Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

cake:

• • 2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons, all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 3 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar

  • 2 eggs, room temperature

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

  • 2/3 cup Greek yogurt

  • 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

caramel cream infusion:

• • 1/4 cup caramel topping

  • 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

cream cheese frosting:

• • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

  • 3 1/2 - 4 cups powdered sugar

  • 1-2 tablespoons milk, if needed

garnish:

• • pumpkin pie spice

  • fall-colored sprinkles and sanding sugar

Make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners. The liners I used were slightly bigger, so I only made 18 cupcakes, but depending on the size of your liners, you may get 24 cupcakes out of this recipe.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and white sugar for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl down and beat in the eggs, one at a time, for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the yogurt, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Add the pumpkin and beat until just combined.

Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for approximately 18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for several minutes then transfer the cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely.

Make the caramel cream:

In a small bowl combine the caramel topping and sweetened condensed milk (you can make much more than what's called for here, using equal parts of each, and store the leftovers in the fridge to pour on pancakes, in coffee, etc).

Pour into a plastic squeeze bottle. Using the pointed end of a chopstick, poke a hole in the center of each cooled cupcake, not poking any deeper than halfway down. Insert the tip of the squeeze bottle and squeeze a small amount of the caramel cream in each. It will soak into the cake, creating a very moist center.

Make the frosting:

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla bean paste for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar until you have reached the desired consistency.

Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Top each with sprinkles and pumpkin pie spice.

Yields 18-24 cupcakes.