How to make pumpkin cupcakes with buttercream frosting and fall sprinkles
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The fall time is one of my favorite seasons, with so many different foods to make and photograph that can be paired with many different fall colors. One of the most popular fall sweets is pumpkin pie, and of course, I had to make a pumpkin cupcake recipe and shoot.
These pumpkin cupcakes are perfect with an Italian buttercream frosting, which the recipe can be found here. For these cupcakes, you can really use either traditional or Italian buttercream, but I prefer to use the Italian buttercream for this recipe because it’s far less rich than traditional, which allows for more flavor from the actual cupcake.
More Cupcakes Recipes
Italian Buttercream Frosting Recipe
In addition to the frosting, I like to put on some festive fall-colored sprinkles to decorate the cupcakes. These cupcakes taste just like pumpkin pie and are perfect for an on-the-go snack or for a kid’s dessert. For these cupcakes (and most of my other cupcakes and muffins), I used shiny metal cupcake liners. I really love using these instead of normal , since grease usually soaks through them, which doesn’t really look good on camera. When pouring out the dough into the muffin pan, I always use a dough scoop to ensure consistent amounts of dough in each cupcake, which also helps keep the cooking area clean.
Pumpkin Cupcakes With Italian Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- ½ tsp Ground Cloves
- ½ tsp Ground Allspice
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ cup Butter Softened
- 1 cup White Sugar
- ⅓ cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs Room Temperature
- ¾ cup Milk
- 1 cup Pumpkin Puree 15 oz. can
Italian Buttercream Frosting
- 4 Large Egg Whites
- 1 ⅓ cups Sugar
- 1 ½ pinch Salt
- 2 cups Unsalted Butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 22 muffin cups, or line with paper liners.
- Sift together the flour, 1 tsp. of the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Beat ½ cup of butter, the white sugar and brown sugar with a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the mixture before the next.
- Stir in the milk and pumpkin puree.
- Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden.
- Italian Buttercream Frosting. Place the egg whites and ⅓ of the sugar a stand mixer bowl, and beat with a whisk attachment at medium-high speed, until the egg whites form soft peaks.
- Meanwhile, pour the remaining sugar and ⅓ cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Using a candy thermometer and not stirring, heat until 240F.
- Continue to whip the egg whites on medium-high speed, and slowly drizzle in the hot syrup, in between the side of the bowl and the beaters. Continue to whip until both the bottom of the bowl and the mixture are cool, or about 10 to 15 minutes.
- When the mixture is thick and forming peaks, beat in the salt.
- While still beating, add the butter a few pieces at a time. As the butter is added, the buttercream will thin out until all of the butter is added.
- Beat in the vanilla extract. If the buttercream is still too loose, beat on high speed.
- Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
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