Description
Delight in these Vegan Pecan Pie Cupcakes, a luscious combination of moist, fluffy cupcakes infused with vegan buttermilk, filled with a rich pecan pie filling, and topped with creamy vegan Swiss meringue buttercream and caramel drizzle. Perfect for a plant-based treat that captures the classic flavors of pecan pie in cupcake form.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcakes
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil (or neutral cooking oil)
- ¼ cup vegan caramel sauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups plain flour
- ¾ cup soft brown sugar
- ¼ cup pecans (finely ground)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Pecan Pie Filling
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 3 tablespoons soft brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- â…“ cup evaporated coconut milk
- â…“ cup pecans (finely chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Buttercream
- ½ batch vegan Swiss meringue buttercream
- ¼ cup vegan caramel sauce (plus extra for garnish)
Garnish
- 12 pecans
- 1 tablespoon demerara sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F) and line a 12-hole cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
- Make Vegan “Buttermilk”: Combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl, stir, then let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Add olive oil, vegan caramel sauce, and vanilla extract to the vegan buttermilk mixture, stir well, and set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together plain flour, soft brown sugar, finely ground pecans, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt until evenly combined.
- Combine Batter: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk gently until just combined, avoiding over-mixing to keep cupcakes tender.
- Fill and Bake Cupcakes: Distribute the batter evenly among the cupcake liners and bake for 22-25 minutes. Test doneness with a toothpick or knife; it should come out clean. Let cupcakes cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a rack to cool completely for 30-40 minutes.
- Prepare Pecan Pie Filling: Melt vegan butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and evaporated coconut milk, simmering for 5 minutes with frequent stirring.
- Add Pecans and Finish Filling: Stir in chopped pecans and sea salt, simmer for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes before refrigerating for 1 hour to chill.
- Make Buttercream: Gradually whisk vegan caramel sauce into vegan Swiss meringue buttercream, adding one tablespoon at a time and whisking between additions. After all caramel is incorporated, whisk for an additional minute.
- Core Cupcakes: Use a cupcake corer or apple corer to remove the center of each cooled cupcake, reserving the cut-out pieces.
- Fill Cupcakes: Fill each cored cupcake with the pecan pie filling, then place the reserved tops back on each cupcake.
- Prepare Garnish (Optional): Mix demerara sugar and ground cinnamon to create cinnamon sugar for sprinkling on top.
- Pipe Buttercream and Garnish: Fill a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle with the caramel buttercream. Pipe atop each cupcake, drizzle with extra caramel sauce, top with pecans, and sprinkle cinnamon sugar if using.
- Storage: Serve cupcakes at room temperature. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days if storing longer. Bring to room temperature 2-3 hours before serving to soften buttercream.
Notes
- Use a neutral oil if olive oil’s flavor is too strong for you.
- Do not over-mix the batter to keep cupcakes light and fluffy.
- If you can’t find evaporated coconut milk, use full-fat canned coconut milk as a substitute.
- For vegan Swiss meringue buttercream, aquafaba is typically used as an egg white substitute.
- Chilling the pecan pie filling allows it to thicken and improve texture before filling the cupcakes.
- The cinnamon sugar garnish is optional but adds a lovely warm spice and crunch.
- Vegan caramel sauce can be homemade or store-bought, just ensure it’s fully vegan.
- Ensure cupcakes are cooled completely before coring to prevent crumbling.
