Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Is there anything better than pumpkin cake?

I think it’s better than all the other pumpkin desserts. It might even be better than a pumpkin spice latte.

I found this recipe a few years ago, and it has become somewhat of a tradition at this point. I make it every year for Thanksgiving, and sometimes for Christmas. This year I cut the recipe in half, and made it in cupcake form. I brought extras to work with me. Hannah’s response after hardly finishing her first one was, “Can I have another one?”

This is literally the best thing I make.

My best friend and I recently started trying this new “diet.” We’re calling it “being kind to ourselves.” It consists of eating healthy and delicious things, while not restricting anything. My version also includes tons of yoga. Basically, we can eat whatever the fuck we want, as long as we’re hungry. No more emotional eating. No more beating ourselves up for eating cupcakes. We will no longer let food control us. And we will not let society tell us we don’t deserve dessert.

I ate chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast this morning, plus one of these cupcakes. For dinner, I’ll eat leftover turkey with sauteed bok choy. It’s all about balance.

Is this getting too rant-y? Oh wait, I don’t care.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting 

Cake ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 can (15oz) pureed pumpkin

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup milk

 

Frosting ingredients:

12oz (1 1/2 packages) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

4 cups powdered sugar

A generous dash of each: nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves, all spice

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease cupcake tins, or use paper cups. This can also be made into a 3 layer cake, if you’d prefer. In that case, grease 3 round cake pans (8 or 9 inch).

For cake: In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Cream together butter and sugar in your mixer, or by hand in a large bowl. Mix until light and fluffy, then add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, pumpkin, and oil. Slowly add in flour mixture, alternating with the milk. Divide into cupcake tins or cake pans, and bake for 25 minutes(for cupcakes) to 35 minutes (for cake). Check to make sure it’s done by sticking a toothpick or a clean knife in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, they’re done! If not, bake for a few more minutes. Once done, place into the freezer. Since learning this trick, I do it with pretty much all my cake recipes. It really keeps the cake from drying out. Leave it in the freezer for 20-40 minutes (until cool).

For frosting: Cream together butter and cream cheese in a mixer. Add remaining ingredients, saving the powdered sugar for last. Slowly beat in the sugar until combined, then beat on high until smooth.

Assemble the cake with layers of frosting in between. Or! Top cupcakes with a generous layer of frosting. Serve right away, or keep refrigerated. When cut in half, this recipe makes about 36 cupcakes.

Make extra frosting, and just eat it out of a bowl.