Pumpkin Cupcakes wtih Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

I really love fall. It's a wonderful time of the year, isn't it? This year I've been a bit obsessed with squash. Baking with it and just plain eating it...roasting it, sauteeing it, making soup...you name it! So when I came across this recipe for pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting, it instantly became a must try. Because you know what I love MORE than pumpkin? Yup, that would be maple.

This is a delicious seasonal cupcake...the cupcakes have an amazing texture, and a nice cream cheese frosting. Now...more about the frosting after the recipe...

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Yields: 20-22 regular-sized cupcakes

Ingredients for cupcakes:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing pans

1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin

Ingredients for Frosting:
Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup + 1 TBS pure maple syrup

Make the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cupcake pan with 20 - 22 liners.

2. Beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl.

3. Add the eggs 1 at a time and beat them in, scraping down the sides after each addition. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. I did 3 additions of flour, 2 of the liquid mixture. Beat in the pumpkin until smooth. Scoop the batter among the cupcake liners — you’re looking to get them 3/4 full. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on racks completely.

Make the Frosting:
Beat all the ingredients on medium until light & fluffy.

Okay...so here's my philosophical debate regarding the frosting on these cupcakes. I was really hoping for a more maple-y punch from the frosting on these cupcakes. However, there was only a slight maple-y taste from the frosting, with the tang of the cream cheese overpowering most of the delicate maple flavor (in my opinion). In fact, my recipe reflects additional maple syrup in the frosting, but was afraid to add too much more for fear of making the frosting runny. Next time I make this I'm hoping to try a maple buttercream to see if I get more of a maple-punch.

So please...enjoy this light, fall cupcake and if you have any thoughts on the maple frosting feel free to post a comment!

Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

One of my recent favorites to bake is cupcakes. I went through a whole cupcake phase earlier this year, and as I re-visit each cupcake I'll start to post them on here.

Now...I used to be a skeptic when it came to red velvet. I don't really know, I guess part of it was the uncertainty of what red velvet was. I mean...it's kind of a supernatural color. And I'm a huge chocolate girl...so that also was a demerit for the red velvet. Then..a couple years ago I took the plunge and tried a piece of red velvet cake and found out what I was missing! Red velvet I feel like is an often misunderstood cake flavor. It's a class all of it's own. I like that. And...as a redhead I feel obligated to enjoy things of the red variety.

So with that, I delved into trying red velvet cupcakes earlier this year. Because why not? In a way this has become my signature cupcake. It's a nice, moist cupcake with a (not too) sweet cream cheese frosting. (Side note: Amy's Bread in NYC makes a nice red velvet cupcake but with a buttercream frosting...). I have cream cheese issues, which I'm slowly getting over - but really do like this cream cheese frosting! These were some of the first items that I've sold, and also a standard housewarming/birthday present for many of my friends. Today I completed a batch for a friends birthday this evening.

I have photos documenting the adventure which I will post later. Somehow, in cleaning the apartment the other day, I "temporarily relocated" the cable to download pics from camera to computer.

So...red velvet cupcakes.

Fairly standard. I mostly follow the below recipe.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, 2007 & the Food Network

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Level: Easy

Serves:

24 frosted cupcakes (medium size cupcakes)

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting: And filling if you choose to fill them! More below on that...

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish (Since I fill my cupcakes I actually garnish with crumbs from the cored cupcakes instead of the suggested garnish)
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

A few tweaks that I make:

• I think there is too much oil. Often times when there is oil in a baking recipe I feel like it's too much - thus, I used 1 1/3 cups of oil.
  
• I also ALWAYS add some additional vanilla. Always. I love vanilla. Soon there will be a post about making your own vanilla...hopefully it will work!

A few other notes:

• I am all about filled cupcakes. When I found myself with some...extra free time I decided to figure out how to fill my own cupcakes. So, I tried a few methods listed online. One of the primary listed methods is referred to as the "cone method". I hate the cone method. The theory is you take a paring knife and cut out a small cone from the middle of the cupcake. I find it messy, time consuming and just kind of annoying. I went out and got an extra piping tip with a nice size whole, stick that in the middle of the cupcake and core the center. It works for me.

• Frosting: If you've never frosted a cupcake with a piping bag I suggest you go out to the store now and get a piping bag (12" or 14" is a good mid-size, I have an 8" which is good for some fillings but too small for frosting and I use a 16" or 18" when actually frosting cupcakes) and some different tips and give it a go. It makes the frosting of cupcakes a much quicker and easier process.

Enjoy!!