Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Fall Poetry: Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.

~ Emily Dickinson

Perfect pairs are hard to find.  Just ask Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.  I mean, if two vampires can't make a relationship last in this world, then who can?  

(Can you tell that the reading pickings were slim at the grocery store checkout today?  Not a "home" magazine in sight.  People, however, turned out to be a wealth of information.  Did you know Will and Kate may or may not have talked about possibly, potentially, hypothetically having a baby . . . someday? Ugh.)

Luckily, there are pairings in this world that I can still rely on, like . . .

little boys and mysterious piles of sand on my wood stairs even when I've made them remove their shoes . . .

or my toddler and the dog's food when he fancies a mid-afternoon snack . . .

or Annie Sloan chalk paint and the blogosphere.  

(Confession:  I believe I am the ONLY woman in blogland that has yet to cover something in ASCP.  One of these days I just may join the ranks of the rest of you cool kids on the home decor playground.)

But when I need a perfect pairing---like warm pumpkin and sweet maple---that captures everything wonderful about fall in one bite, this is the recipe I go to.









Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting


(adapted from Ina Garten and House Beautiful) (Makes 24 cupcakes)



  2 cups all-purpose flour
  2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
  4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
160z canned pumpkin
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup vegetable oil
Maple Frosting (recipe follows)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Heath bars, for serving (2 1.4-ounce bars)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place 24 cupcake liners in muffin tins. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.  Spread the cupcakes with the Maple Frosting and sprinkle with the chopped toffee bits.

Maple Frosting 
  8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon maple extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 Cups Confectioner's Sugar
  
  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on low speed until smooth. Stir in the maple extract and vanilla extract. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.



 When you serve these delicious cupcakes, I guarantee the requests for more will come in "pairs".  

Happy September from Be Book Bound!


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13 comments:

  1. It's nice to meet you and what a fun blog name.
    I do agree with your choice of pairings especially the pumpkin maple. I look forward to returning to read more.

    Warm regards,
    Karla

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  2. I think I have repeated, "pumpkin cupcake with maple frosting, yum." in my head about ten times now. Two of my favorite flavors together. YUM. I can not wait to make these! And....you are cool enough to let us pin them!!!! Yahoo!!!! Right onto my "Sweet Treats" board!

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  3. These look totally YUMMY. I love anything at all to do with a pumpkin!! :)
    Hello Sweet September, with all your yummy flavors and colors and scents. Yippee!!

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  4. I look forward to trying this, especially since I already have the maple extract-thanks:@)

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  5. I am drooling here at my computer! Every year for Thanksgiving, I make pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing. We have these instead of pumpkin pie. My girls LOVE them! They actually request them year-round. But, I really only break out the homemade desserts for holidays! I am SO going to try these. The maple syrup in the icing would just send them over the edge! I love the fall! Life to the full, Melissa @ DaisyMaeBelle

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  6. THose look delicious! If I wasn't watching my weight, I would totally rush off to make some!

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  7. Ericka, I just found your blog and am enjoying it hugely. I love your writing style, your sense of humor and your various quotes. Your pumpkin cupcakes look so good...but I am gluten free and lactose free. Add that up...and it mostly spells, 'left out'. I did get a great gluten free cookbook recently...but the flours are really expensive. Hey, I could bake this regular for hubby...I don't usually do such unselfish things if I can't eat it...but it is his Birthday...lol. Warm wishes for a very happy day. Maggie

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  8. So perfectly Fall! I host a weekly party called Seasonal Sundays. Your recipe is perfectly seasonal so perhaps you'd like to link this Sunday.

    - The Tablescaper

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  9. The cupcakes look delicious! Fall is my favorite season and the food is a big part of it! :) I laughed out loud at your celeb musings and I have yet to cover anything in ASCP either. Thanks for the laugh and the recipe! Your blog is truly one of my favorites. ~ Jamie

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  10. Those look AMAZING! Love it. Keep up the posting ladies! :)

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  11. Those look divine!! Thanx for sharing at THT!

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  12. I made these Pumpkin Maple cupcakes the other night for my husband, and he loved them! He said that I have to make them for Thanksgiving and Christmas from now on! lol I've been making a lot of cupcakes recently, and these are the only type he's asked me to make more of, in just four dyas he ate two whole batches of these cupcakes! Thanks for this recipe!!

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  13. This is literally the best pumpkin recipe I've ever tried. I nearly ALWAYS make tweaks to recipes, but this is one of the very few that I use as is. AMAZING.

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