… up until about 5 minutes ago this was an entirely different post… I tend to write my recipes and thoughts for the day into the ‘new post’ edit box and then make the dish, altering what i’ve written to suit… and so it was with these fabulous cupcakes… but then, as they were baking snuggly in the oven and the warm scent of ginger and allspice wafted through the house I had an icing disaster… then I cut my finger really badly on a misplaced knife sticking out of the dishwasher and proceeded to bleed heavily over the whole kitchen…. flash of inspiration and a few drops of red food colouring later, I came up with a way to save the sloppy icing and still fit within theme…
… it’s a really simple recipe for using up those bits of hollowed out pumpkin and the inclusion of ginger and allspice makes for a spicy undertone which compliments the sweet icing really well… and I promie you the recipe is divine, they taste incredible…
… I just have to conquer my icing techniques… I just can’t get the hang of it…
… now, other than the fact that it’s Halloween tonight, I have absolutely no reason to make these… I mean obviously I wanted to use up the last wedge of pumpkin I had left over from my soup but we live in the middle of nowhere and our neighbours kids have grown up and moved away and staring at my ever expanding waistline I think I may have to do the trick or treating tonight and give these away…
Ingredients for 24 cakes:
450g of plain flour
3 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice or ginger
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
400g of caster sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
400g shredded fresh pumpkin
a handful of crystalized ginger – finely chopped
For the cream cheese icing:
250g of unsalted butter
1000g of icing sugar
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla paste
500g Cream Cheese
– grate 400g of pumpkin chunks.
– Sift together the plain flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and allspice. Add the walnuts now too as this will stop them sinking to the bottom of the cupcake.
– Measure the sugar, oil and vanilla into a large size bowl and stir to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition. This is the wet mixture.
– Add the majority of the dry mixture to the wet and stir until just combined. Add the remaining dry mixture very slowly until all incorporated. This will result in a very thick batter. Do not overbeat!
– Fold the pumpkin and crystalized ginger into the batter with a large wooden spoon.
– Pipe or spoon the mixture into cupcake cases about 3/4 full.
– Bake at 350 degrees, until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick comes out clean, which should take between 20 and 25 minutes.
– Finish the cooled cupcakes with generous helpings of bright orange cream cheese icing and decorate accordingly.
trick or treat and of course, enjoy!
aaagh – nightmare in the bloody kitchen…
But interesting that you were thinking out uses for the hollowed out bits of pumpkin – I roasted little cubes with a spice mix – chilli, cinnamon and salt and then put it on sticks with chunks of feta – lovely. Your little beauties look much more sinful…which is what we are looking for at this time of year..
Such a canny use of ingredients and wonderful looking cuppies too – minus the blood of course ;0)
Hope the finger recovers well!
OUCH! I hope your poor finger is OK. Underneath the bloody gore I can see delicious cupcakes. I have a pumpkin sitting that needs using. Your cupcakes looks so moist. I can nearly smell the spice too. Lovely
Sooo glad you didn't say you bled onto those tasty looking cupcakes. Droolworthy recipe by the way- I love sponge with pumpkin in and anything with spices gets my vote!
thanks all… finger still sore but cupcakes for breakfast have helped… I must say these are the most delicious cakes i've had in a long time… I cannot recommend the recipe highly enough x
These cupcakes look quite delicious! Despite the kitchen mishap, I'm glad you pulled through!
They look great, like your creative cooking, hope you didn't give them all away to children!
As I was reading you were scaring me because I thought you were going to say you bled all over your cupcakes! Oh what a relief!!! LOL!!! Hope your cut isn't too bad . . . So, how was the trick-o-treating . . . did you give the cakes away??? We didn't get any kids, we don't have any sidewalks in town or street lights, makes it an adventure!
Oh shit! I feel your pain (knife as stigmata)! Great recipe, good icing, clever take, and darn that there were so few trick-or-treaters! We only had three kids at our door … dirt road, country-side, what did we expect? We will be eating chocolate and thinking of you knoshing bloody cupcakes!
I bet those smelt fantastic when baking!
Hope your finger is better now!
Wayhay Dom!!!! Up to 100 followers – well deserved :-}}
Hope the finger is better, it's a little known fact that cupcakes are incredibly healing!
I'm your 101th dalmation! (follower) loving the blog 🙂
yay to 100 and YAY to 101!!!!!!! thanks for the kind words kiddos! x
Dom…shredded pumpkin? like grated?? I have 1.5 pumpkins that need using up and these are looking pretty tempting…minus the blood of course 🙂 yum!
Well done on the 100 – wahay!!! next year can you do your trick or treating in East Yorkshire – our stash is predominantly Haribo, my kids love it but there teeth are gummed together!
LOL! I had a Halloween cooking disaster too although mine involved a little less blood and some inedible black and white cookies.
Loving the ghoulish amends – good on the spot thinking, esp with an injury!
x
Please tell me that isn't real blood on those otherwise delicious looking cupcakes!