Orange Velvet Cupcakes with Pumpkin Buttercream

After a bit of a delay - and missing the pre-thanksgiving mark - here is the other pumpkin cupcake recipe with the best fall sinpired icing you"ll ever make.

 

Orange Velvet Cupcakes

(recipe from Southern Shelle)

To make these delicious cupcakes, you'll need:

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1/4 cup dutch process cocoa
• 1 tsp. salt
• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 Tbsp. liquid red food coloring
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. distilled white vinegar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 container of orange gel dye

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, cocoa, and salt into a bowl.

Beat butter at low speed until creamy. Add sugar; blend on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each. Scrape bowl; add food coloring and vanilla.

To get the perfect shade of orange you are going to add the entire container of orange gel food coloring. I know, gel food coloring is so concentrated that you don't normally need that much, but unless you want University of Texas Burnt Orange, add the whole container. I also used approximately 15 drops of liquid yellow food coloring to take away some of the burnt undertones.

On low speed, beat in flour mixture in thirds, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. In small bowl, stir together vinegar and baking soda. Stir into batter.

Line cupcake pans and fill 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan and then move to wire rack to let cool completely.

Then for the full absolutely irrisistably autumn effect, top them with the most delicious thing you'll ever make, ever:
 

 

(as you can see, I should have splurged and bought orange gel food colouring instead of trying to combine red and yellow for the desired effect!)

 

Pumpkin Buttercream

(recipe from Nancy Creative)

 

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 Tablespoons canned pure pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons half & half or milk

Cream the butter, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and vanilla, blending well. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time, blending well after each addition. Add half & half or milk and blend well.
NOTE: This makes a very thick buttercream frosting. If you want a thinner, creamier frosting, add more half & half or milk until you get the desired consistency.