Pumpkin Cupcakes

I love all things pumpkin. Pie, soup, cake, bread...whatever else you can think of, I'm a fan. So a pumpkin cupcake was bound to happen.

I used a Martha Stewart recipe, based on descriptions that it was less "muffin-like" but didn't require any ingredients I didn't have, like, say, cake flour and buttermilk. I actually stuck to the recipe on this one, and they turned out really nice, although for my taste, I would up the spices and maybe even the pumpkin.

The frosting was the star again - a cream cheese frosting with just a hint of maple and cinnamon. As a tasty garnish, I placed a sliver of crystallized ginger on top. I use twice as much cream cheese as the traditional recipe, to give it a little more of that tangy-ness that makes cream cheese frosting so yummy.

Enjoy!


Pumpkin Cupcakes

Makes 18 (In my case, it made a dozen regular and two dozen minis, with about a cupcake worth of batter left)

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon coarse salt
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
* 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree. (And by whisk I mean, use your stand mixer :) )

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes (for regular sized cupcakes, 12-15 for minis)


Cream Cheese Frosting

2 packages of cream cheese (12 oz)
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
3 cups of confectioners sugar (can be more or less depending on level of stiffness desired)
dash of cinnamon
2 T maple syrup (NOT extract)
1 T vanilla extract

Cream cheese and butter together, add syrup, then sugar one cup at a time. Add cinnamon as desired (if you like the flecked look, and the flavor, add much more than a dash)