optional)

To make the custard, combine the milk and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan over high heat. As soon as you see the first bubbles of a boil beginning, turn off the heat, cover, and let sit at least 30 minutes for the cinnamon to infuse.

Remove the cinnamon stick and place the milk over medium heat.

Meanwhile, combine the yolks, syrup, and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk until the cornstarch is all mixed in. Don’t do this way ahead of time of the cornstarch becomes less effective.

Once the milk has been heated again, add a few tablespoons of the milk to the egg yolk mixture, whisking as you add it in. Continue adding the milk slowly into the yolks, whisking all the time, until all the milk has been transferred to the bowl.

Transfer back to the saucepan, pouring through a sieve if you have any cooked egg chunks to remove. Return to medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens, and becomes smooth.

Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and transfer to a small bowl/dish. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly to the surface of the custard, so it can’t form a skin, and refrigerate several hours until chilled. The custard can be made several days in advance if desired.

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake tins for 16 cupcakes. (I actually got 18 cupcakes out of this much batter.) Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the syrup and beat another 1-2 minutes until fluffy.

Ok this looks disgusting and I probably should’ve beaten the butter longer first to make it more ready to break up even more into the syrup.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each.

Add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk, mixing until combined.

Fold in the dry goods mixture.

Divide evenly into the prepared cupcake tins, filling the cups about 2/3 of the way full.

Bake until the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed on top, 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely before filling/frosting.

To make the frosting, beat the butter in a large bowl on medium-high speed for 4 minutes until smooth and fluffy, then add the syrup and beat another minute.

Add the powdered sugar, beating on low at first and then increasing to medium when most of it has been incorporated (and can’t fly up in your face). Add small amounts of powdered sugar or milk if the mixture is more liquid or stiff than you prefer.

To assemble, use a spoon, or even better an apple corer, to remove the center of each cupcake.

Oh no, tiny bits of spare cake!

Spoon some of the custard into the hole, then top with frosting.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and/or maple candies, if desired. Store any uneaten cupcakes in the fridge.

Could get away with making deeper holes to fill next time.

Maple Cinnamon Cupcakes

Recipe just slightly reordered from Fantastic Filled Cupcakes.

Maple Cinnamon Custard:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter

Maple Cinnamon Cupcakes:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup milk, room temp

Maple Buttercream:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 4 cups sifted powdered sugar

 

• ground cinnamon, for garnish (optional)
• maple candies, for garnish (optional)

To make the custard, combine the milk and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan over high heat. As soon as you see the first bubbles of a boil beginning, turn off the heat, cover, and let sit at least 30 minutes for the cinnamon to infuse. Remove the cinnamon stick and place the milk over medium heat.

Meanwhile, combine the yolks, syrup, and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk until the cornstarch is all mixed in. Don’t do this way ahead of time of the cornstarch becomes less effective.

Once the milk has been heated again, add a few tablespoons of the milk to the egg yolk mixture, whisking as you add it in. Continue adding the milk slowly into the yolks, whisking all the time, until all the milk has been transferred to the bowl. Transfer back to the saucepan, pouring through a sieve if you have any cooked egg chunks to remove. Return to medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens, and becomes smooth. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and transfer to a small bowl/dish. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly to the surface of the custard, so it can’t form a skin, and refrigerate several hours until chilled. The custard can be made several days in advance if desired.

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake tins for 16-18 cupcakes. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the syrup and beat another 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk, mixing until combined. Fold in the dry goods mixture. Divide evenly into the prepared cupcake tins, filling the cups about 2/3 of the way full. Bake until the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed on top, 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely before filling/frosting.

To make the frosting, beat the butter in a large bowl on medium-high speed for 4 minutes until smooth and fluffy, then add the syrup and beat another minute. Add the powdered sugar, beating on low at first and then increasing to medium when most of it has been incorporated. Add small amounts of powdered sugar or milk if the mixture is more liquid or stiff than you prefer.

To assemble, use a spoon, or even better an apple corer, to remove the center of each cupcake. Spoon some of the custard into the hole, then top with frosting. Sprinkle with cinnamon and/or maple candies, if desired. Store any uneaten cupcakes in the fridge.