Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

It's October!  Which means it's practically fall.  Which means everything I eat must involve apples, pumpkin, or anything else red/orange/brown.  I made these little guys for an annual broccoli pot luck (Broktoberfest!!) and while it doesn't technically involve broccoli, I didn't have the heart to make a broccoli dessert.. because that's gross.

Cream cheese frosting is a no brainer for pumpkin desserts.... So good!  The cake is light and fluffy, with a very delicate crumb.  I love holiday spices, so I go a little heavy when adding them.

I ended up with a little more icing than I anticipated, so I ended up stuffing these cupcakes as well instead of just icing them.**

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
(makes ~24 cupcakes)


:: 1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
:: 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
:: 1/2 cup sugar
:: 3 cups flour (preferably cake flour, but normal white flour is also fine)
:: 3 tsp baking powder
:: 2 tsp baking soda
:: 2 tsp ground cinnamon
:: 2 tsp ground ginger
:: 1 tsp nutmeg
:: 1/4 tsp ground cloves
:: 1/4 tsp salt
:: 1/2 tsp black pepper
:: 3 large eggs
:: 3/4 cup buttermilk
:: 15 oz canned solid pack pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease your cupcake pans with butter or pam.

Cream butter and sugars together on medium until fluffy. 

Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients together, set aside.  In a separate container, add vanilla to buttermilk, set aside.

Beat eggs into the butter and sugar mixture one at a time.  Add flour and milk mixtures, alternating between wet and dry ingredients. 

Finally, beat pumpkin in until smooth.  Fill cupcake pans about 3/4 full. 

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
:: 2 packages (16 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
:: 1 stick butter, room temperature
:: 2 cups confectioners' sugar
:: generous pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and/or black pepper
:: 2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat all ingredients together until thoroughly combined and fluffy.  Frost cupcakes with either a piping bag or butter knife.

**To stuff cupcakes, cut a cone about 3/4" deep out of the center of the cupcake with a knife.  You can remove a small section of the cone from the part that used to be in the center for more room for frosting - you should now have a little "cap".  Fill the hole in the cupcake with the frosting.  Replace the cap back on the cupcake.  Frost as usual.