Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes

This is my version of a recipe I found a couple of years ago. It is light and fluffy with rich, sweet and spicy flavour. I highly recommend using: Special Pumpkin Pie Seasoning for Hillvilla Pumpkin Pie for the Pumpkin Pie Spice but whatever recipe or store bought version you like will do. It is really important for the frosting that the cream cheese and butter be at room temperature. I recommend leaving them out over night or for at least 6 hours before making the frosting. This recipe also makes great mini-cupcakes. Just make sure to reduce the baking time slightly.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

• CUPCAKES

• 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 cup canola oil
• 2  eggs
• 1  cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
• 2  tablespoons maple syrup
• 1  teaspoon vanilla

• FROSTING

• 125  g cream cheese, room temp
• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 1  pinch salt
• 2 1⁄4 cups icing sugar (or more as needed)
• 1  teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
3. In a small bowl, mix together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil and eggs until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla. Beat well.
5. Slowly add flour mixture, beating until smooth.
6. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan. Bake in preheated oven for 22-27 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
7. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes.
8. Removes cupcakes from pan and let cool completely on rack.
9. To make frosting: In a bowl, using and electric mixer on low speed, beat together cream cheese, butter and salt until creamy.
10. Add sugar a little at a time, beating until combined.
11. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy.
12. If you would like stiffer or sweeter frosting you can add more sugar at this stage 1/4 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached.
13. If you would like spicy frosting add the 1 teaspoon of pie spice to the mixture and beat just until evenly distributed. Optionally you can use it to dust the tops of the frosted cupcakes.
14. Pipe or spoon frosting onto completely cooled cupcakes.