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Butter Pecan Cupcakes (Cake Mix)

Last Updated On: April 20, 2024 | Published: April 19, 2024 by Melissa Diamond | 7 Comments
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These easy Butter Pecan Cupcakes are soft, moist, and flavored with brown sugar and buttered pecans. We've topped them with our favorite cream cheese frosting. Keep this recipe in mind for your next special occasion!

Butter pecan cupcakes on a cake platter.

How to Make Butter Pecan Cupcakes

You can find the full, printable cupcake recipe at the bottom of this post. Here is a quick look at our steps!

For the Butter Pecans

  • Set oven to 350 degrees. Put 2 Tablespoons butter on baking sheet.  Once melted, add pecans and toss to coat.  Spread out  pecans and bake 5-7 minutes. Stir, they roast quickly. Cool and chop.
Buttered Pecans
  • Set aside 1 ¼ cup chopped pecans for the cake batter. The remaining ¼ cup will be sprinkled on top of the cupcakes (adjust amount to your liking.)

For the Cupcakes

  • Set oven to 350 F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.
  • Sift the cake mix into your mixing bowl. Add instant vanilla pudding mix, eggs, brown sugar, all purpose flour, sour cream, water, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
  • Using an electric mixer, mix on low speed for about 10-15 seconds to incorporate before increasing to medium speed for two minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Gently stir in the 1 ¼ cup chopped buttered pecans.
Stirring butter pecans into cake batter.
  • Fill the lined cupcake pan with batter. We put about ¼ cup batter in each well.
Butter Pecan Cupcake Batter in the cupcake pan.
  • Bake for 15-17 minutes. When the tops spring back when lightly touched and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached, they are ready.
  • Remove the cupcakes from the pan soon after removing from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

Decorating the Cupcakes

Once cooled, we topped the cupcakes with our go-to cream cheese frosting. This is a simple combination of softened cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.

You can decorate the cupcakes however you like. Today, we added swirls of frosting using a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away. We started piping around the outer edge of the cupcake and then spiraled inward (and upward)!

Piping swirls of cream cheese frosting onto the cupcakes.

We topped them off with a sprinkling of buttered pecans.

Butter Pecan Cupcakes on a cake platter.

Recipe FAQs

Yes, these should be refrigerated in an airtight container or under a cake dome because of the cream cheese frosting.

However, for the very best flavor and texture, it is best to remove them 1-2 hours before serving. This will allow time for the cupcakes to warm and soften.

Yes, just as with the majority of our cakes and cupcakes, from Italian Cream Cake to vanilla cupcakes, strawberry cupcakes, and more, these cupcakes freeze perfectly.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, line them up in rows on a sheet cake board or tray. Wrap in a layer of plastic wrap followed by foil. They can freeze for up to three months.

When it is time to thaw, move them to the kitchen counter. Loosen or remove the wrapping after about 20 minutes and continue to bring to room temperature. Decorate as usual.

Yes, this recipe should work well with any yellow or white cake mix of the same weight. Although we used Duncan Hines for this recipe, we also tried it with Betty Crocker (which is 2 oz less.) - we added 2 oz more flour to make up the difference- they were still very good but didn't dome as much.

Sour cream adds richness and moisture to cake mixes, and also lends a more from-scratch quality to the cake's texture.

Many of our cakes, both from scratch and from cake mix, call for sour cream. Some of our favorites are Sour Cream Pound Cake, Yellow Birthday Cake, and Orange Dreamsicle Cake from Cake Mix.

More Cakes with Pecans

Not only do we have more butter pecan desserts including Butter Pecan Pound Cake and layered Butter Pecan Cake, we also have many more flavors of cakes with pecans.

Some of our favorites are Carrot Cake, Hummingbird Cake, and German Chocolate Cake.

Thanks so much for stopping by! We hope that you enjoy the recipe. Make sure to check out our full collection of cake recipes, which includes cake recipes from scratch as well as more cake mix recipes!

Have you made this? We would LOVE for you to leave a ⭐️ rating as well as a comment and photo below! We really appreciate your feedback!

Butter pecan cupcakes on a cake platter.

