Pumpkin Gingerbread Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

This was one of my many Thanksgiving baking projects, and the cupcakes turned out great. I started with this cake recipe and this frosting recipe  as the base and made some of my own changes. 

Difficulty: Easy 

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Cake
Ingredients

•  2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 can (15-ounce) pumpkin puree
• 2 - 3 tablespoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

 Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Line cupcake pan with liners (the recipe makes about 24 cupcakes).
2. In a large mixing bowl (or a stand mixer, if you have one), combine sugars, oil, and eggs, beating until smooth. Add water and pumpkin, beating until smooth.
3. In a medium bowl (I used an extra large measuring cup), combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.
4. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend until just mixed.
5. Add in molasses and vanilla (note: I thought the batter tasted like straight molasses, but the cake turned out okay, so don't be alarmed if the molasses is a little overpowering).
6. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 full.
7. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. I had them in for about 25 minutes, but the base recipe said to bake them up to 30 minutes. 

Frosting
Ingredients

•  1 package (8 ounces) softened cream cheese (for best results, use full-fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese, not a store brand)
• 1/2 stick softened butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cloves, Nutmeg, and Cinnamon to taste
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1.  Beat cream cheese and butter together until combined.
2. Add vanilla and spices.
3. Gradually beat in sifted powdered sugar until smooth 

Decoration
I was in a bit of a hurry, so I went simple with my decorations. First, I piped on the frosting using the largest tip I have. Then, I combined red, yellow, and orange sanding sugars and red sugar crystals in a small dish. Finally, I turned each cupcake upside down and spun them around in the sugar until the frosting was evenly coated (more or less).