Pumpkin Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

 
Months ago, we planned a camping trip for this past weekend.  I envisioned hiking under the changing leaves, with crisp nights and warm fires.  Instead, the weather turned miserably cold and rainy.  We watched all week hoping the forecast would change, but by Thursday it was clear that the front was coming to stay.  So we called it.  We were all disappointed, but I'm just not tough enough to pitch a tent and cook when it's a wet 45 degrees outside.

Oscar did venture out during one downpour long enough to collect one of the cooking pumpkins that was decorating our steps.  Olivia had a friend over and, together with Chloe, they devised an elaborate game that kept them occupied for hours.  That gave Oscar and me an opportunity to spend some time together, just the two of us.  I do treasure the times that -- by happenstance or by design -- I get to spend with just one of my children. 

 
We made excellent use of our time by whipping up a batch of pumpkin cupcakes.  I love to use fresh pumpkin for baking.  It really doesn't take that much longer, especially because the pumpkin can be easily cooked in advance and refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a very long time.  I usually steam or bake it, remove it from the shell, mash it, and freeze it in 2-cup batches.  This time, my 7-ish pound pumpkin yielded 6 cups of pumpkin, enough for three baking projects.  The flavor of fresh pumpkin is more delicate and, well, fresher.  These cupcakes are airy and nicely spiced, and the hint of lemon in the frosting is an excellent complement to the pumpkin.

Instead of camping, we had our black bean and monterey jack casserole at the cozy home of the friends that were supposed to be our camping cohorts.  We sat around their fireplace, chatted, drank red wine, and played mahjong.  The children still got their slumber party, and we all got to eat these cupcakes. 

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

The pumpkin for this recipe can be cooked in advance and stored in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for several months.  The frosting can also be prepared in advance.  Just leave it at room temperature to soften to spreading consistency.

Makes about 18 cupcakes
1 hour preparation time (including cooking the pumpkin and making the frosting)
20 minutes baking time

for the pumpkin cupcakes:
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs at room temperature
1 small pumpkin (or 1 16-ounce can)
3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

for the frosting:
1 stick butter at room temperature
1 1/2 8-ounce packages cream cheese at room temperature
1 pound confectioners' sugar
5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (or more to taste)

If you are using fresh pumpkin, cut the pumpkin in half and clean out the seeds and all that stringy stuff that must have a name, but I don't know it.  Separate out the seeds and save them for roasting.  Cut the pumpkin a few more times so that the pieces are small enough to fit in a large stock pot.  Put an inch or two of water in the bottom of the pot.  Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil.  Turn it down and let the pumpkin steam until it is soft, about 20 minutes. 

Remove the pumpkin chunks from the pot and, when they are cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the shell.  Mash it finely with a potato masher.  Keep 2 cups of the pumpkin for this recipe and refrigerate or freeze the rest.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Fill a muffin pan with paper cupcake holders.

In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until fluffy and lighter in color, about 5 to 6 minutes.  Add the vanilla and eggs, and mix until combined.  Add the pumpkin (fresh or canned) and mix again. 

In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the remaining ingredients and mix them with a whisk.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Spoon the batter into the cupcake holders.  Bake until the cupcakes have risen and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool. 

To make the frosting, cream together the butter and cream cheese in a mixer at medium high speed.  Sift in the confectioners' sugar and blend it at low speed with the cream cheese mixture.  Add the lemon juice and blend again.  Taste and add more lemon juice if you like.

When the cupcakes have cooled to room temperature, frost them. 

Print Recipe
 

Comments

[Andrea]

I'm such a sucker for cream cheese frosting. These sound so good, I might just have to cook up one of our pie pumpkins before Halloween.

[Barbara Beachler]

Hi Margy!
How do you cook your pumpkin for this recipe? Do you puree it? We'd love to make these for Halloween this weekend---
Thanks!

[Margy]

Andrea: Do it! They're worth the sacrifice.

Barbara: I just steam the pumpkin and mash it finely with a potato masher. Happy Halloween!

[Andrea]

Do you think the cake flour really makes a difference? It's one of those things I always wonder about and usually end up doing, but wouldn't it be easier just to use (a little less?) plain flour without all that preliminary measuring, mixing, and sifting?

[Margy]

Andrea: I do think the cake flour makes a difference. I wanted these to be light so that they would be cakey and not dense like a pumpkin bread. But if you go the plain flour route, let me know how it turns out.

[devin]

do you have to squeeze the water out of the pumpkin as you would with pumpkin pie?

[Margy]

Devin, Because I steam the pumpkin in large chunks it doesn't absorb much water and I don't squeeze it out. I just remove it from the pot (thereby separating it from the water), scoop it from the shell, and mash it. If you find that at the end of this process it looks watery, then by all means squeeze the water out.