Makes1 dozen
- Active time:20 min
- Start to finish:50 min
December 2006
A dulce de leche and cream cheese frosting rich with pecans is as innovative as it is easy, making these cranberry-flecked cupcakes unforgettable.
-
1
cup
all-purpose flour
-
1 1/2
teaspoons
baking powder
-
1/8
teaspoon
salt
-
3/4
stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
-
1/2
cup
sugar
-
1
large egg
-
1/2
teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
-
1/2
cup
whole milk
-
3/4
cup
dried cranberries (3 oz), finely chopped
-
5
tablespoons
cream cheese, softened
-
1/2
cup
dulce de leche
-
1/2
cup
pecans (2 oz), finely chopped, toasted, and cooled
-
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin cups.
-
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
-
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing just until incorporated. Fold in cranberries.
-
Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until pale golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto a rack and cool 15 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, beat cream cheese in a bowl with cleaned beaters until smooth, then add dulce de leche and a pinch of salt and beat until combined well. Stir in half of pecans.
-
Spread frosting generously on cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with remaining pecans.