One of my favourite things about autumn is all of the new, warming flavours that come with the season. Which is why I love making these cupcakes when the weather gets a little colder and the days get shorter! This recipe is simple to follow, quick to make and utterly delicious.
The base of this is a lightly spiced pumpkin sponge. This heartier autumnal bake is made with tinned pumpkin puree and a pre-made pumpkin spice mix. This cake is also completely dairy free as it uses oil rather than butter. To start off, mix the soft light brown sugar and butter together, before adding the egg. Then stir through the pumpkin puree. Make sure that you use pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling. Lastly, add the flour and spice mix, transfer to your cases and bake. The batter for this is a little bit thicker than a normal vanilla cake. This is because the pumpkin puree is quite thick, but the cake will still cook and rise beautifully and leave you with a delicious, slightly chewy cake.
Pumpkin
I topped this off with a super simple cream cheese frosting, adding in a little extra pumpkin spice to tie all the flavours together. To make the frosting, start by mixing the butter until smooth, then blend in the cream cheese, making sure that you don’t overmix at this point. Make sure that you always use full fat cream cheese, I have found that any other type just does not work. Add the icing sugar in two batches, mixing well between each addition. Stir through the vanilla, and then the spice mix. I have found that the texture is a little too runny to pipe, so I decided to ‘smear’ the icing on top of the cake making a pretty swirl design. This can easily be done with a butter knife/spatula. The icing does harden up when left out. This is a very sweet icing, so adding just a pinch of salt helps to counteract the sweetness.
The sweet icing perfectly complements the heartiness of the pumpkin spice cake. Made with only a few simple ingredients, this is the perfect bake for this time of year. These are best eaten on the same day as making or can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Ingredients
- CAKE:
- 60 g Light Brown Soft Sugar
- 40 ml Vegetable Oil
- 100 g Pumpkin Puree
- 100 g Self Raising Flour
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Spice Mix
- CREAM CHEESE ICING:
- 35 g Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 90 g Icing Sugar
- 200 g Full Fat Cream Cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Paste
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Spice Mix
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180*c/350*f/Gas Mark 4/160*c Fan Oven.
- Line a cupcake tin with cases and set aside
- Place the oil and light brown soft sugar into a bowl and using an electric mixer beat together until light and fluffy, this normally takes around 1-2 minutes.
- Add the eggs, mixing until just combined.
- Next, stir through the pumpkin puree.
- Add the self raising flour and pumpkin spice mix and blend until fully combined, being careful not to over mix, and spoon the mixture into your prepared tin.
- Cook for 20 to 25 minutes. You can tell it's ready when it springs back when lightly pressed. You could also insert a skewer into the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean, then the cake is ready.
- Once ready, remove from the oven.
- Allow the cakes to sit in the tin for roughly 5 minutes, then place on a wired rack to cool.
- While waiting for the cakes to cool, start making the frosting.
- Place the unsalted butter into a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add the cream cheese and stir until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Add the icing sugar in two batches, making sure that its mixed in well after each addition.
- Stir through the vanilla paste and salt.
- Lastly, add the pumpkin spice mix, making sure that everything is mixed together well. You can adjust the amount of spice, by adding more or less depending on taste preference.
- Add a tablespoon of icing on each cake and using a butter knife or palette knife, 'smear' the icing on to the cake.
Notes
Store any leftovers in a cool dry place for up to 2 days.
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