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Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
**click picture for link to a free download of this print**
I don't know about you but after Halloween it's really hard for me to savor the last little bits of autumn. I'm ready for Bing's Christmas record, eggnog, and brisk cold nights. It's not helping that my small town has begun decking the halls- or um, lampposts- with garland and string lights and big velvet bows. It makes me want to get cozy in my fuzzy socks with a big mug of tea and enjoy the sights and sounds (and smells) of Christmas.... but it's not here yet.
I have always struggled with contentment and living in the present. When I was 6, I wanted to be 16. When I was in high school I wanted to be adult. Now that I am an adult I really wish that I had just let myself be. Be all there. Be 6 when I was 6, be 16 while I was 16. My goal for this season has been to stop and enjoy autumn during autumn.
There are a few things about this season that help me appreciate it in the present rather than wishing it away. I love the trees; I love weekend drives with my husband, singing our favorite songs and admiring the trees on the hillsides. I love pumpkin patches, corn mazes and hayrides. I love apple cider, cake donuts, and the day pumpkin everything is released for the season. While I didn't get to enjoy all these things (yet) this season, I have fully and completely embraced the pumpkin everything. Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin spice candles, pumpkin spice beauty products.... it goes on for a while. I. just. love. pumpkin.
Sticking to our theme, I wanted to share an original recipe with y'all today. Pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon cream chesse frosting. I actually created them for a friend and coworker for her birthday, which falls on Halloween. They were a big hit at work, and with my family when i made them for a second time. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but they are yum stuff.
What I love most about these cupcakes is how easy they are! I use a boxed cake mix for the base and threw in some pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to give them that awesome autumn flavor.
The icing is super delicious. I was going to do a simple cream cheese, but felt like I really needed to step it up a knotch. The cake was good, the flavor was there, but I really wanted to give it a frosting that was equally as good. In comes cinnamon. Cinnamon is the primary spice in pumpkin pie spice and really compliments the pumpkin. The spicy with the creamy and the moist cake.... if you can't find me it's because I've died and gone to heaven. They were just so good!
I hope you guys are encouraged to give them a try. They'd be fun for upcoming holiday festivities like Friendsgiving or even for non-pie-eaters at your family's Thanksgiving dinner... There's one in every family, people, and this way they still get to enjoy THE flavor of the season. Let me know if you enjoyed them and I'd love to see pictures! Now, onto the recipe:
Cupcakes:
1 box of yellow cake mix (Aldi is my favorite!)
1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling, there is a BIG difference)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
2-3 tbsp of milk
Frosting:
1 8 oz block of cream cheese
1 tsp of vanilla
1 tbsp of cinnamon
4-5 cups powdered sugar
1-3 tbsp of milk as needed
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your muffin pan with liners. Combine yellow cake mix and pumpkin until moist. Add in vanilla and pumpkin spice until incorporated. Begin adding milk, 1 tbsp at a time, mixing thoroughly and checking consistency between each addition. This mix will be thicker than your average box mix, the milk helps smooth it out. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to fill your muffin pan with pumpkin batter to roughly 2/3 of the way full. These cupcakes rise pretty well and the tops hold their shape, so if you'd like, you can smooth the tops down with the back of a spoon. I didn't since I was going to add frosting to the top. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Makes just under 2 dozen cupcakes.
For the frosting, let your cream cheese come to room temperature by letting it sit on the counter for 25-30 minutes. It will still be cold, but this allows the frosting to hold its shape while you pipe it onto the cupcakes. Beat cream cheese for about 2 minutes until fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Add in the vanilla and cinnamon until combined. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, letting it combine between additions. Check your consistency of the frosting at this point. It should fall over slightly when lifted to a peak (think Mt. Crumpet in How the Grinch Stole Christmas). Add in milk as needed, 1 tbsp at a time until ideal consitency is formed. If you are spreading the frosting and not piping, it doesn't need to be that thick. It should smear easily but still hold it's shape.
Enjoy the last moments of autumn, y'all. I'll be back soon.