Pumpkin Cupcakes with Molasses Cream Cheese Filling & Cream Cheese Frosting

November is here, and while I love the fall colors I can't ignore the fact that winter is on it's way. It's been rather cold in my house today and I decided that I needed to make something delicious/warm/pumpkin-y to help me forget my winter woes. I couldn't find a pumpkin cupcake recipe that had a filling AND a frosting, so I combined a few different recipes and invented my own. & it was totally worth it. Though I would consider them more "Muffcakes" than cupcakes or muffins. Or "puffcakes" since they are pumpkin. YAY I LOVE PUMPKIN! (recipe below) Cake:

  • 2 cups AP flour
  • 1 & 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 TBSP cinnamon
  • 1/2 t. ginger
  • 1/2 t. nutmeg
  • 1/4 t. ground cloves
  • 2 t. baking soda
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (I used Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix - it gives it some extra fall spicy-ness)

Filling:

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened (if you can get a hold of pumpkin cream cheese, it's even better!)
  • 2 TBSP molasses
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 t. vanilla
  • 1/2 t. cinnamon
  • pinch of salt

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 4 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (just use some of the leftovers from Libby's)
  • add flour to thicken the frosting if needed
Instructions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Line muffin pans with 24 muffin liners & set aside.
  3. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. In a smaller bowl mix together the eggs, oil and pumpkin.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until smooth.
  5. Fill the muffin liners 1/2 of the way with the pumpkin batter.
  6. With a mixer cream all of the filling ingredients together.
  7. Drop small spoonfuls of the filling (about a teaspoon) into the center of each filled muffin liner.
  8. Add a little more batter to each cupcake, enough to cover the cream cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges of the cupcake begin to harden. (Don't test in the middle since the middle will stay soft and gooey).
  9. While the cupcakes are baking, mix together the cream cheese, butter, pumpkin and vanilla in a medium bowl to make the frosting. Gradually add powdered sugar and cinnamon. Add flour to the frosting if you would like it thicker.
  10. Frost the cupcakes once cooled. Dash with cinnamon for added appeal :D
  11. Enjoy!