One of the things I miss the most about Indiana is Autumn. It’s a beautiful season, made even more lovely by the warm colors of the trees, Thanksgiving feasts with family and almost best of all – it’s pumpkin season!
Okay, okay, I admit that I do get a bit of pumpkin-overload during these Autumn months. I mean, there’s only so much pumpkin a person can handle. Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin butter chocolate cups, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin pies, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin spice cakes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin cheesecakes, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pop tarts, pumpkin brownies —
Sorry. Got a little carried away.
But a little bit of pumpkin is perfectly permissible…
So for my perfectly permissible pumpkin contribution, I bring you these pumpkin spice cupcakes with maple-cinnamon cream cheese frosting and salted bourbon caramel.
These cupcakes are totally bursting at the seams with the flavors of Autumn in Indiana. They completely capture the yellow, orange and red leaves, Thanksgiving dinner, covered bridges, the crisp air, Autumn festivals, fields of corn ready to be harvested… I’m reminded of all this when I taste these pumpkin cupcakes.
Unfortunately, the flavors of these cupcakes aren’t very widely known in Australia. Well, Australia’s Autumn is nothing like Indiana’s Autumn, so you can be forgiven, Australia! I was happy to take some of these cupcakes along to share with friends at school pickup (I regularly share my creations with my mom-friends at school pickup!) so they could have their own taste of what Autumn is like in my home town.
I’m not sure if they completely understood, having grown up in Australia, how the flavors related to those chillier months in Indiana, but I do know for a fact that they enjoyed eating the cupcakes!
There are three different components to these pumpkin cupcakes; the cupcakes and the frosting are easy, basic recipes, but the salted bourbon caramel is a little tricky. If you don’t have the time, or the desire, to add the caramel sauce, then these would taste completely delicious without it.
I must mention that the salted bourbon caramel flavor is not strong when just drizzled on top in a few squiggly lines. If you really want the flavor of the caramel to come through, try poking holes in the tops of the cupcakes and pouring the caramel into the holes (sort of like a poke cake), or just dig out one big hole and use the caramel as a filling.
So, while these delicious pumpkin cupcakes are invoking memories of my little home town, tell me, what foods remind you of your home?
- For the cupcakes:
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup caster sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- For the frosting:
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened
- 250g cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- For the caramel:
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup thickened cream, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½-1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon bourbon (can be omitted for non-alcoholic)
- For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line 2 cupcake trays with paper cupcake liners (you should get 18 cupcakes).
- Sift together the flour, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer (handheld is fine, too) for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and beat until combined. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix on low until just combined (do not overbeat).
- Divide the batter into the prepared cupcake tray and bake 15-19 minutes, or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched (or until a toothpick comes out clean).
- Cool for 5 minutes, then gently and carefully transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting: Beat the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (handheld is fine, too) until completely combined and smooth. Add the maple syrup and cinnamon and beat again to combine. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing well in between each addition, until smooth and creamy.
- The frosting will be quite soft and probably wouldn't hold up very well if piped with a closed star tip, such as I have, straight from the mixer. In order to pipe this frosting with a tip like the closed star tip, refrigerate for 30-45 minutes, stirring every so often to check the firmness. Once the frosting is firm enough to hold onto the spoon without dropping off, or when dropped, it doesn't sink back into the frosting, transfer the frosting to the piping bag and pipe away.
- Otherwise, if you're happy to just spread on the frosting, or dollop it on with a large tip, then you can use it straight from the mixing bowl.
- For the caramel: Place the sugar and water in a small, but deep, saucepan, stir gently, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Do not stir anymore, but you can give the pan a gentle swirl or two. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture turns a sort of medium amber color. Brush the sides of the pan often with a wet pastry during cooking brush to prevent crystals from forming.
- Working quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low and carefully pour in the room temperature-thickend cream. It should bubble up, so be careful you don't get burnt or that it doesn't overflow the pan. Whisk the caramel until smooth.
- Carefully add the butter, vanilla, sea salt and bourbon (I might have *sort of* accidentally added a bit more bourbon!) and whisk until the butter has melted and the ingredients are combined.
- Set aside to cool and thicken slightly. When cool, but still pourable, drizzle the caramel over the frosted cupcakes.
- For a stronger caramel flavor, either poke holes into the cupcake and drizzle over the caramel (like a poke cake), or cut out the center of the cupcake (reserve what you've cut out), pour in a good tablespoon or so of the caramel, and place a bit of the cake that you cut out on top of the caramel (filled cupcakes, for the win!).
- Store leftover caramel in the refrigerator for about a week; it will firm up, but can be rewarmed gently in the microwave to drizzle over anything you'd like.
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