Welcome back fall, I have missed you. Yes, I love, love the fall season, all the changing colors of leaves and the cool air. This is the time of year I really ramp up my baking. One of my fall baking traditions is making these super cute bite-sized Maple Spice Acorn Cakes. No matter where I take these cakes there is always a surprise moment of someone saying, “Hey these are acorns!”
I found this Nordic Ware Acorn Pan several years ago at my local grocery store tucked behind all the Halloween candy, it was just way too cute to pass up. I love this pan because it’s heavy-duty cast aluminum and the cakes come out perfectly. Just make sure you prep it with cooking spray and you will end up with all the nice acorn details that even a squirrel would appreciate. The recipe for the spice cake comes with the pan for an extra bonus.
Update – I am so sad that this specific pan is not available anymore, but you can still make the acorns along with other fall design with this Autumn Cakelet Pan or try this Autumn Delights Cakelet Pan.
I know you are thinking I want this pan so here is your link to get your own 
If you are not in the mood for cakes you can also use this pan to make cookies, just press the dough in the into the cavities. I like to make sugar or molasses cookies. You can dip the sugar cookie tops in melted chocolate and the molasses cookies look great with chopped pecans on top.
Who doesn’t love baking with spices, it makes your kitchen smell so good, plus it just adds those great flavors to your baked goods. This recipe is perfect for this pan since it is dense so it makes it easy to get the cakes out of the pan, but, it is still nice and moist.
So what do you do if you don’t have this acorn pan, easy, just pour the cake into a loaf pan for a pound cake and drizzle the maple glaze on top. I promise it will be just as yummy.
Here are some of the basic ingredients to make the cakes, be ready to get your spices out of the cabinet.
This cake gets its great flavor from maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg then add in the brown sugar and butter and your cake is going to be full of spicy flavor and very moist.
Make sure you grease and flour your pan then add 1 tablespoon of batter to each well then bake for 12-14 minutes until your acorns to into the acorn corn, golden brown.
Cool the cakes on a rack, then brush with the glaze and top with sugar
Here some of the glazed and sugared cakes.
All done and ready to eat.
Here’s the recipe for these fabulous cakes.
Maple Spice Acorn Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup AP flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. candied ginger chopped/or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 tsp. maple flavoring
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbls. maple syrup
- 1-2 tbls. water
- Sanding sugar/coarse raw sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease and flour the pan.
For the cakes
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
- Combine the milk, maple syrup, vanilla and maple extract in a small bowl
- Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Beat in the flour mixture and alternate with the liquid mixture to all are combined.
- Spoon 1 tbls. of the batter into each acorn well.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes
- Let cakes cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan to a cooling rack.
- Repeat spoon 1 tbls of batter in the wells and back as above.
Preparing the glaze
- In a small bowl mix all the glaze ingredients until smooth and has the consistency of heavy cream.
- With a pastry brush, brush each acorn with the glaze and then dip the top of the acorn into the sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
A plate full of acorns.
I hope you FALL in love with baking and try these sweet acorn treats.
Rebecca Huff
I must have this baking pan! I am mad about acorns!!
OneHotOven
I know, that’s what I thought when I saw it.
Jen | A Sip of Bliss
How adorable are these? And they sound delicious π
Maria
Whoaaa I need this in my life! I have never seen that shaping form! Must also be delicious! π
Mummy Times Two
Wow, what gorgeous looking cakes, I do indeed want that pan!
patrick
awesome shape and great presentation! these sound delicious!
Alysa Villelli
Looks amazing!
Kimberly @ Berly's Kitchen
These are super cute! Love the little acorn shapes and the maple spice sounds delicious.
Barbara
These are adorable. I want that pan! π
Lauren
These are adorable! <3
I'll have to try these if I can find one of those pans. We got a lot of Nordic stuff at one of the retail stores I used to work at, but I never saw those come through.
Thanks for the great recipe. π
OneHotOven
It seems you can find these Nordic pans in alot of store these days.
Joleene
These look beautiful! I love baking. And I love coming across recipes like this that are unique to me. Looking forward to creating this for Thanksgiving.
Happy Simple Living
These acorn cakes are absolutely stunning, and the recipe sounds so good. I love the idea of using maple syrup in the glaze — can’t wait to try!
candy
First off that acorn pan is adorable. The mix is easy enough and adding the maple glaze adds a special yumminess.
OneHotOven
It is all about the yumminess!