But, open my door and you wouldn't know the biggest holiday of the year is only a week away. I haven't decorated a stitch for Christmas. Sadly, not even an inch of my home is filled with red or green décor. I could blame it on the fact that we're leaving for the holidays, but that hasn't stopped me from busting out the decorations in years past. I honestly think that this year life has just thrown me two many balls to juggle, and well when there's too many balls, sometimes you just gotta drop one!
Although I did pass on the Christmas décor this year, I just couldn't pass on my favorite tradition of holiday baking. I love passing out Christmas goodies to the people in my life that mean so much. It's just my way of saying a big THANK YOU! And this year, what better way to say "thank you" than with a delicately decadent Pumpkin Pie Cupcake...or two.
This cupcake has so many exciting flavors to it that just a plain old pumpkin pie cannot deliver. With a graham cracker crust, a moist pumpkin cake, actual pumpkin pie filling and a smooth cinnamon maple buttercream...you will never go back to ordinary pie for the holidays ever again. That's a promise! And if you do choose to go simpler, just the cake and frosting alone are delicious.
Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
Pumpkin Cake Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup cooking oil
1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz.)
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
*Pumpkin Pie Filling Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz.)
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz.)
*Traditional recipe from Libby's pumpkin puree can
Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, melted (1/2 cup)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cinnamon Maple Buttercream Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature (3/4 cup or 12 tablespoons)
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1 tablespoon maple extract
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of salt
Chopped nuts (I prefer pecans)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and prepare pumpkin pie filling. Beat eggs together. Mix in pumpkin puree. Mix in sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice with a whisk until well incorporated. Slowly mix in evaporated milk until well combined. Pour mixture into an 8 X 8 baking pan and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 45 minutes or until knife inserted into middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and set aside. Let sit at least two hours, or in fridge for at least one hour.
2. Prepare graham cracker crust by mixing together graham cracker crumbs (I make my own by smashing about 8 full sheets of graham crackers...cheaper than buying premade crumbs), sugar and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Pour melted butter on top. Stir mixture to coat crumbs evenly with butter. Set aside.
3. Line muffin tins with paper liners and scoop about 1 tablespoon graham cracker mixture into each liner. Press down gently to flatten. Make sure bottom of liner is coated with crumbs.
4. Begin preparing pumpkin cake by preheating oven to 350 degrees (if it already isn't still on from making the pumpkin pie filling). In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin puree until light.
5. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Whisk by hand until well incorporated.
6. Scoop pumpkin cake batter on top of graham cracker crust to fill liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 22-25 minutes until toothpick entered into center comes out clean. Place on cooling racks until completely cool.
7. Once cakes are completely cool, core out centers with an apple corer or cut out a dome shaped hole at top of cake. Using a pastry bag, fill the centers with the pumpkin pie filling until it barely mounds on top.
8. Prepare frosting by beating butter until light and fluffy. Add in 2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until sugar is absorbed into butter. Add maple extract, cinnamon, milk and salt. Beat until well incorporated. Add in additional 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Beat until well combined, adding more milk (thinner) or powdered sugar (thicker) to reach desired consistency.
9. Frost cupcakes, dust with extra cinnamon and garnish with chopped nuts. Shove one in your mouth because YOU DESERVE IT!!!
These turned out to be adorable Christmas goodies. It was so fun finding little boxes to fit these cupcakes in. I thought the bow and miniature ornament added a special touch. Here's the kicker, it hardly cost anything! Everything was on sale. Boo yeah!
Well, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good restful night!
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