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1
Preheat oven to 350F.
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2
Line standard or mini muffin tins with paper liners.
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3
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
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4
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter until smooth.
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5
Add the maple syrup, and beat until combined.
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6
Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
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7
Add flour mixture, and beat well to combine.
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8
Beat in milk and vanilla until combined.
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9
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full.
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10
Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes for standard, 10 to 13 minutes for minis.
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11
Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
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12
To finish, use an offset spatula to spread each cupcake with maple buttercream.
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13
Top with marzipan leaves.
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14
Decorated cupcakes can be stored up to 1 day at room temperature in airtight containers.
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15
Divide 5 ounces marzipan into thirds, and tint with red, orange, and brown gel-paste food colors (see page 299 for instructions).
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16
Knead all pieces together briefly until colors are streaky.
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17
Using a rolling pin, roll out marzipan to 1/8 inch thick on a work surface lightly dusted with cornstarch.
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18
Cut out 24 leaves using a 2 1/4-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter for standard cupcakes or 66 leaves using a 1 3/4-inch cutter for minis.
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19
Marzipan leaves can be stored up to 1 day at room temperature in an airtight container, between layers of parchment paper.
