What better reason to start blogging than this.
I mean, seriously!!
I love pumpkin. And I am not trying to use that word lightly. When the canned pumpkin shortage happened last year, I was one of those crackheads who thought about paying $16 a can on ebay. I needed my fix! But the shortage is now over and I am the proud owner of ten cans of pumpkin in my pantry. And that’s just to get me started.
The best thing about this recipe, besides the fact you can say you made it from scratch, is because it uses real pumpkin, they are not dry. At all. I love making cupcakes but sometimes I feel like beating my head against the counter for trying new recipes because they can come out very dry. But not the case with this gem - so light, so moist, so EASY, so delicious!! So grab a spatula, a can of pumpkin (or cans…whatever, I’m not here to judge) & let’s get cracking!
Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes
4 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup corn starch
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F & line your muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2) Blend the eggs, oil, sugar, and pumpkin in a large mixing bowl & set aside. Sift together dry ingredients into a separate bowl.
3) Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and beat until well blended. Pour into lined muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full.
4) Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire baking sheets.
Maple Buttercream Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened
5 cups of powdered sugar (10-x)
1 tsp maple extract
1-2 tbsp heavy cream or milk
(If you have a standing mixer, you’ll want to use it for the buttercream.)
1) In a large bowl or 5-qrt standing mixer cream butter & maple extract until smooth.
2) Add powdered sugar 2 cups at a time, blending well after cup. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
3) Once all the sugar is added, beat on medium speed for 5-7 minutes. Around minute 4 or 5 you’ll notice your buttercream getting very fluffy which means you’re almost there. Add 1-2 tbsp cream or milk if your frosting is too thick. To pipe from a bag, the icing can’t be too stiff. To determine, pull the beater out of the buttercream. It needs to slightly shift or slowly fall off the beater. If it barely moves you’ll need to add some liquid & beat for another minute.
