orto delle zucche/pumpkin patch
Finally! After posting a teaser picture of these cupcakes on my Facebook page, then giving these sweet treats to my staff weeks ago, here they are!
Now that they’re posted, I am going to ask you to go back….go way back to when you were knee high to a grasshopper and simple songs like Where is Thumbkin? made you giggle and clap. Got it? Is the tune quickly getting stuck in your brain? Keep going. Don’t stop humming. Now, allow me to substitute the lyrics a bit. Let’s start with Thumbkin . Today, Thumpkin becomes Mr. Pumpkin.
Keep humming…hum, hum, hum, hum, hum, hum, hum, hum..
Mr. Pumpkin,
Mr. Pumpkin,
Round and fat.
Round and fat.
Harvest time is coming.
Harvest time is coming.
Yum, yum, yum.
That is that!
’nuff said. Now, enjoy your day!
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese & White Chocolate Ganache
Adapted Martha Stewart Recipe
1 ¼ cups cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp. fine sea salt
¼ tsp. ground allspice
Pinch (1/8) tsp. ground allspice
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1½ cups canned pumpkin puree
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
White Chocolate Ganache
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line (approximately) 24 muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices; set aside.
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 periodically. 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.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups. Do not fill each cup more than ¾ full. Bake 7-8 minutes, rotate pans, and bake additional 7-8 minutes until golden brown. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes before turning cupcakes out onto racks to cool completely. Top with spiced cream cheese icing and white chocolate ganache.
Make the Frosting:
In a large bowl, sift confectioners’ sugar and spices; set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar mixture, about ½ cup at a time. Add vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Decorate cupcakes: Top each cupcake with buttercream according to preference. Refrigerate while making the ganache. Once ganache is ready (melted and smooth), dip the top of each buttercream-topped cupcake in the ganache, twist, raise, and place on a wire rack.
Cupcakes and/or frosting can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
First it was the picture, and now the song. I have these so stuck in my head…
Got to go and cook ‘em
Got to go and cook ‘em
Yes I do
Yes I do
The muffins looks delicious!! I would have never thought of making pumpkin cupcakes – great idea~!