Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

📋Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• Self-raising flour + baking powder + salt – these are combined and sifted together with the pumpkin pie spices and cocoa powder. Sifting helps aerate the flour and makes the cupcakes rise well. It also helps the ingredients to combine well. Salt enhances the taste. Use fine salt.
• Cocoa powder – contributes to the rich chocolate flavor of the cupcakes. Make sure to sift first before using as it tends to be lumpy.
• Granulated sugar (caster sugar) – for best results, do not use coarse sugar as it will leave your cupcakes with sugar specks on top after baking. If you do not have granulated sugar, process coarse sugar briefly to make it finer before using.
• Butter – I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add an extra small pinch of salt to the recipe.
• Eggs – use large sized eggs and make sure they are at room temperature.
• Milk - contributes to the moist texture of the cupcakes.
• Pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice - these provide the unmistakable pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavor for the cupcakes. You can use canned puree or make the pumpkin puree on your own. Make sure the texture is not too thick nor too runny. It should be similar to the texture of the canned pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling will not work for this recipe.
• Vanilla extract – adds a lovely aroma to the cupcakes.

For the cream cheese frosting and cocoa powder dusting:

• Cream cheese – use cream cheese that is sold in blocks. Spreadable ones will not work for this recipe as they are too soft and will not pipe well.
• Butter - I use salted butter. Unsalted butter will also work fine, just add an extra small pinch of salt to the recipe. Salt enhances the taste of the frosting. For best results, the butter should be at room temperature but not too soft that it is not able to hold shape.
• Powdered sugar - Adds sweetness and helps achieve the desired texture for the frosting.
• Vanilla - Adds a lovely aroma and flavor to the frosting.
• Cocoa powder - complements the chocolate cupcakes and the sweet caramel sauce.

For the caramel sauce:

• White sugar – both coarse sugar and granulated sugar will work however, coarse sugar will take a longer time to melt.
• Butter - adds richness and smoothness to the caramel.
• Cream - provides a creamy texture and flavor.
• Salt flakes - help to balance the sweetness of the caramel sauce and enhance the taste.

🧾Substitution and variations

• Self raising flour can be substituted with all purpose flour and baking powder. Use 180g of all purpose flour and add one teaspoon plus another one third teaspoon of baking powder (in addition to the amount indicated in the recipe card) to it. Mix well and sift at least 3 times before using.
• White granulated sugar can be replaced with brown sugar. Both dark and light brown sugar will work.
• Butter for cream cheese frosting can be replaced with shortening, particularly if you are working in warm temperatures. You can use this recipe for the cream cheese frosting without butter.
• If you do not have powdered sugar, you can make your own by processing coarse sugar until fine. Sift with a fine sieve.
• Salt flakes can be replaced with normal table salt.

👩🏻‍🍳How to make

Bake the cupcakes

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 175°C and line a cupcake pan with muffin liners (or cupcake liners).

Step 2: In a mixing bowl, whisk together self-raising flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin spice powder, baking powder, and salt (image 1). Sift and set aside (image 2).

Step 3: In a separate bowl, combine sugar and butter and cream until light and fluffy (on medium speed for 2 minutes). Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl half way through (image 3).

Step 4: Beat in the eggs, one at a time (image 4). Each time, beat until all the traces of the eggs are no longer visible. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl half way through.

Note: Scraping the bowl will ensure there are no ingredients left unmixed at the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Step 5: Next, add the pumpkin puree and beat well (image 5).

Note: The creamed mixture will appear curdled after adding the pumpkin puree and that is fine.

Step 6: Gradually add half of the flour mixture (dry ingredients) into the wet ingredients and fold until well combined (image 6).  

Step 7: Add the milk (image 7) and fold again, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well folded in (image 8).

Step 8: Finally, add the vanilla extract and mix well.

Step 9: Pour the batter into the muffin liners, filling each about two-thirds full (image 9).

Note: Using a cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop (with a spring release) will help achieve consistently sized cupcakes.

Step 10: Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without any wet batter sticking to it. You can also test by pressing the top of the cupcakes. They should spring back when pressed lightly with a finger.

Step 11: Transfer the cupcakes onto a wire cooling rack (image 10). Let them cool to room temperature before decorating.

Note: Keep the cupcakes covered with a kitchen towel to prevent them from becoming dry as they cool down.

Make the frosting

Step 12: In a large bowl, beat together room temperature cream cheese and butter until smooth.

Step 13: Sift in the powdered sugar and mix with a spatula (image 11) until the sugar is lightly moistened with the butter and cheese.

Note: Mixing with a spatula (by hand) before using the electric mixer will help avoid the sugar from flying all over as you turn on your mixer.

Step 14: Continue with the mixer, and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix well (image 12).

Make the caramel sauce

Step 15: In a saucepan, heat sugar over low heat, stirring constantly until it melts and turns amber (image 13). Keep close watch on the sugar as it has a tendency to burn very quickly as soon as it turns amber.

Note: Caramel sauce made with overly caramelized sugar will have a bitter taste to it. You can regulate the heat by turning it on and off if the caramel is browning too quickly while the sugar melts.

Step 16: Add butter and stir with a hand whisk until melted and combined (image 14). Use low heat.

Note: The caramel will start bubbling rapidly as you add the butter and that is fine. Also, the sugar and butter sometimes stay separated even after the whisking and that is fine too.

Step 17: Pour the cream slowly while whisking continuously until the caramel sauce becomes smooth and glossy (image 15).

Step 18: Continue to cook the caramel until it thickens. Remove from heat and add the salt flakes (image 16). Mix well.

Note: The caramel will thicken further after it has cooled down completely. Remove it from the heat while it is still slightly runny and wait until it cools down completely. If you find it not thick enough, return it to the heat and cook again for a few more minutes. Alternatively, you can use a candy thermometer. Cook the caramel until it reaches 105°C (or 220°F). At this temperature, the caramel will have a drizzling consistency.

Assemble the cupcakes

Step 19: Transfer the cream cheese and salted caramel into piping bags for easy piping (image 17).

Step 20: Use a cupcake corer or the back of a large piping tip to make a hole in the center of the cupcakes (image 18).

Note: The hole need not be all the way down, suffice if it is halfway through. Keep the cored top as you will need it to cover the hole after filling with caramel.

Step 21: Snip the tip of the piping bag filled with salted caramel and pipe the caramel generously into each cupcake hole (image 19).

Note: You will be using the salted caramel to drizzle the top of the cupcakes after frosting as well so it helps to keep the hole in the piping bag to a small one.

Step 22: Cover the holes with the cored tops (set aside in the steps earlier) (image 20).

Step 23: Using  a large star tip (tip #1M), pipe the cream cheese frosting into a layer of shells all around the cupcake (image 21). And then top the first layer with a second layer, this time in a smaller circle (image 22).

Finally, add a large star at the top (image 23).

Note: You can pipe the frosting any way you like on the cupcakes.

Step 24: Dust the frosted cupcakes with a cocoa powder by sifting it over the top of the cupcakes with a fine sieve.

Note: Arrange all the cupcakes in a tray before dusting for easy cleaning. It also helps to dust all the cupcakes at once rather than one by one.

Step 25: Drizzle each top of the cupcake with caramel sauce (image 24) and serve.

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