Full Disclosure

Cake for breakfast wasn't just a blog name - it's still a tried and true practice for me whenever I have the opportunity. Which happened to be this morning. I had made a batch of pumpkin cupcakes over the weekend and had the very last one of them for breakfast this morning.



My favorite cupcake bakery is The Cupcakery, here in St. Louis. Their Tuxedo cupcake is probably the best cupcake in St. Louis, and I ate a lot of cupcakes to be able to say that with any degree of confidence. For October & November, they have also been offering a pumpkin cupcake and it was so delicious. I thought I would find a good recipe and whip some up last weekend. Wouldn't you know that Martha had a recipe for them, AND that it turned out just amazing. So moist and a little dense and really yummy.

And here you have it - enjoy this fall treat as a departure from the standard pumpkin pies this Thanksgiving season. (ps - the recipe says it makes 18, but I got 24 standard cupcakes out of the mix.)


Ingredients
Makes 18.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix!)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients
Makes about 2 cups.
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.