Fall Poetry: Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

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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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