Pumpkin Fever

 Once the air gets crisp and the sky gets that golden haze here, I can't help but to crave pumpkin.  So, for today I have 2 pumpkin recipes for you. 

One is healthy and the other errrr well not so much...

I'll let you decide which is better for you.

First up the single best cupcake I have ever made. 

Pumpkin Spice cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

 This cupcake has my 2 favorite things-cinnamon and pumpkin.  Oh and the cream cheese doesn't hurt.

These are so heavenly.  You will love these cupcakes especially if you are a cinnamon lover like I am. These will not last long after the girls get home from school.

I have a few made up for sharing.  No better way to share them then layering a few cupcakes with the yummy cinnamon cream cheese frosting.  All I did was split each of the cupcakes in half and added the frosting in the middle of each layer.  Seal the lid and add a cute little topper.  This makes it easy to keep fresh and to share.

Okay onto the recipe..

Pumpkin Spice Cake:

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding mix
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree 

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners.

  Whisk together the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, and cloves in a bowl; set aside.  
 Beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla and pumpkin puree with the last egg. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups.  
 Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 24 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. 
Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients: 

1- 8oz package of Cream Cheese

1/4 cup of butter

3-3 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar (use more for stiffer consistency) 

1 tsp. of vanilla extract

3 tsp of cinnamon

1/2 tsp of all spice

1 TB of milk
 

Directions:

Cream butter and cream cheese together.  Add sugar one cup at a time.  Add the TB of milk and mix well.  Add vanilla, cinnamon, and all spice to mixture.  Mix until smooth.

Pumpkin Spice oatmeal:

 Instead of devouring the whole batch of cupcakes I ate a big bowl of this and it actually satisfied my craving.  This oatmeal is that yummy!

All you need is:

1/2 cup of Oatmeal (not quick oats)

2 TB of flax meal

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of pumpkin puree

1 tsp of Agave Nectar

1/2 tsp of cinnamon to taste

Directions:

Microwave oatmeal, flax meal,  and water for 1 minute.  Remove from microwave and mix in the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and agave nectar.  Microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on your microwave.  Stop and stir every minute it is in the microwave.  When oatmeal is soft and hot remove.  Add a splash of milk and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy all of this pumpkin goodness!

 

-Julia