If Ever I Loved A Cupcake . . .

I might have a little Autumn affair with this one because it is crazy good. The recipe is Barefoot Contessa and it came to me by way of my cooking genius friend, Jennie Doezie, who has yet to give me a dud recipe.

How about a little Pumpkin Cupcake w/ Maple Cream Cheese Frosting and crushed Heath bar sprinkled on top?  What? What’s that? I’m sorry, you have a little drool - just there on your chin.

Before I give you the recipe, I have to ask:  Are you an over-froster?  When I frost cupcakes, I like a little of the cake to be showing around the edges.  I don’t want so much frosting that it overpowers the cake.  I want the two to be in perfect harmony, so I dollop on the frosting but never all the way to the edges.  Am I weird? I don’t really care.

There is so much that is good about this cupcake for Fall.  It’s a perfect excuse for using pumpkin – I’ve decided it’s the hip sibling of pumpkin bread and bars.  The colors are so Fall too – every shade of brown.  And it’s got spices that speak of Fall to me – cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger.  Yahoo!

Here’s the recipe. You really should make it.  And then thank me later.

Barefoot Contessa’s Pumpkin Cupcakes W/ Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 extra large eggs at room temperature

1 C canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/2 C light brown sugar

1/2 C vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350. Spray the top of a 12 muffin pan w/ vegetable oil then line them w/ paper liners.

In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all spices. In a larger bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin, two sugars and vegetable oil. Add flour mixture and stir until combined.

Divide batter among prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Spread maple frosting on cupakes and sprinkle with chopped toffee bits.

Maple Frosting

6 oz cream cheese at room temperature {I used 1/3 less fat and it was still delicious}

3 T butter at room temperature

1/2 tsp maple flavoring

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 C sifted confectioners sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and cream cheese on low until smooth.  Stir in maple flavoring and vanilla. With mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioner’s sugar and mix until smooth.

{I made a double batch of the cupcakes and this made enough frosting to frost them all in my sparse style with some frosting left over.}