Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

By traciesparks

This is a wonderful recipe I discovered and changed a bit to suit my taste. I love the flavor of pumpkin and the cinnamon makes ordinary cream cheese frosting extra special. When I made a batch for my husband to take to work, he said they disappeared in record time.—Debbie Wiggins, Longmont, Colorado

I made these for a party I was hosting on a chilly fall evening and they were fantastic and a huge hit! They turned out very moist and the flavor was wonderful. I cut the frosting recipe in half and am glad I did because this was plenty. I tried them with and without the frosting and liked them both ways. The frosting is not necessary but really does make them just a little more special. They went well with the spiced hot apple cider I served and I will make these again.

Ingredients

• FROSTING:
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2-1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Details

Servings 24
Preparation time 25mins
Cooking time 45mins

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin. Combine the flour, pie spice, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and ginger; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and cinnamon; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 2 dozen.


Nutrition Facts: 1 cupcake equals 340 calories, 14 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 62 mg cholesterol, 233 mg sodium, 53 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting published in Fun Food 2009