Vintage Recipe: Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Good morning, class! Let's begin the day by saying a random fact about yourself. I'll go first. I collect vintage cookbooks. And you know how much I love to start little categories for my blog posts, so here's a new one: Vintage Recipes! The first one comes from The Culinary Arts Institute Cookbook from 1985. I can't remember exactly where this book came from, but I know my dad gave it to me a few months ago. It's HUGE! It's full of strange old recipes, and the vintage food photography is so fun! ;D Apparently, gelatin molds and mousses were a huge hit in the 80's. Sadly, I think I'll pass on those recipes, but today's recipe actually does use gelatin... go figure!

Josh and I went to Howl-o-Scream at Busch Gardens on Sunday, and it really got me in the pumpkin mood. On my day off this week, I decided to make a pumpkin pie. I didn't want to make a regular old pumpkin pie, so I browsed my cookbooks. I found this recipe for pumpkin chiffon pie. The original recipe is called Pumpkin-Crunch Chiffon Pie, but it calls for spreading crunchy peanut butter on the pie crust before adding the pumpkin filling. Excuse me while I go vomit. Ok, I'm back. Yeah, so I guess you can tell I wasn't too thrilled with that flavor combo. I ix-nayed the PB idea and just went the chiffon route. The result was heaven in the form of fluffy, pillowy, light orange, spicy pumpkin pie filling! I dunno if I'll ever make a plain pumpkin pie again. This is just too light and soft and delicious and fluffy and creamy and... omg! I died and went to pumpkin heaven!
Pumpkin Chiffon Pie (from The Culinary Arts Institute Cookbook; 1985)
1 baked 9-inch pie shell
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 teaspoon each ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg whites
1 cup chilled heavy cream, stiffly beaten (I used only 3/4 cup of cream and added 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla)

Soften gelatin in the cold water and set aside.
Combine pumpkin, sugar, milk, egg yolks, spices, and salt in the top of a double boiler. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Stir in softened gelatin and cook 5 minutes more. Cool.
Beat the egg whites (I added 3 tablespoons of sugar to the egg whites) until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into thoroughly cooled pumpkin filling. Pour mixture into pie shell. Chill until set. Top with whipped cream.

IronCupcake_004: Pear Cupcakes w/ Cranberry Orange Filling

Iron Cupcake:Earth
Theme: Cranberry
My entry: Spiced Pear Cupcakes w/ Cranberry-Orange Filling
Voting begins: Sunday, November 30 at 8 pm Central @ http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com and will be open through Friday, December 5 at 12 noon Central.




After some major brainstorming and some careful consideration, I came up with an entry for this month's Iron Cupcake:Earth challenge! My mom brought some pears home from a roadtrip and they became my initial inspiration. I really wanted to stick with seasonal flavors, so I wanted to do a spiced pear cupcake. I'm a huge fan of cranberry and orange. I decided to use those flavors in the filling and frosting. My frosting came out a bit softer than I wanted (because I'm retarded and added a few tablespoons of heavy cream for some reason...???) But if you make it sans heavy cream, the frosting will be thick and gorgeous! These cupcakes are fantastic! They're perfectly moist. All of the flavors go well together, and how can you go wrong with cream cheese filling? They taste just like Thanksgiving! Here are my photos and the recipe.

Start by soaking your cranberries in fresh orange juice.Peel and core your pears.

Scoop the batter into the cups.

Here are the cuppies cooling!

Making the filling...

Mmmmm creamy cranberry-orange goodness!

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a visial runthrough of "The Cone Method."

After filling your cupcakes, you should have about 1/2 leftover to use in the frosting.

Then voila! Delicious Thanksgiving cupcakes!

How about an inside view!

Voting will begin Sunday, November 30 at 8 pm (Central) at NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER, http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/, and will be open through Friday, December 5 at 12 noon (Central).

Recipes were created by yours truly!

Pear Cupcakes with Cranberry Orange Filling
Makes 16-18

CUPCAKES
1 1/2 cups finely diced pears (1 1/2 - 2 pears)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
Pinch of orange zest
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, fresh ground if available
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

FILLING
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Juice of 1 orange
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

FROSTING
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup leftover filling
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Prep for filling: Combine cranberries and orange juice in a measuring cup and heat for 30-40 seconds in microwave, just until mixture is warm. Let sit until cupcakes are baked and cooled, at least 30 minutes.

Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with 16 paper liners. In a large bowl sift together flour, spices, salt, and baking soda. Combine milk and vanilla in a measuring cup. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix until well incorporated. Add flour and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Add pears and mix just until incorporated. Divide batter into muffin cups. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

Make the filling: Drain the plumped cranberries and reserve the juice. In a food processor, pulse cranberries until finely chopped. With an electric mixer, combine chopped cranberries, 8 oz cream cheese, 1 teaspoon of reserved orange juice, 1 teaspoon orange zest, and 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar. Cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake, keeping the top. Fill each cupcake with 1-2 teaspoons of filling. Replace top.

Make the frosting: With an electric mixer, combine 4 oz cream cheese, 1/2 of leftover filling, and 3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar. Mix until smooth. Keep frosted/filled cupcakes refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 4

Prizes provided by:
LOLLIPOP WORKSHOP
COOKIE SUNSHINE
A pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES
Also, IronCupcake:Earth is excited to welcome back CAKESPY, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice!
As an added bonus for November only we have a delicious apron complements of SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY.
Corporate prize providers:
HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS
HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
JESSIE STEELE APRONS
CUPCAKE COURIER
TASTE OF HOME books
Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers

If you want to be a part of Iron Cupcake:Earth, visit http://ironcupcake.blogspot.com/!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie

I was in the mood to make pie crust on Sunday, so my next task was figuring out what should go IN the pie crust! I browsed my collection of cookbooks and found one that I've probably only opened once since I got it (not because I don't like it, I simply forgot I had it!). I found a recipe that is perfect for Thanksgiving AND it combines two of my favorite things: pumpkin pie and cheesecake. How could this not be incredible?!? Have a look for yourself...

I started with the pie crust I'm in love with making now. I gather my mise en place (because I'm "particular" like that).
First, a layer of cheesecake batter...

Then a layer of yummy pumpkin pie batter!

Protect the crust from over-browning by covering it with foil.

Finished off with pecan streusel, FANTASTIC!

The cheesecake layer looks a bit thin, but you can definitely taste the cream cheese flavor!

Mmmm, so yummy! Here's the recipe just in time for Thanksgiving!!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie from Better Homes and Gardens: New Baking Book
Prep: 20 minutes - Bake: 1 hour
Makes: 8 servings – Oven 350F

1 recipe pastry for single-crust 9-inch pie (recipe here)
----------------------------------
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 slightly beaten egg
----------------------------------
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used dark)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
----------------------------------
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened

1. Prepare and roll out pastry. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry. Trim and crimp edge as desired; set aside.
2. In small mixing bowl beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the vanilla, and the 1 slightly beaten egg with electric mixer on low to medium speed until smooth. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate.
3. In a medium mixing bowl combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, the 2 eggs, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Carefully pour over cream-cheese mixture.
4. To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of the pie with foil. Bake in a 350F oven for 25 minutes.
Remove foil. Bake for 25 minutes more.
5. Meanwhile, combine the pecans, flour, the 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and butter. Sprinkle
over the pie. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 1 to 2 hours on a wire rack. Refrigerate within 2 hours; cover for longer storage.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 477 cal., 29 g total fat (11g sat. fat), 122 mg chol., 295 mg sodium, 46 g carbo., 2 g fiber, 10 g pro. Daily Values: 103% vit. A, 4% vit. C, 12% calcium, 17% iron

Apple Cider Cupcakes

This recipe was submitted by Jennifer Buter. The recipe comes from epicurious.com and was printed in the October 1991 issue of Gourmet Magazine. Jennifer has this recipe on her "to-bake" list, but asked that I try it out first. Here is my opinion...

I love it when recipes come with reviews. I trust reviewers more than I would trust some random recipe. So when I read one review that stated, "Overall this is an atrocity of a recipe," I knew there would have to be some tweaking involved. I relied on my instincts mostly. I substituted butter for half of the shortening (This was my first time ever using shortening in a cake; I probably won't do it again, mostly because it has no flavor. But also because shortening for real just wierds me out!). [[EDIT: Umm holy crap, I'm an idiot. I just noticed in the picture I took of the ingredients... I totally used 3/4 cup of shortening AND 3/4 of a stick of butter. Hahaha, okay screw this whole recipe!]] I doubled the amount of baking soda. I also reduced the amount of sugar, as I do with a lot of recipes. Most reviewers said that the apple cider flavor was very minimal, so I boiled the cider down to less that the recipe called for, hoping to end up with a more concentrated flavor. I made up for the extra liquid by adding some whole milk. Also, when I boiled the cider, I added a tablespoon of mulling spices to enhance the flavor. It wasn't noticeable in the cupcake, however. I recommend upping it to 2 or 3 tablespoons of mulling spice.

