Pumpkin Carrot Cake Cupcakes

…..

Sorry to interrupt your scheduled blog post, but Jess can’t come to the computer right now and MISS PUMPKIN LORD is here to save the day!

Why can’t she come to the computer?

Well, you see, I found her humming Christmas carols and planning peppermint white chocolate everything so….

I locked her in her room (don’t tell!) so I could share one last GLORIOUS pumpkin recipe with you all!

Because who knows what will happen when I leave: could you imagine an “Eggnog Lord” or some sort of rubbish like that?

Please. As if.

Now don’t you worry: I left her in there with plenty of cookbooks and muffins to munch on while we have this little chat about these phenomenal Pumpkin Carrot Cake Cupcakes.

Now you may be frantically wondering what to whip up for Thanksgiving.

Although, my pumpkin-loving minions, it is literally a few days away so if you don’t have a pie chilling out in the freezer, you may want to listen up.

Imagine your favorite moist, luscious carrot cake.

Now, imagine all that dreaded fat in the form of vegetable oil magically disappearing…

to be replaced by (guess what) low-fat, high-flavor pumpkin puree!

By the time you are planning to bring out that pumpkin pie, your guests may very well be stuffed to the brim with turkey and trimmings.

A giant hunk of pie might be met with groans and “no thank yous” and we CAN’T LET THAT HAPPEN!

So instead, approach your guests with tiny, manageable, yet totally sweetly satisfying Pumpkin Carrot Cake Cupcakes, topped with a smooth cream cheese icing.

No frantic rolling out of pastry dough, re-rolling of pastry dough, throwing said pastry dough in the trash and rushing over to the grocery store (which will be madness at this point) and buying a store bought crust.

No fuss cupcakes are absolutely, positively the way to go.

All the pumpkin pleasure without any of the stress.

Unless of course, you eat all the pumpkin carrot cake cupcakes before your guests arrive. In which case, I hope you have some ice cream handy.

Pumpkin-flavored, obviously.

Oh no!

…

(frantic tussling, shouts ensue)

REMEMBER ME FRIENDS! I WILL BE BACK NEXT YEAR – YOU CAN’T STOP THE PUMPKIN LORD!

…

Hello friends! My goodness, I am so sorry for the past three hundred or so words of pumpkin insanity; our friend the Pumpkin Lord does not take kindly to the changing of holidays.

Poor thing; she just wants to share her pumpkin passion with everyone.

So I’ll let her have this one. It’s true: these pumpkin carrot cake cupcakes are the perfect quick-fix if you still are freaking out about what to serve for dessert this Thursday. They come together in a jiffy and will probably disappear just as quickly!

Also, giving your guests a substantially lower-fat” dessert option will surely make you everyone’s favorite hostess (or host!).

I’ll do a quick round up of Thanksgiving recipes on Wednesday in case you are having last-minute menu issues, so be sure to check back soon!

Happy Baking!

Pumpkin Carrot Cake Cupcakes

2013-11-24 17:20:59

Yields 12

The classic carrot cake gets a seasonal (and low fat!) twist with plenty of pumpkin puree and smooth cream cheese frosting!

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Ingredients

1. 1 cup flour
2. 1 tsp baking powder
3. 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4. 1/2 tsp nutmeg
5. 1/4 tsp salt
6. 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
7. 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
8. 1/2 cup granulated sugar
9. 2 eggs
10. 2 cups shredded carrots

for the frosting

1. 5 tbsp flour
2. 1 cup milk
3. 2 tsp vanilla extract
4. 1/4 cup butter, softened
5. 1/4 cup cream cheese
6. 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line one 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until well combined.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer) beat pumpkin puree with both sugars until well incorporated. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated..
4. On the slowest speed of your mixer, stir flour mixture into pumpkin puree mixture. Fold in carrots.
5. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 way full with cupcake batter and bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for a few minutes before carefully removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. While they are cooling, make the frosting
7. Stir together the flour and milk in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it begins to bubble and sputter. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens to the consistency of thick cake batter (this can happen anywhere between 3-10 minutes, so watch carefully!)
8. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and let cool COMPLETELY. While this is cooling, beat granulated sugar, butter, and cream cheese for a full three minutes until pale and fluffy. Once the flour/milk mixture has cooled, beat this into the /sugar mixture for a full minute or two until fully incorporated.
9. Pipe/frost cupcakes and serve.

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All Photos, Recipes (Unless Otherwise Specified) And Writing Copyright © 2013 Jessica Gonzalez | On Sugar Mountain: Pumpkin Carrot Cake Cupcakes.