#58 Vanilla Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Hope everyone had an awesome Halloween! With the help of my little buddy Dracula we made these dreadfully tasty cupcakes. These little guys have 3 parts to them the pumpkin pie frosting, the vanilla cake and last but not least the graham cracker crust. My favorite part would have to be the crust but the frosting came in as a very close second for sure! The frosting is actually just pumpkin pie and you can either use store bought or make your own. I made this frosting last year for my Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes but this time instead of using the Libby's recipe I went with the one from the Une-Deux Senses blog and the link to that is below :)

Vanilla Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes (Courtesy of Une-Deux Senses)
I found it easiest to make the cake batter first then the crust :)

The Goods
1 3/4cups sifted cake flour (I accidentally used regular flour and they came out just fine)

1 cup sugar

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temp.

1/2 cup milk room temp, divide

2 lg eggs room temp

1 lg egg white room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

The How To

Preheat oven to 350degrees. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Add the butter and 1/4 cup of milk. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 4mins.

Yes it's going to look a lot like cookie dough but don't toss it out!!

  In another large bowl whisk together the eggs, egg white, vanilla, and the remaining milk. Add this mixture in 3 additions, mixing 2mins on med. speed after each addition. Then set aside for later.

Looks like perfectly good batter!!

 Now for the Graham Cracker Crust!!

The Goods

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

The How To

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a medium bowl and mix well.

Add about a tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner and bake for 5minutes until the graham crackers are golden.



A juice glass is the peftect size for smushing the crust down.

Remove from the oven then fill about 1/2 full with the cake batter. Bake for 15-18mins rotating halfway through the bake time. Let them cool completely before frosting. 

Now grab your pumpkin pie and (gently) toss it in a piping bag and frost away!!!

The perfect combo of cake and pie!!!

Up Next...

Carmel Apple Cupcakes

#57 Pumpkin-Brown Butter Cupcakes

MMMM the smell of brown butter has filled the house right now! What a tasty pick by My Cupcake Journey for the MSC monthly bake. Right off the bat I decided to go with a frosting instead of the glaze. I'm just a frosting type of girl ;) Now this frosting wasn't good... It was delicious! I've never made brown butter before but after I mixed all the ingredients together, I would have to say that the frosting had almost a maple syrup taste. Now to the cupcake. It has the perfect amount of spice and surprisingly with the batter being on the thick side the cake was not dense but actually light and fluffy. This is the perfect pick to start off the fall baking season!

Pumpkin-Brown Butter Cupcakes (courtesy of Martha Stewart)
The Goods
1 1/2 sticks of butter room temp
1 2/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon  ground cloves
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 lg eggs room temp


The How To
Preheat oven to 325. In a sauce pan melt the butter over medium-low heat and swirl the pan occasionally until the butter turns a golden brown. Remove from the heat and skim the foam off the top. Pour browned butter into a bowl to stop the cooking, leaving any burned sediment behind; let cool.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves then set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the pumpkin puree, both sugars, eggs, and brown butter.

Add flour mixture and whisks until just combined.

 Divide batter evenly among cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake rotating tins halfway through the 20 bake time. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

Brown Butter Frosting (courtesy of Good House Keeping)
The Goods
1 stick of butter room temp.
2 1/2 cups powder sugar
1/4cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

The How To
Brown the butter as shown above. Let this cool for at least 30mins. After butter has reached room temp, combine the sugar, milk and vanilla and mix on medium speed unitl smooth.

Now frost and enjoy!!

Up Next...
Vanilla Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

#14 Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

To wrap up my little squash segment I thought something with my favorite ingredient-chocolate would be the perfect ending. I came across this recipe back in August and I've been waiting patiently to give it a try. When the cupcakes were baking, the smell reminded me of those crackable  milk chocolate orange balls. Yummy right? So here's the recipe, give it a try and let me know what you think.

Couldn't pass up sharing this picture!

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes (courtesy of cupcake project)

The Goods

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (I ended up adding a little left over butternut squash too)

2 large eggs room temp

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup orange juice

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

The How To

Whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.

the dry ingredients are on the left :)

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, pumpkin, and eggs. Beat until smooth.

Mix in the oil, orange juice, and melted chocolate.

Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated.

Mix in the chocolate chips.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.

Next time I'll fill the liners a little fuller

It's amazing how different the flavor tastes after the cupcake is fully cooled. I thought the orange was very prominent when warm then after it had time too cool it was more of a complementing flavor to the chocolate and pumpkin.

Pumpkin Pie Frosting(courtesy of cupcake project)

This is the best find ever! This is nothing but pumpkin pie, no extra butter or powdered sugar needed. I could seriously eat this on everything!

The Goods

Store bought or homemade pumpkin pie ( I used the recipe off the back of the Libby's can but with no crust)

The How To

Buy or make a pumpkin pie.

