Maple-Pecan Mini Pound Cakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

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.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 648 Calories

Ingredients

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

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a mini Bundt® pan.

Step 2

Whisk together 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg in a small bowl.

Step 3

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.

Step 4

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.

Step 5

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.