Acorn Cupcakes are Not for Squirrels

Get out there and start competing with your local squirrels for some acorns - you're big, you can take them.  With those acorns you can make your own acorn flour* - the star of these acorn cupcakes.  I used half all-purpose and half acorn flour in my acorn cupcakes to keep them light while still imparting the acorn flavor (a walnut-like, sweet, earthy taste). My favorite honey buttercream frosting caps the acorn cupcakes so well that I feel sorry for my squirrel opponents that buttercream doesn't grow on oak trees. 


Acorn cupcakes wouldn't be the cupcake that I would suggest for kids' birthdays or office parties.  But, I could see them becoming a yearly Thanksgiving tradition - the kids bubbling with excited energy as the first acorns begin to fall; gathering acorns for weeks to ultimately turn their acorns into cupcakes for the whole family (maybe I'm living in a black and white TV show, but I can actually see this happening).    


*I do realize that not everyone has access to acorns or time to turn them into flour.  If you can't find acorns or don't want to invest the time into homemade acorn flour, you can buy acorn flour online and you may be able to find it at a Korean grocery - it's used in some Korean dishes. 

Acorn Cupcake Recipe


Yield: 10 Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup acorn flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• honey buttercream frosting (see my honey buttercream frosting post for the recipe)

Cupcake Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix honey and melted butter.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
4. Stir in sour cream and vanilla.
5. In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together acorn flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
6. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the honey mixture until fully combined.
7. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out dry.
9. Spread or pipe honey buttercream frosting onto cooled cupcakes

Shout Outs

• I purchased the adorable squirrel toppers from Etsy seller Creating Your Memories.
• I wasn't the first to create an acorn cupcake.  A Google search revealed acorn cupcakes by The 3 Foragers.  Check out their acorn cupcake recipe if you'd like an alternate option.