Pumpkin Cupcakes

Happy Thanksgiving!
or
Happy Gluttony and Coma Day!

I think that it's obvious by now that I like baking, but SURPRISE! So does my mom!

More specifically, she likes baking CUPCAKES. And I don't just mean regular chocolate or vanilla, either.
For my birthday she made Reese's cupcakes, and lemon cupcakes.
For dad's birthday she made German chocolate cupcakes.
She's also made amazing banana split cupcakes, Twix cupcakes, rocky road, key lime, toffee, white chocolate with raspberry cream cheese, caramel apple...

And for Thanksgiving, she made pumpkin cupcakes!

Pumpkin with cream cheese frosting and sugared pecans

She makes the cupcakes themselves from a box mix, and then makes the frosting (and any other toppings) from scratch.

For these pumpkin cupcakes she added in a can of pumpkin. Then, the amazing and ambitious person she is, she made two different types of frosting: Cream cheese frosting (topped with sugared pecans), and maple buttercream (sprinkled with cinnamon).

Pumpkin with maple buttercream frosting, sprinkled with cinnamon

Included below are both frosting recipes, for your convenience. You don't have to make them both at the same time!

Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe

• 1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix
• 1 small box vanilla pudding
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 - 15oz can pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
• 1/2 c water
• 1/3 c vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350
• Line a cupcake pan with 24 cupcake papers
• Combine cake mix, pudding, sour cream, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs, and spice (aka all ingredients) in a large bowl.
• Beat with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
• Divide among cupcake cups (about 2/3 full).
• Bake 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool completely.

Maple Buttercream Frosting Recipe

• NOTE: This recipe has been doubled to allow enough frosting to pipe
• 2 -8 oz packages full-fat cream cheese
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp maple extract
• 8 c powdered sugar
• Cinnamon (optional)

Preparation

• Cream the cream cheese and butter until well combined and fluffy.
• Add in vanilla and maple extract, and blend well.
• Add powdered sugar slowly, until you reach the consistency you like.
• Frost/pipe onto cupcakes and sprinkle with cinnamon if desired

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

• 2 - 8oz packages full-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 9 cups powdered sugar (2 bags = 8 cups) [This amount makes it stiff enough to pipe]
• Sugared Pecans (optional -- Recipe below)

Preparation

• Cream the cream cheese and butter until well combined and fluffy.
• Add vanilla, mix in.
• Add powdered sugar slowly, until you reach the consistency you like.

Sugared Pecan Recipe

• 1/2 c finely chopped pecans
• 3 tbsp sugar

Preparation

• In a heavy skillet, cook pecans and 2 tbsp sugar on LOW heat, about eight minutes, until sugar is melted.
• Spoon pecans onto waxed paper in thin layer, and sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Pumpkin Fro-Yo Pie

At work, we'll be getting "yogurt pies" soon! Think of it as a twist: Instead of ice cream cake, it's frozen yogurt pie. Nomnomnom.

Being the impatient person that I can be, I wanted to try one out myself. A couple of days ago our pumpkin yogurt was being changed out, so after work I filled up a cup with that and only that, and brought it home. I had a graham cracker crust waiting to be used too, so I thought, perfect!
This is the easiest, and strangest, and most delightful pie! Pumpkin yogurt, for example, tastes exactly like pumpkin pie. (Or in my case, better, as I've never been much of a normal pumpkin pie girl.) It just adds this odd new element! Plus, you only need two ingredients and a freezer.

I can only assume that this will work best with soft-serve frozen yogurt, not ice cream because the consistencies are different. With all of the fro-yo stores popping up, I bet it'd be easy to find one, and then all you have to do is pick your flavor!
Pumpkin Fro-Yo Pie Recipe

• 16 oz (1 pint) of frozen yogurt, your choice (more if you don't want that top 'lip' of crust)
• 1 - 9" graham cracker crust

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 250
• Heat crust for about 10 minutes, just to firm up. Then let cool completely.
• Pour yogurt into crust, and smooth out/flatten with a rubber spatula.
• Put into freezer for ~3 hours (or overnight) to fully firm up.
• Serve!