Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

The first fall-ish recipe of the season is here, and it's a good one. I can't get enough pumpkin desserts (unless it's pumpkin pie..maybe if it's slathered in whipped cream but even then..) and baked goods. Mostly the baked stuff though, I love how it makes the final product so moist.

My husband's birthday is this weekend, the big 2-8. When did we get so old?? It wasn't that long ago that he turned 24 (about 2 weeks after we started dating). So I wanted to make him something to take to work. He didn't want me to. I didn't care. And guess what? He also doesn't want a birthday cake. Like that's gonna happen. How were they? I suppose it's a good sign when he comes home empty handed, right?

PS- Just FYI, but my index needs to be updated, baaadly. The last couple months of posts aren't in there. I'll try to work on it when I have some time..which isn't often.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

from Martha Stewart as seen on My Baking Addiction

Pumpkin Cupcakes
yields: approximately 20-24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

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 pumpkin pie spice; 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.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:

2 (8) ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar

1 TBS ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Using a mixer, blend the butter and cream cheese together until well combined. Gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar until fully incorporated. Finally mix in vanilla and cinnamon

*Note that the frosting makes a ton. If you plan on only using it for 1 batch of cupcakes, half the recipe. I realized it would make a large bowl so I set aside half of the frosting and kept it plain, without the cinnamon and plan on using it to frost the cake, too.