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Five Spice Pear Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream-Dessert Challenge

November 14, 2013 by pictureperfectcooking

Welcome to the November edition of the Lady Behind The Curtain Dessert Challenge where we are using pears and maple as our spotlight ingredients.  Since I made muffins last month, I decided to stay on the handheld dessert theme and make cupcakes this time.  These are so moist and flavorful!  The texture is more like a muffin than a cupcake, but the maple buttercream just puts it over the edge from snack/breakfast food to a true dessert!  I started with this cupcake recipe from Sugar Hero and this frosting recipe from Chow and tweaked it as you see below.  This is definitely a keeper!

Five Spice Pear Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream

For the cupcakes:

1 1/8 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Chinese five spice

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups finely diced pears

1/2 cup chopped & toasted pecans

For the frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

pinch of salt

1/4 cup maple syrup

IMG_5348

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  This is a perfect time to toast the pecan pieces.  Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.   Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt & Chinese 5 spice. 

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Then add the egg and vanilla.  Slowly add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Stir in the pears and pecans gently by hand.

Fill the cupcake liners no more than 2/3 full because the cupcake will spread instead of rise and you don’t want ugly cupcakes. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with few or no crumbs.  Cool completely and frost with the maple buttercream.

For the frosting, beat the butter, salt, and maple syrup together with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.  Don’t worry if it still looks separated because the sugar will make it come together.  Add the sugar about 1/2 cup at a time and mix thoroughly.  You may need to adjust the sugar amount to make it the consistency that you want.

I decided to use a 2D piping tip to frost the cupcakes.  It almost looks like a rose when you are done.  This recipe makes 12- 14 cupcakes.

IMG_5374

Five Spice Pear Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream

 


Lady Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge

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Posted in Challenge, Cooking | Tagged Buttercream, Chinese 5 spice, cupcakes, Lady Behind The Curtain, Lady Behind The Curtain Dessert Challenge, maple, pears | 25 Comments

25 Responses

  1. on November 14, 2013 at 9:22 am Emily @ It Bakes Me Happy

    Tammi the look pretty perfect to me 🙂


    • on November 14, 2013 at 12:00 pm pictureperfectcooking

      Thanks!!!


  2. on November 14, 2013 at 9:38 am organizedisland

    Oh cupcakes are my favorite! I have never baked with 5 spice before and love that you used it to spice up the pears! Following on Twitter 🙂


    • on November 14, 2013 at 12:00 pm pictureperfectcooking

      Thanks so much for the follow! I returned the favor.


  3. on November 14, 2013 at 12:06 pm Grandma Loy

    You had me at 5-spice. It is one of my favorite flavors. I actually thought about using it, but decided I have used it in quite a few recipes on my blog so stayed with cinnamon. Glad that you tried it. The cupcakes look delicious.


    • on November 14, 2013 at 12:36 pm pictureperfectcooking

      Thanks so much! I really enjoy the flavor of 5 spice. It has such a wonderful depth of flavor.


  4. on November 14, 2013 at 2:33 pm Dawn ~ Spatulas On Parade

    I am not a fan of the Chinese 5 spice. I love chinese food but not that mix. Not sure how it would be in a cupcake.
    Sometimes the unexpected or out of the ordinary turns out to be the best tasting.


    • on November 14, 2013 at 3:20 pm pictureperfectcooking

      That is so funny, because I hate Chinese food in general, but I like the 5 spice flavor in baked goods. To each his own. 🙂


  5. on November 14, 2013 at 3:07 pm Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com

    These look delicious! I love the addition of the maple and the 5 spice!


    • on November 14, 2013 at 3:19 pm pictureperfectcooking

      Thanks! We really like them.


  6. on November 14, 2013 at 7:11 pm Cheryl

    I ❤ cupcakes! I would have never thought to put chinese five spice in them! (then again, I don't know much about chinese five spice). They look delicious. HUGS!


    • on November 15, 2013 at 9:07 am pictureperfectcooking

      I don’t use the 5 spice very much but when I was trying to come up with this recipe, I decided to use that instead of just cinnamon. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!


  7. on November 14, 2013 at 7:48 pm marbaird

    I love the fact that you added the Chinese Five spice in a dessert. The cupcake looks scrumptious.


    • on November 15, 2013 at 9:07 am pictureperfectcooking

      Thanks so much for stopping by and for your sweet comment!


  8. on November 15, 2013 at 4:26 pm kristascookin

    First off, your frosting looks amazing, little perfect roses 🙂 I am intrigued by the chinese five spice. I haven’t seen that used in a cupcake before… Very interesting!


    • on November 16, 2013 at 8:39 am pictureperfectcooking

      Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! I was looking for a little something different for this recipe and the 5 spice really worked well with the pears.


  9. on November 21, 2013 at 8:09 pm Lynn H @ Turnips 2 Tangerines

    What a wonderful recipe! Looks delicious~ Thanks for sharing at Four Seasons Blog Hop~ Lynn @ Turnips 2 Tangerines


  10. on November 23, 2013 at 10:22 am Marty@A Stroll Thru Life

    Oh my this looks so good. Thanks tons for the recipe. I would love to have you link up to my ongoing Holiday Baking Party @ http://www.astrollthrulife.net/2013/11/holiday-baking-party.html. Hope to see you there. Hugs, Marty


    • on November 24, 2013 at 9:01 am pictureperfectcooking

      Thanks so much for commenting and for the invitation! I will try to link up with you as soon as possible. Happy Thanksgiving!


  11. on November 23, 2013 at 5:45 pm Miz Helen

    Your Cupcakes look fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing your great recipe with Full Plate Thursday and enjoy your Thanksgiving week!
    Come Back Soon
    Miz Helen


  12. on November 24, 2013 at 9:55 am Marty@A Stroll Thru Life

    Oh I know I am going to love these. Thanks for linking to the Baking Party. Hugs, Marty


  13. on November 24, 2013 at 9:06 pm Ashley @ PioneerMomma.com

    I love maple buttercream! These cupcakes would be a great way to use all the pears I have around. Thanks for linking up to What’d You Do This Weekend and I just wanted to let you know I’ll be featuring this recipe for tomorrow’s linkup! Followed and pinned, have a great night!

    –Ashley


    • on November 25, 2013 at 9:21 am pictureperfectcooking

      Thanks so much for featuring my recipe! Happy Thanksgiving!


  14. on November 26, 2013 at 2:31 am Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above

    Thanks so much for sharing with Wednesday’s Adorned Link Party. Have a great Thanksgiving.
    Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above
    http://www.adornedfromabove.com


  15. on November 23, 2015 at 8:29 am Favorite Holiday Recipes | Out Standing In My Field

    […] Five Spice Pear Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream […]



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