Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

*Note: as soon as I can get my phone to connect to the internet I'll be posting an even tastier recipe for pumpkin-inspired cupcakes*

 

Moving on to the tried and true, cupcakes were the obvious next choice.

I did try to make pumpkin cream cheese truffles but they turned out kind of icky and I didn't like the way they tasted so they got wasted.

Yep. That rhyme just happened.

Anyway, I made a batch of mini cupcakes and I have to say the maple cream cheese icing is so good. I cleaned the bowl (a luxury I often pass up as it's John's favourite part but - lucky me - he wasn't home when these were made so the bowl was allllll mine).

 

 

recipe from sweetopia.net (where there is also a great tutorial for fondant pumpkins)

 

For the cupcakes:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

For the icing:

• 1 block cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tbs real maple syrup
• 2 cups icing sugar

Instructions

For the cupcakes:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger, into a medium bowl.
3. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.
4. Divide the batter among the muffin tin and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Set pumpkin cupcakes aside to cool completely. These are delicious frosted with cream cheese icing or just as is!
For the Icing:
6. Cream the cream cheese, butter and maple syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Slowly add the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
7. Once your cupcakes are cool, ice them with a butter knife or large piping bag and tip of your choice.