Mini Choco-Pumpkin Cupcakes (W/homemade Buttermilk!)
By: ChefPriyanka
Published: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - 2:10pm

Ingredients




Chocolate-Pumpkin Batter:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour- sifted
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Ghiradelli)- sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder-sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda- sifted
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
3/4 cup buttermilk (I made homemade buttermilk- recipe below)
15 ounces can pumpkin purée (reserve 3 tbsp for frosting)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (firmly packed) dark brown sugar
5 large eggs
PAM- baking flavor
Pumpkin Cream-cheese Frosting:
1 package (8- ounce) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons pumpkin puree (reserved from batter recipe)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar (sifted)
few drops yellow/red+yellow food coloring (optional)
orange crystals (for garnishing)
shaved dark chocolate curls (for garnishing)
Homemade Buttermilk:
1/2 cup organic plain yogurt (I use Stoneyfield farms)
1/8 cup water (more or less depending on yogurts consistency)

Preparation

1 For Buttermilk: 2 Stir ingredients together, set aside. 3 For the Batter: 4 Mix together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cardamom in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the buttermilk, remaining pumpkin puree, and vanilla in a medium bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl, with an electric mixer set on medium speed, until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until the mixture is smooth and light. Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, blending well after each addition. 5 Spray your babycakes machine and pour about 2 tbsp of batter into each cup (being careful not to overfill) and plug into outlet. Close lid and bake for about 5-7 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. DO NOT PUT CUPCAKE LINERS. Set cupcakes aside on a rack to cool. 6 For the Frosting: 7 Blend the cream cheese, butter, pumpkin puree and vanilla in a large bowl, using an electric mixer set at medium speed, until smooth. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and creamy. 8 Add the food coloring and gently stir until the color is uniform. Chill the frosting until ready to ice the cupcakes. 9 To frost I used a small ziplock baggy and cut a small edge off. I frosted in a swirly motion and topped with chocolate and/or crystals!

About


I was browsing through blogs one day on foodgawker and I came across these really cute chocolate pumpkin cupcakes. I thought they were so festive for this time of the year and I loved the creative combination of chocolate and pumpkin! I decided to make these cupcakes using my babycakes machine (still in LOVE with it) and my credit goes out to the creator of this recipe- Katie Goodman- from goodlifeeats.com. They’re simple to make and scrumptious to eat! I took them to a dinner party, and everyone loved them! Plus the size is great, so people don’t have to make the excuse of just eating half a cupcake (EW!). I think the key to a good batter is using good quality cocoa powder and spices. I tweaked the recipe just a bit from the original!