The resulting cupcake was a dull, wierd flavored, yet moist and tender cupcake. The frosting had a nice twang to it, but it was very soft. The temperature stated in the recipe was too high. I was thinking to myself as I was preheating the oven, "When was the last time I baked cupcakes at 375 degrees??" The cupcakes got very brown and almost tasted like the crust on white bread (freakin ew!). You would have no clue these were made with apple cider unless you were told. In that case, you'd still be lying if you said "Oh yeah, now I can taste it!" In the words of Mythbusters, this recipe is busted!

Ingredients Notice I have 3/4 cup shortening AND 3/4 stick of butter. I'm a retard, thanks.

At least the batter was yummy!

I hate spending extra $$ on cute liners that wrinkle when you put them in the pans!

They even look like bread crust, don't they!

Making the frosting... reduced cider + sugar...

Mixed until it's smooth. (This picture is before the addition of cream cheese. Don't worry, the frosting isn't that runny!!)

The end...

You can get the mulling spices as Williams-Sonoma. They smell so good!

For the cupcakes
3 cups unpasteurized apple cider (I added 1 tablespoon of mulling spice; I recommend 2-3 tablespoons)
3/4 cup vegetable shortening (I effed up the amount of fat in this recipe. I accidentally added 3/4 of a stick of butter instead of substituting it for half of the shortening!)
1 3/4 cups sugar (I reduced this to 1 cup)
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I reduced this to 1/2 teaspoon because I used spices in the cider)
1 teaspoon baking soda (I used 2 teaspoons)
Pinch of salt (I used 1/4 teaspoon)

For the icing
2 cups apple cider
6 ounces cream cheese, cut into bits and softened (I used 8 ounces)
1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar (I used 1 cup)

Preparation
Make the cupcakes: In a large saucepan boil the cider (and mulling spices) until it is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups and let it cool (strain the spices). In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together the shortening and the sugar until the mixture is fluffy and beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Into the bowl sift together the flour, the cloves, the cinnamon, the baking soda, and a pinch of salt, stir in the reduced cider, and combine the mixture well. Divide the batter among 18 paper-lined 1/2-cup muffin tins and bake the cupcakes in the middle of a preheated 375°F (I'd reduce the temp to 350°) oven for 25 minutes (check them about 5 minutes early just in case), or until a tester comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a rack, let them cool in the tins, and remove them from the tins.
Make the icing: In a saucepan boil the cider (and mulling spices) until it is reduced to about 1/4 cup and let it cool (strain the spices). In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together the cream cheese, the confectioners' sugar, the reduced cider, and a pinch of salt until the icing is smooth (I omitted the salt, and mixed the sugar and cider together first before adding the cream cheese).
Spread each cupcake with some of the icing.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 4
Flavor: 1
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 3 (too soft and kinda boring)

Mocha Spice Cupcakes

This recipe was sent in by Kim Plank. It's from MarthaStewart.com and it's for Mocha Spice Cake with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Thanks Kim!

Tuesday evening, I got home late from work. I almost didn't make these cupcakes, but when I looked at the recipe again, I realized how easy they were. Not to mention they were paired with chocolate SMBC (which I LOVE!!). I didn't have any fresh ginger, so I omitted it and just used the dry ground ginger. I accidentally forgot to 1/2 the spices when I halfed the recipe. I didn't notice until I'd already put double the ginger AND cinnamon. When they were all done, you could definitely taste the ginger, but it wasn't overpowering even with the extra teaspoon. The coffee flavor was definitely unnoticeable though... maybe because of the ginger overload? Anyway, the cupcakes were definitely a hit. Someone at wing night even asked if he could order 20 of them for a football party he's going to. Sweet! These are definitely a great idea for the Fall and Winter months!

