Pumpkin Cupcakes with a Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

Posted in Dessert by Cavities & Cravings

Brace yourselves for a dramatic moment.

I have some sad news to report, something near and dear to my heart is no longer with me…

This was one of those moments where everything was happening in slow mo and I couldn’t seem to move quick enough to save my precious cupcake carrier. Ugh, seriously I’m still upset about this. My cupcake carrier has been through so much with me, it’s been used and abused that’s fo sho. I sent Husband a text immediately after the event and this was his response, verbatim: “We will go buy you an even better set right now. I promise. We will leave as soon as you get home. I know how much you loved that thing.” Umm, talk about true love, right?

We ventured off to Bed Bath and Beyond right when I got home. To say I was dissapointed with the selection s an understatement! I really just wanted the same carrier I have now, but no. Does anyone other have this cupcake carrier?

I don’t know, I hesitated with this one. I was messing with it at the store and every time I took the lid off, the entire tray came with the lid. This could be problematic. I’m thinking that may be once the tray is filled with cupcakes the weight will prevent it from being lifted? Maybe. I mean, do I really want to take that chance though? I think not. The hunt continues, for now. Let me know if you have one that you recommend.

So in loving memory of my beloved cupcake carrier, I’m sharing this fantastic recipe for Pumpkin Cupcakes #basic. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Everyone is out of control with this hashtag basic business. Anyways, I converted non-pumpkin lovers with these, so trust me they are worth it. I paired the cupcake with a cinnamon buttercream frosting, perfection!

Cupcake Ingredients:

3/4 cup softened butter
1 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
2 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup milk + 2 tablespoons of lemon juice*

*Note: The use of 1 cup of milk + 2 tablespoons of lemon juice was in substitution for buttermilk. For every one cup of buttermilk, substitute for one cup of milk plus 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, mix together and allow to sit for 5 minutes before mixing with other ingredients. This little trick has worked for me like a charm!

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter, softened
1/2 cup of butter flavored shortening
1 tablespoon of vanilla
4 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1/4 cup of water*

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin.

3. Combine flour, pie spice, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, ginger and nutmeg.

4. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating with milk+lemon (or buttermilk) and beating well after each addition.

5. Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

6. While cupcakes are cooling, mix butter, shortening, vanilla, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and water in an electric mixer. Add more water to make consistency thinner for easier decorating.

7. Once completely cooled, frost cupcakes and enjoy.

Check out some of my other favorite pumpkin recipes:

19Nov2012

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

Posted in Dessert by Cavities & Cravings

Erin, this post is for you! 🙂

For those of you who are sick of the pumpkin craze, my apologies. Yesterday we had friends over for Friendsgiving and it was wonderful. We had so much food and great friends to celebrate an early Thanksgiving with. I made this double layer pumpkin cheesecake and it turned out awesome. So many people are afraid of making cheesecake, but have no fear! I promise this is completely doable, even for you non-bakers!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

3. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

I hope everyone have has a fabulous Thanksgiving.

Our thoughts and prayers are still with those who lost everything in hurricane Sandy and are spending Thanksgiving in shelters.

4Nov2012

Pumpkin Nutella Muffins

Posted in Dessert by Cavities & Cravings

I recently attended a nearby small town Pumpkin Show. HOLY PUMPKIN! This festival takes place every year and this was my first time attending. Out of control Let’s begin with what I ate (please don’t judge)… pumpkin chili, pumpkin blossoms, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin cream elephant ear, apple cider slush…oh, and a cream puff. I wish I could say I ate all of this by myself, but I can’t. It’s still a pretty impressive amount of food, right? Man my mouth is watering just thinking about the food I consumed. I’m surprised I didn’t die of a heart attack.

Did I mention the world’s largest pumpkin pie? Oh yes. And check out all those ingredients. INSANE, I know.

To continue my pumpkin high, I made these fabulous pumpkin Nutella muffins and they were delicious. They turned out perfect, not too sweet and super moist, they even “iced themselves” with the Nutella topping! Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients:

1 – 15 oz can pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons natural cocoa powder
12 teaspoons Nutella for topping

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line or spray a 12-cup muffin pan, set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, vanilla and brown sugar. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.

3. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups evenly (will be about 3/4 full). Scoop a heaping teaspoon of Nutella onto the top of each muffin. Use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the Nutella slightly around the top of the batter.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

5. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes, enjoy!

26Sep2012

It’s Pumpkin Time: Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Posted in Dessert by Cavities & Cravings

It’s that time again, pumpkin season!!! Things are cooling off here in Ohio and fall is quickly setting in. I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. I love the fresh air, the flavors, the leaves changing colors… but I hate that winter will be here sooner than I’d like.

I tried to hold off on baking with pumpkin for as long as I could, but I just could not hold back any longer. Tomorrow night a friend is hosting a Lia Sophia jewelry party, so I used that as an excuse to bake. These pumpkin cheesecake muffins are to. die. for. Every bite is like a little party in your mouth, I’m not even kidding. I got this recipe idea from the lovely Pinterest, of course. The original recipe came from Annie’s Eats.

If you are a pumpkin fan of any sorts, make these asap! Seriously. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. 🙂

Ingredients:

For the filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1 tablespoont flour
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the muffins:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup + 2 tbls vegetable oil

For the topping:

1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tbsp. flour
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Instructions:

1. To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese, egg, flour and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Set aside.

2. To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

3. To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

4. To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin about 2/3 full with batter. Add a dollop of filling on top. Sprinkle with topping. Bake or 15 minutes