Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

1 box Betty Crocker yellow cake mix

1 sm box vanilla instant pudding

1 cup pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mx)

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Whisk cake mix and pudding together, then add other ingredients and mix on low for 30 seconds.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees for 15- 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack until completely cooled. Frost/pipe with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

2 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp. maple extract

8 cups powdered sugar

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla, syrup and maple extract. Mix in half of powdered sugar. Add remaining powdered sugar until desired consistency. Add additional maple extract in small increments to obtain desired maple flavoring. Add syrup to thin frosting, add powdered sugar to thicken. To pipe onto cupcakes, it should be thick enough so as not to drip off the beater. I dusted the tops of my cupcakes with cinnamon.



Caramel Apple Cupcakes

I haven't baked anything for a few weeks, but now that it's a bit cooler I've baked four different kinds of 

cupcakes this week. I found this recipe in my new October issue of Rachel Ray magazine.

 Caramel Apple Cupcakes

 Makes 12

1 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs at room temperature

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 vegetable oil

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 rome apples ( i used gala, didn't find rome) peeled and shredded

1 1/2 chewy caramel candies

1 Tablespoon heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake pan with baking liners. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, and sugar until smooth.

Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the 

shredded apples. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan until almost full. Bake until

golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost dry, about 25-30 minutes.

Cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine the caramels and cream. Microwave for 1 min.

then stir, repeat in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. When it cools,

spread the frosting on the cupcakes. I added a pie crust apple cut out.

These were a little dense for me, but everyone at worked loved them.

This is one of my favorite cupcake recipes. It is from one of Emily's cupcake books.
Cupcakes by Pamela Clark.

White Chocolate Mud Cake

1 stick butter, chopped coarsely
3 oz white chocolate, chopped coarsely
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup self rising flour
1 egg
1) Preheat oven to 325, Line muffin cups with paper cups (12).
2) Combine butter,chocolate,sugar and milk in small pot;
stir over low heat until smooth. Trhansfer mixture to medium bowl;
cool 15 minutes.
3) Whisked in sifted flours; then egg, you could also blend in vanilla, coconut or
any flavoring at this point. Then fill muffin cups.
4) Bake cupcakes 30 minutes.
5) Frost with you favorite frosting. I love cream cheese or a buttercream.

These are frosted with this:

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting Recipe
I got this from http://www.cupcakeproject.com/
1 1/2 C confectioners' sugar (add more until it reaches your preferred consistency)
1/2 C butter (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (add more to taste) I love this stuff!!!!
1 tablespoon milk
Mix together sugar and butter until they are blended and creamy. Add vanilla bean paste and milk and continue to beat for another minute. If desired, add more vanilla bean paste to taste, or more confectioners' sugar to make it stiffer.

                                                  Boxed and ready to go for a bridal shower.

Banana Split Cupcakes

So, one of the girls on DC Cupcakes made a Banana Split Cupcake, and I thought, that looks yummy, I'll bet I can make that! So I consulted my best friend Google, and found a recipe for a banana cupcake, just by adding 2 mashed, ripe bananas to a boxed vanilla cake mix. FYI, that is my M.O. I aspire to be the Sandra Lee of cupcakes, always starting with a box if possible. Audrey is the Martha Stewart of cupcakes. I'm good with that. Anyway, I made the cupcakes per directions on the box, adding a small box of vanilla pudding and a cup of sour cream to the mix.

After the cupcakes were cool, I made a hole in the center with and apple corer.

Then I filled the hole with hot fudge topping. Out of a jar. Thank you Smuckers;)

I frosted the cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting, then drizzled them with more of the hot fudge topping, sprinkled chopped walnuts on them and added a cherry.

Pretty on the outside....

...messy, but nommy, on the inside!