Sorry the photo isn't great. I didn't have a lot of time. :(

Mocha Spice Cupcakes (recipe from MarthaStewart.com)
Make enough for 12 cupcakes and one 8x4 loaf cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (I omitted)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup hot coffee

Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
In bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter on medium until light. Add brown sugar and eggs; beat on medium-high until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, cocoa, fresh ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, baking soda, and salt; mix well.
With mixer on low, add a third of flour; mix just until combined. Add half of sour cream; mix. Repeat with remaining flour and sour cream, ending with flour. Pour coffee into batter; mix until smooth. (It will be VERY thin.)
Pour batter into pans. Bake 18-20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking, until a few crumbs remain on a cake tester that has been inserted in center and removed. Let cool slightly in pans on wire rack. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream (my own recipe)
3 egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate (You can use 4 oz. of bittersweet chocolate altogether, I just didn't have any)

Melt chocolate in microwave safe bowl on high-powder for 45 seconds. Stir and microwave for an additional 10 seconds, if needed. Set aside.
Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer (or top of a double boiler). Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water; whisk until the mixture feels hot to touch and the sugar is completely dissolved (Mixture should read 160 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat the mixture on high until cooled, about 6 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment. On medium speed, add butter a few tablespoons at a time. Increase mixer speed to high and beat until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Add melted, cooled chocolate, and stir until blended.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5

Autumn Baking: Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies

After making the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies earlier this week, I had about a cup of pumpkin puree sitting in the fridge waiting to find out it's destiny! I wanted to make something other than the pumpkin pancakes I usually make with leftover pumpkin. I was craving chocolate, and there's nothing better to quell a chocolate craving than a warm gooey brownie. I googled for a recipe for pumpkin brownies and found this one on Marthastewart.com. These brownies are SO good, I had one for breakfast yesterday morning and TWO for dinner last night! :D They are really gooey and delicious. It's like a wonderful cross between a fudgy brownie and yummy pumpkin pie. Soooooo terrific!! I made mine in an 8x8 pan so they'd be thick and tall. Of course they took a little longer to bake, and I still took them out before they were done because I like my brownies REALLY gooey (i.e., I'd pretty much eat them raw)! Here's a photo, followed by the fabulous recipe. Enjoy!


Recipe from Marthastewart.com

MY NOTES: If you make these in an 8x8, you should bake them for about 1 hour.

Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies
Makes 16

Ingredients
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I omitted this because I didn't have any, but I'd love to know how they taste with it!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts (I used pecans)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.
Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.
Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.
With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.
Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

Autumn Baking: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

October is finally here!! It's my favorite time of the year for baking. Everything tastes so warm and cozy. I'm asking for you guys to send your favorite Autumn/Fall recipes to me at howtoeatacupcake@yahoo.com (an e-mail is preferable, but a comment is fine!). This recipe was sent to me by Debbie Vassil. It comes from Bon Appetit's October 2005 issue. I had never made whoopie pies before, but I had read a lot about them in Flickr discussions. I love love LOVE pumpkin, so I definitely couldn't resist this recipe. I rolled some in toasted chopped pecans and some in mini chocolate chips. They'd also be super good topped with dried cranberries like those raisin creme pies you can get at the grocery store. Thanks Debbie, these were SO great! There were no leftovers! ;)

OH YEAH!! And I totally forgot October 1st is National Cookie Day. These are kinda like cookies... right?

Ingredients

After letting the electric mixer do most of the work, I like to finish the batter by hand.
I used a medium (#30) cookie scoop to make sure they were all the same size.
While they were cooling, the house smelled SO nice!
Tada! Autumn deliciousness!

MY NOTES: This is my adaptation of the recipe sent to me by Debbie Vassil from Bon Appetit's October 2005 issue. I halved the recipe, and changed it slightly. I'll put the original quantities in bold parentheses. The original recipe probably makes about 23-24 pies. You'll need to double the filling if you make the whole recipe. Also, I made my own buttermilk by adding 1/4 tsp white vinegar to 1/4 cup whole milk. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes. I used my own recipe for the spiced cream cheese filling.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Makes 23 cookies (11 pies + 1 leftover cookie to eat!)

