![\"cupcakes\"](\"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/cupcakes.jpg\" "\\"cupcakes\\"")
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Pumpkin season is upon us.\u00a0 From the first jack-o-lantern on the porch to the last slice of Thanksgiving pie, no vegetable is more closely identified with fall than the many varieties of Cucurbita pepo<\/em>.<\/p>\n I’ve always loved the complex, spicy flavor of pumpkin baked with a heady blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. This year, however, I was ready for a change. I craved\u00a0 a light and tender cupcake with little more than a lively undercurrent of fresh ginger to highlight the pumpkin’s natural flavor.\u00a0 It had to taste as clean and fresh as a fall morning, not too sweet and not too spicy.\u00a0 Why should children get all the treats at Halloween?<\/p>\n Finally, I spotted a pumpkin spice cake recipe in “The Art and Soul of Baking,”<\/a> by Cindy Mushet (Andrews McMeel, 2008). It called for butter rather than oil and I was on my way.\u00a0 This cake was more delicate than most, with an amazingly light texture and just the right balance of pumpkin and sugar.\u00a0 By substituting freshly grated ginger for the spices, I hit the mark on the first try.<\/p>\n The maple cream cheese frosting I put on the cupcakes is hardly original.\u00a0 But the flavor combination is a classic and so good I couldn’t bring my self to abandon it.<\/p>\n This recipe works with either canned or homemade pumpkin puree.\u00a0 It may be a little harder to find canned pumpkin this year, though. A shortage from last year means processors have been rushing to get this year’s harvest on the shelves in time for peak baking season.\u00a0 Some stores ran out earlier this month.<\/p>\n To make your own puree:<\/em> Cut the top off a pie-sized pumpkin (about 4 pounds), scoop out the seeds and slice into large pieces.\u00a0 Place pieces on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until the flesh is soft and easily pierced with a small sharp knife.\u00a0 Remove from oven and let pieces cool until easy to handle.\u00a0 Scrape the flesh from the rind and whirl in a food processor or blender until smooth.\u00a0 Discard rind.<\/p>\n 2 cups cake flour Preheat oven to 350 degrees.\u00a0 Place paper cupcake liners in baking tins.<\/p>\n Sift flour with baking soda, baking powder and salt into a small bowl and set aside.\u00a0 In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar until very light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.\u00a0 Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.\u00a0 Stir in ginger, vanilla and pumpkin puree and mix on low just until blended.\u00a0 Gently fold in a third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk, mixing well after each addition.\u00a0 Then mix in a third more of the flour, the rest of the buttermilk and the remaining flour. All the flour should be incorporated but be careful not to overmix.<\/p>\n Spoon batter into lined baking tins, filling each cup about \u00be full.\u00a0 Bake 15-20 minutes, until\u00a0 tops spring back at a light touch.\u00a0 Let cool briefly in tins, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.\u00a0 Frost.<\/p>\n Maple Cream Cheese Frosting<\/p>\n 3 ounces cream cheese In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter together until fluffy.\u00a0 Beat in maple syrup and then enough powdered sugar to make a spreadable frosting.<\/p>\n -Inspired by “The Art and Soul of Baking,” by Cindy Mushet<\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pumpkin season is upon us.\u00a0 From the first jack-o-lantern on the porch to the last slice of Thanksgiving pie, no vegetable is more closely identified with fall than the many varieties of Cucurbita pepo. I’ve always loved the complex, spicy flavor of pumpkin baked with a heady blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. This … Continue reading Ginger pumpkin cupcakes for adult tastes<\/span> ![\"pumpkincupcake\"](\"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/pumpkincupcake.jpg\" "\\"pumpkincupcake\\"")
Yet search as I might, I couldn’t find a recipe that matched my requirements.\u00a0 The pumpkin cakes in my baking books were either too heavy with spices or\u00a0 swimming in oil.\u00a0 And even though I’m a fan of\u00a0 Michael Ruhlman’s “Ratio”<\/a> (Scribner, 2009), no basic\u00a0 formula was going to solve my problem.\u00a0 Adding pumpkin to a cake shifts the chemistry and I needed more guidance.<\/p>\nGINGER PUMPKIN CUPCAKES<\/strong>
\nMakes 18-20 cupcakes<\/em><\/p>\n
\n1 teaspoon baking soda
\n\u00bc teaspoon baking powder
\n\u00bc teaspoon salt
\n\u00bd cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
\n1\u00bd cups sugar
\n2 eggs
\n3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
\n1 teaspoon vanilla
\n1 cup pumpkin puree
\n\u00bd cup buttermilk<\/p>\n
\n\u00bc cup (\u00bd stick) unsalted butter
\n2 tablespoons dark maple syrup (Grade B, if available)
\n1\u00bd-2 cups powdered sugar<\/p>\n