Sweet

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes + Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Whipped Buttercream

These cupcakes go really well with watching Hocus Pocus, gold pumpkins, and flannel shirts. Oh, and is Hocus Pocus a musical sometimes? Weird.

I ran out of mini muffin papers. So I just used small squares of parchment again. I think they worked out well as cupcake outfits. Even though it creates nooks for the cupcake batter to be ridiculous.

So make these! Pass them out to trick-or-treaters. Toss them in that pillow case! Except, don’t really do that because the frosting would get everywhere, and kids might cry.

I just love these cupcakes though! Heather, from Sprinkle Bakes, just really knows what’s up.

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes {makes about 48 minis or 12ish regular)
Recipe adapted in half from Sprinkle Bakes

Ingredients:

  • 6 T unsalted butter
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 t baking soda
  • 2 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 t ground ginger
  • pinch allspice
  • pinch of cloves
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1 1/2 large eggs*
  • 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners or tuck small parchment squares into each cupcake nook.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan now and then until the butter turns golden brown. Pour browned butter into a small bowl and set aside to cool slightly.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and spices. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the pumpkin, sugars, eggs, and sour cream until well combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Whisk in the browned butter until there are no lumps and it’s mixed well.
  5. Divide batter between cupcake papers, filling them about half-way. Bake regular sized cupcakes for 20-25 minutes or minis for 12-14 minutes. You’ll know they’re done if they spring back when pressed in the center. Set aside to cool and make the frosting.
*Beat the second egg in a small bowl and divide in half. I eye-balled it, but feel free to use a scale to be exact.

I’m almost as crazy about this frosting as I am about gelato.

Vanilla Bean Whipped Buttercream Frosting
Recipe adapted from Organic and Chic

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 vanilla beans, seeds scraped out*, reserving beans
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 t cinnamon
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

* or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup milk with the flour and vanilla seeds. Whisk together until there are no lumps. Over medium heat, slowly add the remaining 3/4 cups milk, whisking constantly and cooking until the mixture barely comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken slightly. Immediately remove the pan from heat and keep stirring, it will continue to cook a minute or two on it’s own. Add the vanilla bean pod and cinnamon stick. Set aside to cool to room temperature, steeping with the whole vanilla beans and cinnamon stick in the mixture. Refrigerate for a few minutes until cooled to room temperature. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to get the vanilla bean pods and cinnamon stick out. It’ll also keep any lumps from being in the mixture. Set aside.
  2. Cream the butter on medium speed, 3-5 minutes, with an electric mixer until soft, about 30 seconds. Add the sugars and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes, stopping the mixer now and then to scrape down the sides of the bowl and then resume beating.
  3. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the milk mixture into the butter and sugar mixture. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Pipe over cupcakes

Have a crumby cupcake!

10 thoughts on “Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes + Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Whipped Buttercream”

  1. it’s just not Halloween without Hocus Pocus, a musical Bette Midler, and SJP being a witchy ditz! if someone had ever given me this cupcake trick-or treating it would have never made it to the pillow case…just straight in my face! that frosting is my FAVORITE, it’s a good thing to be obsessed with!

  2. True that gurlfriend. Can you believe that I had never watched Hocus Pocus until this weekend? I’m glad I did though.

    And yes! Thanks to you, I’m no longer scared of cooked flour + granulated sugar frosting.

  3. You really know how to dress a cupcake! I love your twirly swirly frosting and adorable flags! I saw that Hocus Pocus was available at Red Box and I’ve wanted to get it since. I need to watch it before everything turns Christmas.

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