Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting

Serves

These moist, lightly sweet cupcakes are perfect for all kinds of autumn celebrations, or just because everyone enjoys a treat now and then!

Satisfy your child's sweet tooth and deliver added fiber and nutrition by using flavorful pumpkin purée. Using whole wheat pastry flour in place of all-purpose white flour gives the benefit of whole grains without affecting the cupcakes' taste or texture; pumpkin purée and buttermilk both act as tenderizing agents to create a pleasingly moist crumb. These little cakes are sweet even without icing, but the lightly cinnamon-scented cream cheese frosting complements the pumpkin flavor nicely.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
3 large eggs
1 can (15 ounces) or 1-3/4 cups pumpkin purée (organic preferred)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
3 cups confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  Colored sanding sugar (as optional garnish, see note below)

Directions

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 muffin pans by spraying the cups with nonaerosol cooking spray or lining them with paper baking cups, and set aside.

Place the sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, add the pumpkin purée and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, salt, allspice and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the batter on low speed, alternating with the buttermilk; blend completely.

Fill each muffin cup with about 1/3 cup of batter, or about three-quarters full. (You may end up with a little extra batter.) Bake until the cupcakes are set in the middle, and a skewer inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the muffin pans from the oven and let the cupcakes cool for 15 minutes, then turn them out of the pan to finish cooling on a wire rack.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium-size bowl and beat until smooth. Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar, beating until smooth and creamy. Stir in the cinnamon and vanilla.

When the cupcakes are completely cool, decorate them with the cinnamon frosting. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, if you like — try using stencils or cutouts to create fun shapes appropriate to the season. The cupcakes can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days.

Note: Sanding sugar, also called sparkling sugar or decorating sugar, has large crystals that don’t dissolve in the oven’s heat. It’s available in a rainbow of colors that add festive sparkle to baked goods. You’ll find it at baking/cooking supply shops and well-stocked supermarkets.