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Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Cupcakes With Butter Pecan Frosting

Chocolate bourbon pecan pie cupcakes with a rich center filling and a browned-butter pecan frosting. These cupcakes bake up tender with a 2/3-full chocolate batter, then get cored and filled with quick-cooked pecan pie filling before frosting and piping.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 57 minutes
Servings: 18 cupcakes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 470
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate bourbon cupcakes
  • 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.75 cup cocoa powder
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 lb butter, softened
  • 1.5 cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tbsp bourbon
  • 1 cup buttermilk
Pecan pie filling
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 0.5 cup corn syrup
  • 0.33 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp bourbon
Butter pecan frosting
  • 1 cup butter, browned
  • 3 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 0.5 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Bake the chocolate bourbon cupcakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line cupcake tins with paper liners.
  2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
  3. Beat the softened butter and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in the eggs and bourbon until smooth.
  4. Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk to the batter, mixing just until incorporated.
  5. Spoon batter into the liners and fill each about 2/3 full.
  6. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350F, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
  7. Cool cupcakes completely on the pan.
Make and cool the pecan pie filling
  1. Cook pecans, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, and bourbon together for 5 minutes, stirring until glossy and thickened.
  2. Cool the pecan pie filling completely before using to fill the cupcakes.
Assemble with filling and frosting
  1. Core each cooled cupcake and fill the center with the cooled pecan pie filling.
  2. Brown the butter, then beat it with powdered sugar, heavy cream, and chopped toasted pecans until fluffy.
  3. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake and top with a whole pecan.

Notes

For clean filling and easy piping, cool the cupcakes and the pecan pie filling completely before coring and filling. Store assembled cupcakes covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze unfrosted cupcakes up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge, then frost). For a less sweet option, use half brown sugar in the filling while keeping the frosting powdered sugar ratio for proper texture.