Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Buttercream

For the last few weeks I’ve been making pumpkin treats obsessively. If you’ve been reading the blog you’ll know this, and I certainly hope you’ve tried a few of these pumpkin treats. These are a simple pumpkin cupcake with spiced buttercream. They are excellent if you don’t want to commit a lot of time but need a great fall inspired dessert.These were the other cupcakes I took into my office. They quickly disappeared and everyone seemed to really enjoy them. I’ve topped these autumn colored with nonpareils. You can certainly top them the same way or leave them undecorated.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:125]Source: Cake adapted from Kiss My Bundt – Chrysta Wilson

Impossible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Alex requested that I make his work some cupcakes this week and since I’ve been on such a pumpkin kick I decided to keep with that theme. I’ve read a lot about impossible pumpkin pie, the pie where you don’t put a crust down, but one appears from the ingredients you put in. I decided I had to try this. Since it would be pretty hard for Alex to transport a whole pie to work I decided to change these into cupcakes.I received rave reviews from both Alex and coworkers who tried these. They really loved the pumpkin flavors that shone through. Alex told me that these really put him in the mood for a pumpkin pie (so keep your eyes on the blog for a pumpkin pie recipe next week!)Instead of creating a heavy icing for these cupcakes I’ve topped them with Cool Whip. Since I was prepping them ahead of time, I decided to use cool whip even though I would typically use fresh whipped cream. If you are serving them right after topping them I would suggest using fresh whipped cream, if they are going to sit for any length of time I suggest using cool whip since it won’t melt or slide anywhere. I’ve sprinkled nutmeg on top to pull out the savory flavors of the cake. If you want to showcase the sweet portion simply use cinnamon instead.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:115]Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars

I had a friend over for the weekend and we found this recipe and decided we absolutely HAD to make it. It combines to amazing things, snickerdoodles and pumpkin cake! This cake is full of pumpkiny goodness and topped with cinnamon sugar. This is definitely a must try dessert this fall. You could also divide the batter into cupcakes and adjust the baking temperature for personal servings of this great dessert.Everyone who tried these absolutely loved them. They all remarked that is was a super unique dessert that combined flavors they wouldn’t have thought to combine. The recipe just calls for cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top, but I’ve toyed with the idea of sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Making this change would amp up the pumpkin flavor and really give it an extra boost.I’ve used fresh pumpkin puree in my recipe. If you use canned pumpkin it will change the moisture content. If you find the batter too think you always add some water or decrease the amount of flour used. I found the batter to be a very runny cake type batter. You will want to try and keep it at this consistency.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:111]Source: Adapted from Averie Cooks

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

If you’ve read the past couple weeks worth of blog posts you’ll know I’ve been on a pumpkin spice kick recently. I absolutely love the taste of pumpkin spice baked goods but since I’ve been baking so many of them I’ve run out of my premade spice mix and thought it was high time I made my own.Since spices are naturally gluten free making your own spice mix is a great way to ensure there is no gluten contamination. This blend is great for adding to any regular or gluten free baked goods. It tastes just the same as one you’d purchase at the store if not better.This recipe will make as much as you want. As you can see from the recipe I call for parts rather than a certain amount. This will allow you to make as much or as little pumpkin pie spice as you want/need. If you store the blend in an airtight container it will last as long as the spices would on their own.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:107]