Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Salted Caramel Sauce

As promised, the month of November will be dedicated to a lot of pumpkin recipes...so get ready this is one you definitely need to try...Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting & Salted Caramel Sauce...wow that is a mouthful...but a very delicious mouthful once you bite into one of these delicious treats.


Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe from www.recipegirl.com)

CUPCAKES:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup canned pure pumpkin

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
3 cups powdered sugar (more if you intend to pipe it on)
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pan (or a 24 cup mini muffin pan) with baking cups.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, stir oil and sugar together. Whisk in eggs, and stir in vanilla extract.
• Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir pumpkin into the batter until it is thoroughly combined.
• Spoon batter into lined muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Less time will be needed if you are making mini-cupcakes. When cupcakes are removed from oven, let them sit for about 10 minutes, then remove them to cool completely on wire rack.
• Meanwhile prepare the cream cheese frosting: In a medium bowl beat together all ingredients.
  

I used a #1 Wilton decorating tip and a piping bag to swirl on the icing.


Cupcakes ready to be drizzled with the Salted Caramel Sauce.


Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe www.chow.com)

1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp kosher salt

• Stir together sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Let boil until amber in color, about 3 minutes.
• Immediately add butter and stir to incorporate. Remove from heat, add cream and salt, and mix well. Serve immediately or let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate.

What you are looking at above is a picture of a "bondi band", basically it is headband to wear while you are running to keep the sweat or hair out of your face, it can also double as an ear warmer when the weather is colder. I first discovered "bondi bands" this May when I was in San Diego running the Rock N' Roll Marathon. At the race expo the day before the event, there was a vendor set up selling these headbands...and the moment I saw the one that says "will run for cupcakes" I was SOLD, I knew I had to get this! As long as I can remember I have always enjoyed eating cupcakes, they are just so cute and the perfect size indulgence to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings! So I'm guessing you are now starting to see where the name for my blog and my profile name "I Run for Cake" came from. I was so excited when I bought this headband and apparently was a little too hyper the rest of the weekend...all the other runners I was doing the marathon with kept calling me "bondi band, bondi band, bondi band" all weekend long! They actually still do to this day as well.


So now that you know the story behind my bondi band, here is the story about this amazing cupcake plate above. One of the guys, Thomas, who to this day still gives me a hard time about my bondi band excitement got me this plate. I was Thomas' mentor through our marathon training so as a thank you to helping him with his fundraising him and his wife Katie bought me this super cute cupcake plate. I absolutely love this piece and used it for the first time this past weekend when Katie and Thomas had us over for game night!


I just realized that as I am typing this post I have on my "will run for CUPCAKES" bondi band..I just got back from track practice a little while ago and wore it while I ran tonight! I love this headband!