Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Yes! It is finally the season to start cooking with pumpkin and spices. Call me crazy, but I love the cold. I love the smell of spices, of roasting lamb in the oven for hours, of pies, of every food that screams cold weather …

When I was in New York for Thanksgiving my nostrils were infiltrated with the wonderful smell of all things pumpkin – pumpkin pies, roasted pumpkin, pumpkin mash, pumpkin cupcakes … I had never seen pumpkin used in so many ways. But, my most treasured pumpkin experience was the pumpkin cupcake I ate in the MET Museum. At the time, I was quite sceptical to eat a cupcake from the café in the Museum, but my mum and I were starving from a day full of walking around the museum and did not have the time to be fussy. The pumpkin cupcake looked extremely appetising and we were game to try a new flavour combination. This is the moment that instigated my obsession with pumpkin cupcakes. I was absolutely taken aback with the fluffy texture of the cake, the melange of spices and the creaminess of the icing. Amazeballs!

Since the moment I landed back in Melbourne I was adamant on making these cupcakes, so you can imagine how much my patience was tested when I had to wait until April for the weather to cool down. But, what a worthwhile wait that was! These cupcakes are absolutely sublime! They are very, very fluffy but have an incredible moistness which is created from the use of oil. The combination of spices is perfect so that it doesn’t overpower the pumpkin flavour but rather accentuates the essence of pumpkin. Yummo!

Courtesy to Sally’s Baking Addiction for the recipe - http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/11/16/favorite-pumpkin-cupcakes/.

For the Cupcakes:

1¾ cups (220 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ cup (100 grams) dark brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (227 grams) pure pumpkin puree

½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil

1/3 cup (80 ml) milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

walnuts for decorating, optional

Note: For the pumpkin puree, you usually can find it in cans in large supermarkets but I made my own pumpkin puree. To do this I chopped up a quarter of a pumpkin into 2-inch pieces and placed it in a baking dish lined with foil and covered the dish with foil. Cook in the oven at 180 degrees celsius for approximately 1 hour or until softened. Allow to cool, then remove the skin and whisk briefly until smooth. 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves until combined. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the brown sugar and eggs together until combined. Add the pumpkin, oil, ,milk and vanilla until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do NOT overmix the batter.

Spoon the batter evenly into the liners until ¾ full. This recipe will make around 16 cupcakes, so you will need to do more than one tray. Bake for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Icing:

250 grams cream cheese, softened to room temperature

½ cup (115 grams) butter, softened to room temperature

2 – 2.5 cups (240 – 300 grams) confectioner’s sugar

2 tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until soft, creamy and combined thoroughly. Add the powdered sugar gradually and beat until thick and combined. Add 2 tablespoons heavy cream and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for 2 more minutes. Add more powdered sugar until desired thickness is reached. Ice cupcakes and decorate with walnuts if desired.