High altitude pecan pie cupcakes made with soft vanilla cupcakes filled with gooey, bourbon pecan filling. The cupcakes are frosted with salted pecan buttercream and topped with toasted pecans for a sweet, salty, crunchy dessert that you’ll just love!
You might also love these recipes for pecan pie brownies, bourbon pecan crumble, and gooey pecan pie bars.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Customizable Recipe. You can use the pecan pie filling recipe in any cupcake that you like.
Tastes Like Fall. With pecans, bourbon and butter, these pecan pie cupcakes are perfect for the fall and winter holidays.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Filling
The filling is similar to the gooey caramel frosting used for German chocolate cakes, but this time made with just pecans and no coconut. It contains cream, brown sugar and egg yolks to thicken and set it, butter for flavor and richness, vanilla extract and bourbon for flavor, a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness, and of course, pecans.
Cupcakes
- For cupcakes with pecan filling, you can really use any good base cupcake recipe. I used my vanilla cupcakes, but chocolate, spice or maple cupcakes would all be great choices, too.
Buttercream
- For the buttercream, you’ll need a batch of vanilla buttercream. It’s fluffy, perfectly pipable, and so delicious.
- For a nutty crunch and more pecan flavor, I added very finely chopped toasted pecans to the buttercream, as well as more on top for decorating.
Instructions
Filling
- In a saucepan, combine the cream, brown sugar and egg yolks. Over medium heat, whisk the mixture constantly so the eggs don’t curdle, and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until thick and bubbly. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the butter, vanilla, bourbon, salt and pecans.
- Cool the mixture completely so it can thicken and set, before filling the cupcakes. You can make the filling up to 3 days in advance, keeping it refrigerated until needed.
Cupcakes
- Make the Vanilla Cupcakes as instructed, then cool completely. If you like, you can add a little spice to the cupcakes, like 1/8 tsp ground cardamom, or 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon.
- Use a cupcake corer to remove the centers of the cooled cupcakes. Use a spoon, or a piping bag with the end cut off to fill the cupcakes with the pecan filling.
Buttercream
- Make the Vanilla Buttercream as instructed.
- Finely chop 1/4 cup of the toasted pecans, and fold them into the buttercream.
- Fit a piping bag with tip 1M, fill with the buttercream, and pipe it on top of the filled cupcakes.
- Decorate the cupcakes with the rest of the toasted pecans.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to toast the pecans first?
You don’t have to, but it adds so much more flavor and makes them crunchier, too. To toast the pecans, spread them onto a baking sheet and toast them in a 300-degree oven for 5-10 minutes, until hot and fragrant. Cool completely before adding them to the buttercream. You could also toast the pecans for the filling, as well.
How should I store leftover pecan pie cupcakes?
Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You Might Also Like
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High Altitude Bourbon Pecan Pie Cupcakes
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- Muffin Pans + 15 Paper Liners
Ingredients
Filling
- â…“ cup heavy whipping cream
- â…“ cup light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 large egg yolks (save the whites for another use)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp good quality bourbon (optional)
- â…› tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¾ cup pecans, roughly chopped
Cupcakes
- 1 recipe Vanilla Cupcakes
Buttercream
- 1 recipe Vanilla Buttercream
- ½ cup pecans, toasted and cooled (see note)
Instructions
Filling
- In a saucepan, combine the cream, brown sugar and egg yolks. Over medium heat, whisk the mixture constantly so the eggs don't curdle, and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until thick and bubbly. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the butter, vanilla, bourbon, salt and pecans.
- Cool the mixture completely so it can thicken and set, before filling the cupcakes. You can make the filling up to 3 days in advance, keeping it refrigerated until needed.
Cupcakes
- Make the Vanilla Cupcakes as instructed, then cool completely.Baker's Note: If you like, you can add a little spice to the cupcakes, like 1/8 tsp ground cardamom, or 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon.
- Use a cupcake corer to remove the centers of the cooled cupcakes. Use a spoon, or a piping bag with the end cut off to fill the cupcakes with the pecan filling.
Buttercream
- Make the Vanilla Buttercream as instructed.
- Finely chop 1/4 cup of the toasted pecans, and fold them into the buttercream.
- Fit a piping bag with tip 1M, fill with the buttercream, and pipe it on top of the filled cupcakes.
- Decorate the cupcakes with the rest of the toasted pecans.
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