Pumpkin Cupcakes

Spooky pumpkin cupcakes for Halloween.

Posted by Xanthe Milton

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You Will Need (16 things)

  • 110 g /4 oz Unsalted Butter , room temperature
  • 450 g /1 lb Icing Sugar
  • For the icing :
  • 100 g /3½ oz Pumpkin or butternut squash, grated
  • 55 g /2 oz Sultanas
  • 55 g /2 oz Pecans , roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 100 g /3½ oz Self-Raising Flour
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 160 ml Sunflower Oil
  • 70 g /6 oz dark Muscovado Sugar
  • 2 large Egg(s)
  • 110 g /4 oz Cream Cheese
  • 1 Orange(s) , juice and grated rind
  • Orange Paste Food Coloring
  • 48 black ‘bat Sprinkles

Steps (5 steps, 50 minutes)

  1. 1

    Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3. Line a 12-hole nonstick muffin tray with paper muffin cases.

  2. 2

    Beat the eggs in a bowl with the sugar for a couple of minutes, then add the oil and vanilla extract. Fold in the flour and cinnamon, followed by the nuts, sultanas and pumpkin.

  3. 3

    Divide the mixture between the paper cases. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes. Remove and turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool.

  4. 4

    To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Mix in the soft butter, cream cheese and orange juice and rind. Add a couple of drops of orange colouring so as to give a bright pumpkin colour.

  5. 5

    When the cakes are cool, put some icing into a piping bag and pipe onto each cake. Pipe from top to bottom on either side of the cake, using a star nozzle. Then pipe from top to bottom two or three times again to fill in the middle, I used bat sprinkles to create the eyes and mouth.