Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I received a phone call from an old friend of mine about a month ago.  She was planning a birthday luncheon for her mother and requested my help with a few things including making cupcakes.  I had my eye on this Pumpkin Cupcake recipe for awhile and was looking for an excuse to make them so you can understand how excited I was when I gave her three cupcake choices and she picked the Pumpkin. Yeah, at last my excuse to try this recipe arrived!  And then panic set in ... why on earth am I trying a NEW recipe for a party???  I know, its not the smartest decision because when you're baking for someone else you should be using an old standby, the one that you've made numerous times and you know for sure you can't mess it up.  So I took a risk with a new recipe...if worse came to worse my back up plan was to buy a box mix and go from there.  I am so glad I tried this recipe!!  I like box cakes and tend to make them and use homemade frosting to keep things on the easy side but I have to tell you when you make cakes from scratch and they come out perfect its a wonderful feeling ... and people can tell it didn't come from a box.

These cupcakes are moist with the right amount of pumpkin spiciness and the frosting, oh my oh my the frosting can be consumed alone with a spoon .... I mean, the frosting is heavenly.  I topped my cupcakes with tiny fondant pumpkins I made ahead of time but you could also use candy corns, chopped nuts or keep it simple with no topping at all.  The cupcake batter makes a lot so make sure to use a big bowl (makes 32 cupcakes).

INGREDIENTS:

For the Cupcakes:
4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2½ cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1½ cups canned pumpkin (not pie filling)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound (4 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

To Make the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until just combined. Add pumpkin; beat until just combined.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. 

4. To finish, use an offset spatula or a pastry bag fitted with a decorated tip to top the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

To Make the Frosting:

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, ½ cup at a time, and then vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  

Source: Brown Eyed Baker