Pumpkin Cupcakes
I’d like to be able to tell you that Julian’s birthday cake was his first encounter with sugar. But that would be a big fat lie. As the second child he’s come face to face with so many things we kept away from Esme as a baby: t.v., choke-sized toys, and sugar. I somehow feel like giving him a few licks of my bowl of Neopolitan ice cream isn’t so bad if he doesn’t get any of the chocolate. And now he’s learned that pointing at things is the way you tell big people what you want. Pointing and yelling really gets their attention. So, it’s sort of his fault…
I had been thinking of doing a carrot cake for Julian’s birthday, but one bite of these little babies at a barbeque the week before changed my mind. They’re not too sweet and if you make mini cupcakes the inevitable request for seconds is no big deal.
Esme woke up from her nap in time to help me make these, which made her really happy. She loves parties and being part of party prep is about her favourite thing.
Ingredients
- For the cupcakes:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 can (14 oz.) pumpkin puree
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- For the icing:
- 1 package (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups icing sugar (I used about a half cup less and got a thinner, less sweet icing)
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixer bowl, cream butter and sugars together.
Beat in eggs. Add pumpkin and stir to blend.
In a small bowl, combine flour with the remaining dry ingredients.
Add to the creamed mixture. Stir to blend.
Spoon into prepared cupcake tins. Bake for 25 minutes
Makes about 24 small cupcakes. . Allow to cool before icing
Make icing by beating cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
Stir in vanilla. Gradually add icing sugar and beat until smooth.
Spread over cooled cupcakes.
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We're Ceri and Laura, a couple of magazine-editors-turned-food-bloggers. Also, we're mothers obsessed with delicious, healthy, family food. We're constantly thinking of ways to make your time (and our own!) in the kitchen easier and more productive, but still nostalgic for the days when dinner was cereal eaten over the kitchen sink.
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