Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

        For this week's blog post I am going to take a break from cooking "cultural" foods and share with you a festive holiday recipe. I made pumpkin spice cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese frosting. The recipe I used was easy to follow and the cupcakes took less than an hour to make, including the frosting. Basically, you mix together all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside. Then, you mix together all of the wet ingredients in a large bowl and slowly add in the dry mix. Bake the cupcakes at 375 for 20 minutes or until the center comes when tested with a tooth pick. For the frosting, you put all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix them together until fluffy. Be sure that the cupcakes are completely cool before icing them with the cream cheese frosting or the icing will melt off of the warm cupcakes.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Frosted Pumpkin Cupcakes

Dry Mix for the cupcakes

Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Spice Cupcake

                            Here is the recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes (Makes 24):

Pumpkin Cupcakes:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons McCormick® Gourmet Collection Cinnamon, Saigon

1 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Sicilian Sea Salt

1/8 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Cloves, Ground

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract

Almond Cream Cheese Frosting:

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter,

softened 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese,

softened 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Almond Extract (or vanilla)

2 cups confectioners' sugar,

sifted 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds, coarsely chopped (optional)

Nutritional information

(amount per serving)

Calories: 314

Sodium: 249mg

Fat: 18g

Carbohydrates: 35g

Cholesterol: 55mg

Protein: 3g

Fiber: 1g

Directions

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. For the Cupcakes, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, sea salt and cloves in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat pumpkin, granulated sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes or until well blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended.
2. Spoon batter into 24 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
3. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.
4. For the Frosting, beat butter, cream cheese and almond extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes with Frosting. Sprinkle with almonds.

Sources: 

• http://www.mccormick.com/Gourmet/Recipes/Dessert/Pumpkin-Cupcakes-with-Almond-Cream-Cheese-Frosting#

 * All Photos Courtesy of Me