Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese.

Hello All! It's been a while since I've written a baking post. It's been a while since I've had the time to bake at all, but with the inspiration of the autumn season and the recent onslaught of parties and evening gatherings (Halloween, bonfire night and half-term) it seemed like the perfect time to break out my mixer and my last can of pumpkin puree.

Cue the Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese! Click the link for the full recipe by Lauren Kapeluck (via Half Baked - The Cake Blog).

Flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt ready for integration.

This recipe made waaaaay more dough than I had planned and by the time I started adding the dry ingredients to the mixture of butter, sugars and eggs, I had to transfer it from the small bowl you can see hiding behind the mixer to this mammoth punch bowl.

Liners filled and awaiting the oven.

After approx. 18 minutes of baking. There is an odd idea floating around in this country that cupcakes can be baked in free-standing liners, without the support of a cupcake pan. This picture shows the result of this concept - perfectly edible specimens that have made every attempt to stay round, but have not quite succeeded. And if you think these look interesting, please continue on to the next photo:

Wonky.

At this point, I took an overnight break, as the cupcakes needed to cool completely before being frosted and I had tickets to see the new James Bond flick. Javier Bardem, by the way. Amazing.

I was able to whip up the frosting the next day, between a Zumba class and a visit to some friends. The topping is quick and simple to make, but beware of the powdered sugar - I did manage to cover the kitchen counters with a very fine layer of the stuff.

Adding the vanilla extract and cinnamon to a whipped frosting made from butter, cream cheese and powdered (e.g. confectioner's or icing) sugar.

The finished product! I really like the way the frosting looked on the Half Baked blog - but I didn't really have the right tip for the icing bag, so I just used the one I had. Despite the odd shape of the cakes they really turned out quite well - and they were delicious! I kept them out in the cold lobby (mudroom) until party time, to prevent the frosting from melting. Also, if you're wondering, the little sugar bats and toothpicks were to go along with the theme of Carolyn's Halloween party. There were some very interesting costumes.

Making these has definitely given me a taste for pumpkin and a taste for the season. It is making me very excited for my trip home at the end of the month, which will surely include some pumpkin pie! Hope you all had a good week (weather you were holidaying or not) and a happy Halloween.

Love.