Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

What do you do when it's "I have all this leftover pumpkin" season? Here's one answer: my Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting! (Canned pumpkin purée of course works in place of a leftover puréed "pie pumpkin" as well.)

There are so many fun ways to decorate them. I created this recipe especially for PIX11 TV, New York City. In my best-selling cookbook there are of course plenty of other irresistible desserts, especially in the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas chapters.

💝 ☘️ 🐰 🇺🇸 🤡 🐈‍⬛ 🎃 🦃 🎅🏼

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/4 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon arrowroot or corn starch

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons gound cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (no clumps)

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup pumpkin purée (from can, or pie pumpkin*)

1/3 cup buttermilk

Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 12-muffin pan with paper liners.

Whisk together flour, starch, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves.

In large bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beat in vanilla. Mix in pumpkin. Mix in half dry ingredients then half buttermilk, repeat.

Fill each liner almost to the top.

Bake 22 minutes or till toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack. Frost and/or decorate!

Cream Cheese Frosting

Generously frosts 12 cupcakes, easily frosts 24

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

24 ounces (about 6 cups) powdered sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In large bowl, mix together butter and cream cheese. Add sugar a cup at a time, mixing in thoroughly. Mix in lemon juice and vanilla.

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My vintage Halloween cupcake picks go perfectly on top of these. After you pipe on the cream cheese frosting (using gel coloring: I use Chefmaster neon brite orange and avocado, and AmeriColor violet and super black) you can dress them up with handy frosting and sprinkle kits like these: here, and here! Let's get spooktacular! 👻 🎉

*To use a pie pumpkin, just slice it in half, remove the guts (seeds and strings), place halves face down on aluminum foil-covered baking sheet, roast for about 40 minutes at 400°F till tender, then purée the flesh in food processor.

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Here's the fun 2024 PIX11 New York segment where Hazel and Ben (my hosts) get to decoratin'! I also present my Orange Dragon Dip with Creepy Crudités, and Fall Flavors Pumpkin Seed Cheeseball, to go with our Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes Decorating Party!

💝 ☘️ 🐰 🇺🇸 🤡 🐈‍⬛ 🎃 🦃 🎅🏼

💝 ☘️ 🐰 🇺🇸 🤡 🐈‍⬛ 🎃 🦃 🎅🏼