Butter Pecan Cupcakes (from cake mix)

BY Melissa and Bebe
These moist and simple butter pecan cupcakes are sure to please a crowd! They are flavored with brown sugar and and buttered pecans, and topped with cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Servings: 30 cupcakes approx.
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Ingredients

  • 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix We used Duncan Hines Super Moist (15.25 oz). I like to sift cake mix
  • 3.4 oz (Small box) Instant Vanilla Pudding (Do not prepare the pudding.)
  • ½ cup all purpose flour (60g)
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar (100g) (You could also use light brown)
  • 1 cup sour cream (242g)
  • 3 eggs room temperature (place in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes if in a hurry)
  • 1 cup water (240g)
  • ½ cup Vegetable Oil (we use Canola oil) (108g)
  • 2½ teaspoons Vanilla extract (10g)
  • 1¼ cups Chopped, buttered pecans (Plus additional for topping)

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter softened (226g)
  • 16 oz Cream cheese softened, full fat. We used two 8 oz blocks of full fat cream cheese.
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 8g
  • ½ teaspoon salt 2g
  • 6 cups powdered sugar 690g Adjust slightly up or down to your liking.

Instructions

For the Butter Pecans

  • Set oven to 350 degrees. Put 2 Tablespoons butter on baking sheet.  When melted, (melts quickly) add 1 ½ cups pecans and toss to coat.  Spread out  pecans and bake 5 to 7 minutes, Stir, they roast quickly. Cool and chop.
  • Set aside 1 ¼ cup chopped pecans for the cake batter. The remaining ¼ cup will be sprinkled on top of the cupcakes (adjust amount to your liking.)

For the Cupcakes

  • Set oven to 350 F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.
  • Sift the cake mix into your mixing bowl. Add instant vanilla pudding mix, eggs, brown sugar, flour, sour cream, water, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
  • Mix on low speed for about 10-15 seconds to incorporate before increasing to medium speed for two minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Gently stir in the 1 ¼ cup chopped buttered pecans.
  • Fill the lined cupcake pan with batter. We put about ¼ cup batter in each well.
  • Bake for 15-17 minutes (times may vary). When the tops spring back when lightly touched and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached, they are ready.
  • Remove the cupcakes from the pan soon after removing from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Cut the butter into slices and add to the bowl of your mixer. Beat on low to medium speed until the butter is softened and smooth.
  • Cut the softened cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, beating at low to medium speed until incorporated. If you are using a hand mixer you may need to soften the cream cheese a bit more.
  • Add the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar beating on low speed until blended. Cover the bowl with a towel to keep down the cloud of powdered sugar.
  • Increase mixing speed and beat until fluffy. Don't over beat or it will become too soft. If it becomes too soft, just refrigerate a short while to firm it up a bit.
  • This frosting will pipe best if used while still chilled. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use let it soften slightly (do not microwave) and remix.

Decorating

  • Decorate however you like, the cupcakes need to be completely cooled/ room temperature before applying the frosting. Apply frosting with a spatula or with a piping bag fitted with your piping tip of choice (for instance large star piping tips like 1M or 2D are always great for swirls.)

Notes

These cupcakes should be refrigerated because of the cream cheese frosting. However, for the very best flavor and texture, remove from the refrigerator 1-2 hours before serving. This will allow time for the cupcakes to warm and soften.
Cake Mixes: Although we used Duncan Hines (15.25 oz) for this recipe, we also tried it with Betty Crocker (which has downsized by 2 oz.) - We added 2 oz more flour to make up the difference- they were still very good but didn't dome as much.
5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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7 Comments

    1. Thanks! It's very easy, just a matter of heating butter to coat the pecans on a baking sheet. You'll find the instructions in our recipe card at the bottom of the post ;0)

      Reply

  3. Do we have to register with "Grow" in order to print your recipes? I have tried from my home and work computers and this message will not allow printing of your recipes unless I register with them. I never had that problem before. Thx.

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    I may have had a problem printing the recipe, but once I did and baked the cupcakes, they were perfect and delicious. Everyone raved about them, and my husband said to be sure to give it 5 stars!

    Reply