This was actually the second try at the pie. My first attempt had too much pumpkin and not enough spice. But I figured it out the second time around.

Move pie to a mixing bowl and mix for 30 secs so it's more of a frosting texture to it. Then decorate with a piping bag or with a knife.

love my pumpkin liners!

Enjoy!!

Up Next....
Peanut Butter Cookie Cupcakes

#13 Pumpkin Butter Cupcakes

Finally pumpkin time is here! Time for pumpkin pie, butter, puree and of course cupcakes! I have a few recipes in mind, but I wanted to start out with a basic spiced pumpkin cupcake first. So I went with Pumpkin Patch cupcake by Martha Stewart. Unfortunately I found that the cupcakes tasted nothing like pumpkin. Don't get me wrong they were still good, but I was really disappointed. Not sure if it was my pumpkin puree (the how to is below) that I made or not enough spices, but there was no pumpkin presence to be found. Since I was already making pumpkin butter I thought it would be a great idea to stuff the centers with a little butter goodness. So here's my take on Martha's recipe.

Before I even set eyes on the cupcake recipe I knew I wanted to use my own Pumpkin Puree(courtesy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

The Goods

2 whole Sugar Pumpkins unless you want more.....

The How To

Cut the pumpkins in half. With a  spoon or a scoop, scrape out the seeds and pulp from the center.

Place all the seeds in a bowl unless you don't want them... They were amazing with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Repeat until all the pumpkin pieces are largely free of seeds and pulp.

Place pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for 45mins or until pumpkin is fork-tender. They should be nice and golden brown when done.

before

after

Peel off the skin from the pumpkin pieces until you have a big pile of stuff. If you have a food processor, throw in a few chunks at a time. A blender will work too, just add a little water. Or you can mash it up with a potato masher.

bullet was perfect for this job!!

Pulse the pumpkin until smooth. If it looks to dry, add in a few tablespoons of water during the pulsing to give it the needed moisture. Looks just like baby food. If the puree is overly watery, you should strain it over a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer.

 Dump into a bowl, and continue pureeing until all the pumpkin is done. You can freeze it or use immediately.

no straining needed here

I used it immediately in the following pumpkin butter recipe and cupcakes.

Pumpkin Butter(courtesy of grouprecipes.com)
This is what was used for the center of the cupcakes

The Goods
8cups  pumpkin puree
2cups  brown sugar
1 1/2   teaspoons  cinnamon
1teaspoon  ground ginger
1/2teaspoon ground cloves
1/4teaspoon  ground nutmeg
4 lemons-needed for the juice

The How To
This is the hard part!!! ha ha just kidding :)
Place all ingredients in slow cooker; cook on low for approximately 5 hours. Pour into small jars, refrigerate or freeze.

I mixed up the stuff before putting it in the crock pot

Turned out perfect!!! You've got to give this a try.

 Now on with the cupcakes!!!

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes(Courtesy of Martha Stewart)

If you don't have her cupcake book I highly recommend it!!

The Goods

4cups cake flour(not self-rising) sifted

1teaspoon baking soda

1tablespoon plus 1teaspoon baking powder

1teaspoon salt

2teaspoons ground cinnamon(more the merrier! You can never have too much of this!)

1tablespoon ground ginger

1teaspoon grated nutmeg (it says to use fresh but I used the stuff in a jar-I know I'm a big time slacker)

1/4teaspoon ground cloves

1cup unsalted butter at room temp

2 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar

4lg eggs

1cup buttermilk (I substituted sour cream)

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree-not pie filling! (this is where i used my puree came in handy)

The How To

Preheat oven to 350degrees. Sift together dry ingredients.

My dry ingredients and my puree

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy.



Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Reduce speed to low.  Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of sour cream(or buttermilk), and beating until just combined. I also added butterscotch chips too at this point.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full.



Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown. 15-18mins.

Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10mins; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3days in airtight containers.

After cupcakes have cooled down start drilling out the middle of the cupcakes save the top part for later.

I see my butterscotch!

Spoon in the pumpkin butter until the hole is full to your liking.

Cover up the pumpkin butter with the part you drilled out.

For the frosting I decided to mix it up a bit and made the Cream cheese frosting orange and white.

The Goods
1cup unsalted butter room temp
12oz cream cheese room temp
4cups powdered sugar sifted
1/4teaspoon vanilla extract

The How To
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy, 2-3mins. Reduce speed to low and slowly add sugar 1/2cup at a time. Then add vanilla and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. If you want to color the frosting then split the frosting evenly among two bowls. I added the orange to one and leave the other white. Try to stack or layer the frosting on top of each other in the frosting bag.

You can see where i started and then they gradually got a little orangery as I went.

I couldn't pass up the Halloween umbrellas!!

Look at all that pumpkin butter goodness!!

Up Next...
Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes