Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Spiced Buttercream

Things are about to go Halloween around here next week.  I have something special planned for you tomorrow, and then next week prepare for Orange, and Spiders, and all things Gross!  In the meantime though I have these amazing Cupcakes I want to share with you.  They are pumpkin, so they are the perfect prelude to Halloween! 

I made these for a Teacher’s Appreciation Lunch at my son’s school.  There were a few teachers around when I brought them in, and these little treats  were oohed  and awed over like crazy.  I am not sure they even made it until lunch time!  If you follow me on facebook, you may remember me not being able to find powdered sugar.  This is why I needed it!  Seriously!  It took 3 stores to find powdered sugar.  But it was well worth all the trips, because this frosting was amazing!! 

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Spiced Buttercream

Adapted from Annie’s Eats

PrintableRecipe

Cupcakes:
2 2/3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canola

4 eggs

Buttercream Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

2½ cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare cupcake pans, makes approximately 30 cupcakes. 

To make the cupcakes

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt together. Set aside.  In the bowl for an electric mixer, blend together the pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar and oil. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  With the mixer on low, add the flour in slowly, until just combined. 

Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3^rd of the way full.  Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

To make the frosting

Using an electric mixer cream together cream cheese and butter, until smooth.  Mix in vanilla.  Gradually stir in the powdered sugar and cinnamon.  Beat on medium until smooth.  Frost cooled cupcakes.

Margarita Cake

Friday was Girls Night In, as I wrote about earlier this week.  We had a fabulous spread of Mexican food - chips, salsa, guacamole, enchiladas and more!  To top off all of this great food, I thought we needed a yummy dessert.  This usually is not a problem for me!  But, there is a big But.  One of my friends is allergic to chocolate!!! This poses a problem for me, almost every dessert I make has chocolate in it, even if it is just a little.  So I had to get creative.  It was Cinco De Mayo week, so how about a margarita cake.  I mean, margaritas are part of the reason we get together, so why not put it in dessert :) 

Ok, I had a plan, now how do I execute it?  Well Betty Crocker had an interesting recipe, so why not turn that into my own.  They had a pretzel crust, white cake mix with margarita mix instead of the liquids, and cool whip on top.  Well, I couldn't just do that but hhhmmm.....crust with cake? Why not!  The girls thought this was a hit.  The cake was a thick moist cake, and the lime flavor was just perfect.  The crust was really good.  You don't normally have cake with a crust, so it was a unique twist.  Now, I just used plain margarita mix, without the tequila in it.  But you could easily use the premixed stuff.  I just knew my family would be eating the leftovers, and didn't want my 6 year old eating cake with tequila in it!


Margarita Cake
Adapted from Betty Crocker
Printable Recipe

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup margarita mix
About 20 graham crackers (1 sleeve of them)
6 Tbls butter, melted
1 cup heavy cream
3 Tbls powdered sugar
1 Tbls margarita mix



Turn the graham crackers into crumbs.  I use my food processor to make quick work of it.  Mix in the melted butter, and press into a cake pan.  This makes enough for about a 9 inch cake pan.  I used a spring form pan, so I could get it out easily! 



Cream together the butter and sugar.  I "think" the fluffier you get this mixture the lighter your cake will be.  I am new to making cakes from scratch, so this is just a theory to be tested at this point.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.  Combine the flour and baking powder, and add to the creamed mixture.  Mix well.  I also think next time I would use baking soda instead of powder.  In my research most cakes used soda, again I think it leads to a lighter cake.  Finally, stir in the margarita mix until the batter is smooth.  Pour into the pan.



Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, in a a 350 degree oven.  When a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean, the cake is done. 

While the cake cools, you can make the topping.  It is basically a lime flavored whipped cream.  Whipped cream is really easy to make.  Start by putting your mixing bowl, and whip attachment in the fridge to get cold.  Once ready, about 15 minutes later, pour in 1 cup of heavy cream.  Mix until it starts to thicken.  Then add in the sugar and margarita mix until you get to stiff peaks.  Be careful not to overmix, it will turn to butter. You can fix it if you mix to far - just add more cream and mix again. 



Spread cream over cooled cake.  Top with some lime zest, and sliced lime! 

Birthday Time

Tomorrow is my son's 6th birthday!  He is very excited.  This weekend we had a party with extended family.  He is currently obsessed with anything Star Wars - so he had a Star Wars cake, and got lots of Star Wars presents.  His party with his friends tomorrow will be more of the same, I am sure. 

We had all sorts of good food for Easter, and a birthday party, but this post will focus on the cake.  This year a Cookie Cake was requested.  This is just a giant chocolate chip cookie with frosting - very yummy!  It has taken me quite a few times to perfect the cookie technique.  The key really is under baking it some.  I use my normal chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Press it into a tray to bake it.  I have used a pizza stone, just a cookie sheet, a cake pan, pretty much anything works.  Something with sides is the best, but it doesn't have to.  I put it in kind of thick, maybe 1/4 inch.

Bake it at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  It depends on how thick it is, and how big it is.  It does continue to cook a little after you take it out of the oven, so you will want to under bake it by a little. 

My husband is a frosting snob...always has been, always will be.  So store bought frosting is just unacceptable in this house.  But really, if you are in a hurry it would work. 

Buttercream Frosting
modified by Wilton
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Crisco
1 tsp clear vanilla
2 Tbls water
1 pound powdered sugar
1 Tbls Meringue Powder



Using electric mixer cream butter and shortening together.  Mix in water and vanilla until well combined.  Slowly sift in the sugar and the meringue powder.  Once combined, mix on medium speed for about 1 min. 



I use the Wilton paste to color the frosting.   The Jedi color is blue - so today I made blue frosting!
      

I am a very amateur cake decorator.  My husband took the classes that Michael's craft store offers, but I just watched him, and try my best.  This year I found Star Wars figures at Amazon, and used them as decorations.  My son LOVED it, and a bonus.....he has toys after the party!

Here are a few pictures of cakes I have done for past birthdays.  The pictures aren't the best.  They use our old point and shoot camera, but you get the idea!