This recipe has it all - pears, walnuts and caramel. Great for a Thanksgiving table or potluck dinner!
Ingredients
For the Frosting:
- 2 pears peeled, coarsely grated, juice reserved
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 226g
- 4 cups powdered sugar 500g
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Batter:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 180g
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature 113g
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100g
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream, room temperature 120g
- ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
- ½ cup chopped walnuts 60g
For the Syrup:
- Juice from 2 pears
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 12g
Instructions
For the frosting
- Peel and grate the pears. Let them rest in a strainer for about 10 minutes, until most of the juice has drained.
- Reserve the juice.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, lightly toast the grated pear until all the moisture evaporates and the pear is evenly browned. Set aside to cool.
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter for 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and salt, and mix until combined.
- Add the heavy cream, the cooled pear, and beat for about 4 minutes. If the frosting is too thick, add more cream little by little until the desired consistency is reached.
- Finally, add the vanilla and mix to combine. Set aside.
For the cupcake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a cupcake tin with paper liners.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, cream the butter with sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix to combine. Then, add the sour cream and milk and mix until just combined.
- Add the dry mixture to this cream and mix to combine.
- Fold in the chopped walnuts with a silicone spatula.
- Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
For the syrup
- In a small saucepan, combine reserved pear juice and sugar.
- Boil until slightly thickened into a syrup (about 5 minutes).
- As soon as cupcakes come out of the oven, poke them with a toothpick and drizzle syrup over each using a spoon. Set aside.
To Finish:
- Place the buttercream in a piping bag and cut an opening of about 1 inch with a pair of scissors in the bag.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
- Garnish with walnuts.
Notes
- Make sure the pears are dry enough, as they can release a lot of juice in the buttercream and that can make it split.
- This buttercream is chunky due to the grated pears. Make sure to use a cut piping bag with no tip or a very open tip (like the Wilton 1M) so the buttercream can flow.
- If the buttercream looks split, keep whisking and it will come together. If it's too stiff to pipe, just warm 1-2 tablespoon of the buttercream in the microwave and mix it back to the bowl.
