Pumpkin Cupcakes for Thanksgiving

Pumpkin cupcakes

Pumpkin pies are so overrated. This year, we decided to make some pumpkin cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting and little pretzel sticks for stems.

Pumpkin cupcakes

Pumpkin cupcakes

As you know, I’m not the biggest fan of vegetables. But guess what? Botanically, speaking, pumpkins are fruits but since they’re generally not syrupy sweet like berries and stone fruits (peaches, nectarines and plums), in the culinary world, they get lumped into the vegetable category. In Autumn, we still find this magical veggie in desserts though. Surprisingly, even with its starchy texture, pumpkins make the most moist and dense desserts! I found this Martha Stewart recipe online and decided to try it out:

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Makes 18

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
  3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Source: Martha Stewart

The interior of these cupcakes are a rich, deep orange speckled with spices. I was hoping my cream cheese frosting would turn out the same shade of orange but I’m a frosting dye rookie.

Pumpkin cupcakes

I ate two of these moist little cupcakes while decorating. I’m going to count that towards my vegetable intake for the day ;)

Pumpkin cupcakes

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers!