CUPCAKES
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 large eggs
¼ cup (about 1 ¼ ounces) crystallized ginger cut into 1/8 to ¼ inch pieces
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper liners.
Sift first 6 ingredients into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using electric mixer on low-medium speed, beat the melted butter, sugar and pumpkin until smoothly blended. Mix in the eggs and crystallized ginger. On low speed, mix in the flour mixture until it is incorporated. The batter will be thick.
Fill each paper liner with a generous ¼ cup of batter, to about ½ inch below top of liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm and a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
FROSTING
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
This makes about 3 cups so I usually half it or 3/4th it!
In a large bowl using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly blended, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar, mixing until smooth, about 1 minute, then beat on medium speed for 1 minute to lighten the frosting further.
Frost the cupcakes saving ¼ cup of icing for the design. Mix the ¼ cup icing with 1 teaspoon cinnamon (add more if you want darker color) and 1-2 teaspoons milk (until you get consistency thick but pourable). Spoon into ziplock bag and cut small hole to squeeze out. Pipe a dot of the frosting in the center and 2 circles, one inside the other, around the dot. Using a toothpick, and beginning at the center, draw the tip gently through the frosting toward the edge of the cupcake. Move the toothpick about ¾ inch away and, beginning at the edge of the cupcake, draw it toward the center. Continue pulling shallow lines, alternating the direction of the toothpick, around the top of cupcake to form a web pattern.
*THANK YOU Eden for the delicious recipe!