1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (2 3/4 cups)
1 teaspoon baking powder (2 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (1 tsp)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (4 1/2 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (1 1/2 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (1 1/2 tsp)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (1/2 tsp)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp (2 1/2 sticks)
1/2 cup sugar (1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon molasses (3 Tbsp)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (2 tsp)
2 large eggs (4)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) (1 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup buttermilk (1/2 cup)

Spiced Cream Cheese Filling (my own recipe)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
A pinch of nutmeg, ginger, and cloves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Whisk dry ingredients (except sugar) together in a medium bowl.
Using electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, molasses and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add pumpkin puree.
Mix in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions, beating until just combined.
Line large baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart, leaving enough room for dough to spread.
Bake for 13 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center. Cool completely on wire racks before filling.
To make the filling, beat cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until blended. Add sugar and spices. Beat just until thickened and well blended.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

I'm not the first blogger to do Caramel Apple Cupcakes this season, and I bet I won't be the last. One of my favorite treats of Autumn is a caramel apple! So when I came across a recipe for Caramel Apple Cupcakes (actually there were so many recipes it was hard to choose one), naturally I had to try it! I was slightly disappointed, not by the cupcake, but by the weather the day I made these cupcakes. With a high of 92°F it's hard to get into the Fall spirit. However, the cupcakes still came out great and just TASTED like Autumn!

ingredients chunky apple cinnamon batter apple cinnamon cupcakes cooling (and smelling GREAT!) caramel (before) caramel (after)Caramel Apple Cupcake... + pecans!

Recipe from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella.

MY NOTES: I used Granny Smith apples. I could only find large apples, and when I chopped them up I got about 3 cups. I only used 2 cups in the batter, and it was perfect. The topping turned out more like a browned butter icing than caramel. I'd recommend using your favorite caramel recipe instead.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Makes 16-18

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium sized tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped small (about 2 cups)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.
2. In a large bowl beat together the brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition.
3. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Beat until blended. Stir in apples.
5. Fill the cupcake liners 1/2 to 3/4 full (I did about 1/2) with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes (mine were done at about 18 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan. (This book always says to cool them in the pan, but I always cool them on wire racks.)

Caramel Topping
(I had to double this recipe to cover all 16 cupcakes.)

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan over medium heat bring the brown sugar, butter, and cream to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer (about medium-low) and continue stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in the vanilla.
3. Pour the warm caramel topping over cupcakes. (***I HIGHLY ADVISE LETTING THE CARAMEL COOL AND THICKEN BEFORE TOPPING THE CUPCAKES!!*** Otherwise you'll just get a thin, runny mess and hardly any caramel on each cupcake. I let mine cool in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.)

Cinnamon & Oat-Topped Banana Cupcakes

This poll was by far the closest ever! The winner with 68 votes (just 1 vote more than the 2nd place flavor) is the Cinnamon & Oat-Topped Banana Cupcake! I voted for them at first, but then I changed my vote to the Sour Cream Cupcakes (have you noticed that I capitalize cupcake names??). Anyway, I guess it's not so bad that the banana cupcake was the winner. The batter was delicious, and the cake had the perfect light and fluffy texture. The crumble topping kinda disappeared into the top of the cake; I think it's existence was rather unnoticeable. I put a tiny bit of cream cheese frosting and some chopped walnuts on most of the cupcakes. Let me shut up and show you some pictures...

ingredients
topped with the oats and ready for the oven cooling.... they smelled SO good! drizzled with yummy cream cheese frosting topped with a few chopped walnuts

Recipe from 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Connolly.

MY NOTES: I omitted the nutmeg simply because I don't like the way it tastes. I replaced it with 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon. I used 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar instead of 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar in the crumble topping. I got 24 cupcakes instead of 18. Mine were done at 16 minutes. I only made half of the frosting recipe.

(The computer I usually scan the recipes to is currently not working, so I have to type them out... *whine*)

Cinnamon & Oat-Topped Banana Cupcakes
Makes 18-24

CUPCAKES
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup superfine sugar (I just put 1 c. granulated sugar into a food processor)
2 cups self-rising flour
4 eggs
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (or cinnamon)
1 cup (about 2 large) mashed ripe bananas

TOPPING
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar (or 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar)
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, very soft
4 Tbsp. rolled oats
1 Tbsp. all purpose flour

FROSTING
1 cup (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 Tbsp. lemon juice (I omitted this)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 banana, thinly sliced for garnish (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, for garnish (optional)


Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Place 18 paper baking cups in muffin pans. To make the topping, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until well combined. Set aside. Combine the butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and nutmeg in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the mashed bananas until well combined. Spoon the batter into the cups. Top with cinnamon-oat topping. Bake for 16-20 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove cupcakes and cool on a rack.

To make the frosting, slowly beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until it is soft and smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat briskly until smooth and well combined.

Store unfrosted in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.