Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Pumpkin Pie

Cupcakes

What a better way to start my cupcake/baking blog then pumpkin pie cupcakes?
These cupcakes are not just flavored like pumpkin pie, they have an ENTIRE
pumpkin pie incorporated in the batter. The frosting is a decadent cream
cheese with cinnamon and nutmeg, topped off with a hand made marzipan pumpkin
candy. The stems of the pumpkins are fragrant cloves which give you that
warm fall feeling before your first bite! I brought these to a work party
with my husband and they disappeared within the hour. I had several people
ask me for the recipe and ask if this was my full time business. Cupcake
making all day? That would be great!

There are two ways to make these delightful pumpkin pie cupcakes and that's
the "from scratch" way and the "I don't have much time way." I have made
them both ways over the years and I have no problems with either recipe.
The box way is faster, but you still have to put some magic in it, which I will
explain below.

Ingredients - Makes around
38-40 medium sized cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour


• 3 cups non rising cake flour, sifted


• 3/4 tsp baking soda


• 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder


• 1 1/2 tsp. salt


• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened


• 2 1/4 cups sugar


• 5 large eggs, plus 3 yolks


• 2 cups buttermilk


• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract


• Store bought pumpkin pie

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners, I used
   gold foil to match the theme.


2. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl and set aside.


3. Cream together butter and sugar on a medium speed until fluffy then add
   eggs slowly while beating.


4. Reduce speed to low and mix remaining wet ingredients in a separate
   bowl.


5. Add dry ingredients to butter/sugar mixture alternating adding wet
   ingredients, ending with dry.


6. Don't over mix! Now take half or 2/3 of your pumpkin pie and
   crumble it into the batter.


7. Gently fold the crumbles so they are not fully incorporated and still a
   bit clumpy.


8. Bake for 18-25 minutes depending on oven. Check sporadically with
   a toothpick until it is inserted into center and comes out clean.


9. Remove cupcakes from oven, let cool and then core out a small hole in
   the center of each.


10. Take remaining pumpkin pie and beat it until smooth, add cinnamon if
    desired.


11. Fill each cupcake with a tiny amount of mashed pumpkin pie once cooled.

Frosting

• 8oz cream cheese


• 1 stick butter, softened


• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar


• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract


• 1 tsp. cinnamon


• 1 tsp. nutmeg

1. Cream the wet ingredients together on a medium speed until smooth.


2. Slowly add the powdered sugar until desired consistency, might need to
   add a little more if you want stiffer frosting.


3. Add remaining spices and taste!

Marzipan Pumpkins -
My husband and I had fun making these
together. Great activity to do with children. Someday when we have
children I can see them helping me place the pumpkin stem!

• Box of almond paste (maripan)


• 2 drops red food coloring


• 4 drops yellow food coloring


• whole cloves

1. Form the marzipan into a ball and make a tiny well in the middle.
   


2. Drop the food coloring and then need to desired color.


3. Form balls and use the back of a butter knife to intend the pumpkin
   shape.


4. Finally, place a whole clove in the center for the stem.

The Box Recipe with added Magic

This is basically the same as above but instead of the main cupcake
ingredients use a "butter" or "yellow" cake box. I have used the box with
the added pudding to make it more moist.

Below is my secret way to spruce up a boxed cupcake recipe:

• Cake Box


• Buttermilk


• Eggs

Basically take your dry box ingredients and add buttermilk (substitute for
amount of water on back of box) and add an extra egg. So if the box says 3
eggs, add 4!

So easy yet so delicious. If you are using this for the recipe above,
just skip to step 6 in the original recipe.

Happy Fall!