OMG. These cupcakes are TASTY!!! Yes, those peeps over at smittenkitchen know what the heck they are doing. I made the mistake of doing a cupcake search and PUMPKIN CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING just LEAPT OFF THE PAGE! Since I favor flavor over presentation any day of the week, a baking adventure armed with this recipe couldn’t go too far off course. And it did not disappoint in the nom, nom factor. A few shots of the execution…
So far so good, cupcakes seem to be similar in size, no overflowing tins, and a lovely golden brown (thanks, in part to the star ingredient, but who’s counting…). Now, onto stage 2 – the dreaded icing. Dang, does this stuff taste good! But, no icing wizard am I in the technique department. With all these supermodel cupcakes pictured out in the blogosphere, and I ask… who wants two parts icing to one part cake? Makes my teeth want to fall out. So my valiant effort (and much healthier version) is below; in various stages of undress, if you will…
At best, these warrant a participation badge. If you want to see how the real pros do it, I suggest you take a peek at this video here.
And many thanks to Smitten Kitchen for the Best in Class Recipe below:
Pumpkin Cupcakes With Maple–Cream Cheese Frosting
Via Smitten Kitchen Adapted from David Leite
Yield: 17 to 18 cupcakes
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing pans
1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
Frosting
Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Make the cupcakes:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° (175°C). Line a cupcake pan with 18 liners.
2. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl.
3. Add the eggs 1 at a time to the mixer, scraping down the sides after each addition. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the pumpkin until smooth. Scoop the batter among the cupcake liners — you’re looking to get them 3/4 full. Rap the filled pans once on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on racks completely.
Make the frosting:
In a stand mixer beat all the ingredients on medium until fluffy. {Insert Icing Wizardry here} Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set up frosting.