Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Being close to Halloween, let's start with something a little fall-flavored.

I love pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin scented candles, pumpkin soup. From about October 1 to December 26, I can't get enough pumpkin. (Ditto cranberry.) Then after the holidays, it's like, "Enough already!" Well, yesterday was October 2, and I was craving the stuff something fierce, so it made my newest creation a no-brainer.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream



The cupcake recipe (not the frosting) is actually Paula Deen's Pumpkin Bar Recipe. I made these bars for the labor and delivery nurses almost 3 years ago the day I went to the hospital to give birth to my daughter. I was full of nervous energy, and someone told me, treat the nurses right and they'll treat you right. Good advice; they're wonderful. ;) And the recipe makes very yummy cupcakes. Simply ration the batter into (24) 1/4-cup portions in your cupcake pan, bake for 25-30 minutes and you've made 24 of your closest friends very happy.

The frosting recipe is Wilton's recipe for Vanilla Buttercream. When you think of buttercream, I'm sure you think of all butter. And that's fine for spreading. But if you want to make your cupcakes pretty, to hold any sort of shape whatsoever, at least half of your frosting to be made from shortening. I have to say, this took some getting used to; shortening has been a "food fear" of mine. The thought of touching "solid grease" completely grossed me out. I started with the wrapped shortening sticks. Those take the gross factor out, but are a little pricey. So I broke down and bought a can of shortening, and lived to tell about it. It's not so bad.

The frosting is dyed orange, then topped with sprinkles. The liners and picks are from Dollar Tree -- couldn't pass these cuties up, especially since the craft stores wanted $2-$4 a package for liners.

Now for the royal icing pumpkins. Royal icing is what those hard edible decorations on cakes are made from. It's easy to make, and can be used for flowers, lettering, and other decorations that you want to last. I made up a bunch of little pumpkin toppers using this recipe, dyed one batch orange, another batch a greenish color, piped them together and there ya go. Guess I need to make up another batch to use them all.

Welcome!

Whether you're a friend of mine, a fellow baker or a lover of all sweet things in compact packages, I hope you enjoy this new blog adventure of mine.

I have had the baking bug for at least 15 years. Baking is easy; it's following directions. Use quality ingredients, have patience and invest in equipment that cooperates, and anyone can make something they are proud to call their own. I recently started taking a basic cake decorating course, and learned all sorts of fun things to do with frosting. By following other bloggers and doing a little research, I've already conjured up tons of cake-and-buttercream creations, not to mention different ways of decorating them.

My biggest interest -- er, obsession -- is cupcakes. They're kind of "last year" -- cupcake shops have been sprouting up all over the place, so this certainly isn't original -- but I think everyone enjoys having a treat to call their own. It's different from a piece of a larger cake, where everyone fights over the ends or the flowers, or requests "just a little sliver" . A cupcake is like your own piece of real estate. There's no fighting, no sharing, no "rules". Eat it the way you like it, with a fork, or with your hands. It's YOURS. Just make sure everyone gets one before you take a second one. ;)

So, grab your tins and your liners, and let's get started, shall we?