The King's Cake Cupcake

Happy Pancake Day y’all! It’s also Mardi Gras so I'm torn between sharing a recipe for King Cake Cupcakes or the perfect buttermilk pancake. I forgot to take pictures the last time I made pancakes so King Cake Cupcakes it is!
 
There are 3 parts to this concoction. The cake. The filling. And the frosting. Best start at the beginning then.

Ingredients
Cake
1 and 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup, 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

Filling

1/2 cup melted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup pecans

Frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, cold
5-6 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  
Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners.
In a small bowl mix together the filling ingredients with a fork or small whisk.
In a small bowl, combine the flours and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
Using an ice cream scoop, spoon the batter into the cupcake liners. Using a cookie scoop, spoon the brown sugar mixture onto each cupcake well. (If you want you can had half of the batter, then the filling, then another half of the batter but I took the easy route.)
Bake in middle of oven until tops turn golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out just clean, about 18 minutes. I like to rotate the pans after 10 minutes just so they bake evenly.
Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting.

In a stand mixer, beat butter until white and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add half of the sugar one cup at a time. Add cream cheese. Add remaining sugar. Beat 10-15 minutes until light and fluffy. If the frosting is too soft add more sugar. If the frosting is too soft AND too sweet refrigerate it for a bit, it’s possible that your kitchen is too warm or too humid.

Sprinkle with Purple, Green and Yellow sugar sprinkles (as you can see below, I was out of purple and yellow) and enjoy!