Spiced pumpkin cupcakes with pumpkin mousse and brown sugar maple cream cheese frosting
18 Nov
Wow. That’s a mouthful.
Though Alexis was my October Guest Baker with her favorite pumpkin cupcake recipe, I knew I had to tackle this flavor myself. And while I’ve seen a fair number of people on Twitter poo-pooing pumpkin and saying it’s jumped the shark, I wasn’t going to let the nay-saying deter me. I mean, it’s PUMPKIN for crying out loud. It’s not like the gourd tried to become trendy!
Nevertheless, I also knew that I had to deliver something a little different than Alexis’ more traditional take on the pumpkin cupcake. When I came across a recipe for brown sugar cream cheese frosting, I knew I had to go in that direction. And while I worked off of my Autumn Spice cupcake recipe, I still thought there needed to be something else.
That something else became homemade pumpkin mousse. And it was so, so, SO worth it.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position the racks toward the center. Line cupcake pans with papers.
Combine dry ingredients; set aside.
Cream butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, then add vanilla.
Add pumpkin puree and mix until combined.
Mix in the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about halfway full. Bake for about 18-20 minutes.
When done, transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.
For the pumpkin mousse, combine pumpkin puree, sugar, spices and a 1/2 cup of cream in a sauce pan. Stir to combine over medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool completely.
Whip remaining heavy cream (1 cup) until soft peaks form; add vanilla and whip lightly until combined.
Once pumpkin mixture is cool, fold in the whipped cream gently. Set aside until ready to pipe into cupcakes.
For the frosting, mix together the butter and cream cheese until combined, then add the brown sugar.
Add vanilla, maple syrup and confectioners sugar, in 1/2 cup increments (taste to check sweetness).
Chill for at least 20 minutes before frosting the cupcakes.
To assemble, use a melon baller or the back of a Wilton 1M tip to core out some of the cupcake's center. Pipe in (or use a spoon) mousse. Use an extra large roundtip to pipe frosting on top (or use a spoon to give the cupcakes a simple, homespun look). Decorate as desired.
Mmmm, what a tasty fall treat. Love everything about these cupcakes from the moist cake to the delish mousse and the superb frosting. I have no critique at all, you nailed them. Thanks!
There is SO much pumpkin flavor in these! WOW. Another one hit out of the park!
Very good cupcakes!
FROSTING: Super-good and had a nice distinct taste! I had a couple brief moments where I crunched on the sugar dusting weird, but it wasn’t even a thing. Overall rating: A+
CAKE: Super-moist and good. Loved it a lot. A+
FILLING: Was good!
A THING: While this cake was delicious to the maxxxxxxxx (lots of X’s due to extreme tastiness), this was a very rich cake. Not in a bad way, and not that it wasn’t supposed to be rich, it’s just kind of “whoof that was sweet/rich,” like it would be tough for anyone to eat more than one. I don’t think this is a good or bad thing (certainly some desserts are destined to be, and should be rich), but it does hit you heavy (at least me anyway) for whatever that’s worth.
OVERALL: Loved the crap out of these. Some of your best ever.
Sorry for the late post – I didn’t actually end up eating this one until I go home on Friday night. Which was a mistake because then I had to share it with Kev.
So… yeah. This cupcake was awwwwwesome. Everything was delicious and I am a HUGE fan of the mousse-type filling. It was so yummy! And I appreciated (as Melissa and I discussed) the fact that it was limited in quantity enough that it was definitely there, but didn’t crumble the fabulous cake around it when you bit into the cupcake. This one is absolutely a winner!
These were DELICIOUS! The cake texture and flavor was perfect. Just the right balance of pumpkin, spice and moisture. The frosting was, again, perfect. Smooth consistency with just the right amount of sweet, tangy goodness. I also love that style of piping. So presentation was lovely.
As for the mousse, it was good, but I feel like it was lost with the other ingredients and wasn’t necessary for the success of this treat. Perhaps the mouse would be a dessert on it’s own?