Pumpkin Cupcakes

Pumpkin isn’t nearly as common in sweet recipes as it is in savoury dishes, but we reckon its distinctive earthy, rich flavour is just as at home in a cake as it is in a pie or soup.

Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

If you’ve read our post on How To Carve A Pumpkin and aren’t too sure what to do with the actual flesh once you’ve carved a lantern, here’s a great little recipe to make yummy, lightly spiced pumpkin cupcakes. We’ve even included a recipe for simple (but utterly delicious) buttercream icing to top them off with!

Ingredients:

For 12 pumpkin cupcakes

• • 160g all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 250g grated pumpkin
  • 100g cup sugar
  • 60g cup brown sugar, packed
  • 100ml cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs

For the buttercream icing:

• 1 cup of butter
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

Method

for the base

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/ 170°C (fan)/ 375°F/ Gas 5. Line a 12 cup standard cupcake tray with cupcake baking cups and set aside
2. Combine the flour, allspice, baking powder, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl
3. Whisk together the grated pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil and eggs in another bowl
4. Pour the whisked mixture over the dry ingredients and stir using a spatula, until fully mixed
5. Dollop a spoonful of batter evenly into each baking cup in the cupcake tray until the batter runs out. Place the tray into the hot oven and bake for 15-18 minutes
   Tip: Make the buttercream icing while you’re waiting for your cupcakes to bake
6. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before adding the buttermilk icing

Method

For the buttermilk icing

1. Add the butter to a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and peaky
2. Sieve the icing sugar to remove any lumps, then add a little at a time to the butter while whisking continually, until all the icing sugar has been added. If the mixture begins to become too thick, add the milk a teaspoon at a time to loosen it up until the desired texture has been reached
3. Add scoops of buttercream to the top of each pumpkin cupcake (you can smooth the tops with a spatula if desired)

And that’s it! Give the recipe a go and let us know what you think in the comments! If you liked this, why not check out some of our other recipes like our Healthy Breakfast Muffins?