Virginia Feature: Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Friends
It’s pumpkin season! Pumpkins, sweaters, and the return of good TV, mark the beginning of fall. After spending the summer months bathing in the summer sunshine, pumpkin treats help ease us out of our flip-flops and back into the school routine. In French, we call this, “La Rentrée.”
This year, to kick off pumpkin season, my daughter and two of her classmates got together for a special bake date. After spending the year together, these three friends transitioned to new classrooms with new teachers and students. Getting together to bake pumpkin cupcakes seemed like a perfect way to celebrate their year, and start the new school year off right.
Mini pumpkin cupcakes are flavored with the signature spices of fall, including ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Eat them plain. Or, top them with smooth mascarpone butter cream frosting. These bite-sized treats bake very quickly, and they are perfect for little hands and tiny tummies.
Celebrate this fall with good friends and mini pumpkin cupcakes. Bon Retour!
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cups - Cake Flour (or all-purpose flour) Cake flour makes the cupcakes a little lighter
- 1/4 Teaspoon - Cinnamon
- 1/2 Teaspoon - Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/2 Teaspoon - Baking Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon - Baking Soda
- 1/8 Teaspoon - Salt
- 1/2 Cup - Sugar
- 1/4 Cup - Butter (4 tablespoons) At Room Temperature
- 1 Egg (room temperature)
- 1/4 Cup - Organic Canned Pumpkin
- 1/8 Cup - Whole Sour Cream (2 Tablespoons)
- 1/2 Teaspoon - Pure Vanilla Extract
- MASCARPONE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 1/4 Cup - Mascarpone Cheese
- 1/2 Stick - Grass-fed butter, unsalted, room temperature
- 2 Cups - Pur Cane Powdered Sugar (10-X)
- 1 Pinch Salt
- 1 Teaspoon - Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tablespoon - Grass-fed Milk
Method
- Heat oven to 350 Degrees
- Line a mini muffin tray with 18 paper liners
- In one bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- In a separate bowl, combine the butter, and sugar and whisk vigorously to combine
- Add egg, pumpkin , sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth
- Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until just combined
- Spoon batter into muffin cups, almost all the way up to the top
- Bake for 12 minutes, and test for doneness with a toothpick
- Allow to cool completely before frosting
- FROSTING
- With a hand mixer, mix butter and mascarpone cheese
- Add powdered sugar, a little at a time, and continue to mix
- Finally add vanilla, a pinch salt, and milk. Whip on high for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy
- Spoon into a piping bag with the frosting tip of your choice, and swirl frosting on top of each cupcake
- Decorate each frosted cupcake with a candy pumpkin or sprinkles, or both! Enjoy!
Additional Info
Leigh
Leigh is a Middle School Teacher of French and a Mom to a busy four year old. She loves to entertain family and friends, and prepare daily dishes for her husband and daughter. Leigh’s meals are often influenced by her mom’s love of cooking. Leigh also creates recipes based on her experiences of living and working in the south of France. She often uses food to provide authentic experiences for her students as well. On Fridays, it’s not uncommon to see her students making crèpes and sampling French “fromage,” as part of their lesson. Always inspired by fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients, Leigh’s dishes are simple, tasty, and always made with her family in mind. Her daughter, now three, is an enthusiastic helper in the kitchen. A lover of mealtime with family and warm summer nights, Leigh is excited to share some of her favorite recipes. Follow Leigh on her Instagram account @arecipeforeveryseason
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