Makes 12 muffins
What you’ll need:
500 gm pumpkin that has been peeled, deseeded and diced
100 gm unsalted butter, melted
½ cup buttermilk
¾ cup (150 gm) brown sugar
2 eggs
3 cups (480 gm) plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp fine salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 cup chopped toasted pecan nuts, divided
Maple caramel
1 cup (250 ml) maple syrup
20 gm unsalted butter
½ tsp sea salt flakes
¼ cup cream
What to do:
Preheat oven to 160°C Fan.
Grease and flour a 12-hole muffin tray.
For the maple caramel, place maple syrup in a large saucepan (maple syrup will bubble up a lot), over medium heat and cook for 8-10 minutes until slightly reduced, add butter, salt and cream and whisk until smooth, set aside to cool and thicken.
Place the pumpkin in a steamer over a saucepan of boiling water and steam for 10 minutes until soft, drain on paper towel to remove excess moisture. Mash or transfer to a food processor and blitz into a smooth puree, transfer to a large bowl, add the melted butter, buttermilk, sugar and eggs; whisk well to combine. In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices and whisk together, then fold the dry ingredients and half the pecans into the pumpkin mixture until just combined. Spoon the batter into your muffin tin and bake for 18 to 20 minutes until cooked.
Turn out the warm muffins onto a serving board and pile up, drizzle with the maple caramel, scatter over the remaining pecan nuts and serve warm.
