Halloween Cupcakes: Spiced Pumpkin & Cream Cheese

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

So these are really good. So good that I Instagrammed them. Because Halloween is coming and I thought they should look creepy and like a serial killer took pictures of them.

The recipe I followed is Martha Stewart’s Pumpkin Cupcakes

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Cook until it turns a light brown colour (careful not to burn it). It’ll suddenly start smelling really good when it’s ready to come off the heat, at which point pour into a bowl and set aside.

In stand mixer, mix together pumpkin puree and both sugars until smooth. Add the egg, mix until smooth. Add vanilla and cooled butter. Blend on high until smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and spices. Whisk together.

Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend together for 30 seconds until completely smooth. If you want these to look extra orange and pumpkin-y, feel free to throw in some food colouring.

Spoon into liners, filling 1/2 to 2/3 full. Batter will be quite thick.

Bake 14 to 20 minutes until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when applying light pressure with fingertip.

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 package cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

2 cups powdered sugar

In stand mixer, blend cream cheese and butter together for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla and spices. You can adjust the amount/selection of spice to taste. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well in between. Pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes and enjoyyy.

Recipe: Vanilla Birthday Cupcakes!

Quick & Easy Vanilla Cupcakes

When Facebook remembers your friends’ birthdays before you do

You know those ordinary days when you’re ready to watch The Bachelorette and have your dinner and maybe check your email, then you inevitably migrate to Facebook to see who’s engaged or who’s self-righteously status-updating about Super Serious Issues, and when you’re done scrolling through pictures of kittens, grad ceremonies, and Obama, you happen to look in the upper right corner and discover simultaneously that,

A) It’s been your friend’s birthday for 14 hours and you haven’t called them

B) Facebook is a better friend than you

This didn’t happen to me because I’m an amazing friend all the time forever. But just in case it does happen to you (you’re only human), here’s a quick and easy cupcake recipe you can whip up and give to your pal if you don’t have time to buy/can’t afford a gift.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Preheat oven and line your muffin tin first. Then mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in small bowl.

In separate bowl or stand mixer, beat butter, oil, and sugar until fluffy.

Add egg, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste, mixing thoroughly.

Add the flour mix, alternating a few times with milk. End with flour mix, making sure you whisk only until combined.

Spoon batter into liners about 2/3 full. If you over-stuff, the batter will rise up over the liner and deflate once cooled.

Bake 350F (325F Convection) for 20 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

In stand mixer or using hand beaters, mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until soft and fluffy–about 3 minutes.

Add confectioner’s sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly and scraping down sides of bowl often.

If you are going to add colour to your frosting, do this about half-way through the mixing process.

Pipe frosting onto completely cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles or candy!

I found these cute little single cupcake packages at Scoop N Save. Great for gifting baked goods.

Recipe: Vanilla Cupcakes

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup soy bean oil

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1/2 cup milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 350F or 325F Convection. Line muffin tin.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in separate bowl.
3. In standing mixer, beat butter, oil, and sugar together. Add egg and vanillas, mixing until fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl.
4. Alternate dry mix and milk, mixing after each addition and ending with dry.
5. Spoon into liners, filling 2/3 full. Bake for approx. 20 minutes. Cupcakes are done when toothpick inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then remove them from the muffin tin and set aside.
6. Makes roughly 1 dozen cupcakes

Recipe: Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pkg cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Instructions

1. In stand mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until smooth and fluffy (3 minutes)
2. Add confectioner’s sugar 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down sides of the bowl with each addition.
3. Depending on the weather, you may need to add more or less confectioner’s sugar to get the right consistency of frosting. This recipe can be made without butter, but I find it adds a bit of lightness and cuts down the tang of cream cheese. Just don’t melt the butter. Otherwise you’ll get weird soup.
4. Add any colour you like to your frosting about half-way between mixing.
5. Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before you pipe.

Eat yourself or give to a friend as a belated birthday present.