Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe For Thanksgiving

Pumpkin pie has always been a beloved staple of the Thanksgiving lineup, but with kids in the mix, it’s sometimes nice to go with bite-sized treats. In this recipe, the Westside bakery H Bake Shop dresses up their organic Great Pumpkin cupcakes with chai frosting and candied pumpkin seeds as a twist on traditional harvest flavors.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Cupcake ingredients

3 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp each of ginger and nutmeg

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 Tbsp. buttermilk

2 Tbsp. sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

4 oz butter

5 large eggs

Cheesecake filling ingredients
8 oz cream cheese
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional for grownups:
Add 4 oz espresso

Chai tea icing ingredients

1 bag chai tea

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup egg whites

8 oz powdered sugar

1 lb. unsalted butter

Candied pumpkin seed ingredients
1 large egg white
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin seeds

For the cupcakes:
Line two 12-cupcake pans with paper liners. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and spices and set aside.

In one bowl, cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time.

In another bowl, mix in pumpkin puree, sour cream, vegetable oil, vanilla, and buttermilk.

Add approx. 1/4 of flour mixture to creamed butter, then add 1/4 of pumpkin mixture. Alternate adding the dry (flour) and wet (pumpkin) mixtures to the creamed butter, ending with flour.

Scoop into the cupcake pans and bake for 18 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the filling:
Mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar at medium speed until creamy, then add the vanilla extract and the optional espresso. Put in a piping bag and reserve.

For the icing:
Break the bag of tea into the heavy cream, then heat the cream and let cool. Mix the egg whites and powdered sugar and beat for 5 minutes on medium speed. Add the butter and beat for 10 minutes on medium high, then fold in the cool chai tea cream.

For the pumpkin seeds:
Mix the egg white with the sugar before adding the pumpkin seeds. Spread the seeds on a sheet pan and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes. Now stir the seeds and continue baking for 5 more minutes, until golden brown.

Assembling:

After the cupcakes are completely cool, take an apple corer and poke a hole in the center. Fill center with the cheesecake mixture, then pipe the chai tea frosting and sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top.

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