Today we have Emily on Faces of Beauty! Make sure you check out her post and say hi!
I thought it was appropriate to start off the Monday post this week with what this recipe is really all about. We all know butter makes it better!
As I said on Friday, there’s a pumpkin shortage that has me in tears just about every day. I’ve realized in this life that there are trials of many kinds, but this just wasn’t one that I thought I would have to face. All I have to say now is thank God for Whole Foods and their $3 cans of pumpkin!
Clearly this is not something that should become a habit – the $3 cans of pumpkin thing – but I was desperate, OK? Desperate I tell you! Good thing everyone loved this cake, but how could you not when it contains a full pound of butter and countless cups of sugar?
Dear Pumpkin Pie Spice,
You are my heart. I love you.
Love,
Heather
The instructions on this are simple. You basically cream together all of the wet ingredients, then slowly add the dry ingredients until just mixed so the flour doesn’t develop all of it’s glutens and make the cake tough. Even if all baked goods aren’t made like this, it’s the standard process that I follow. I’m telling y’all, I’m a lazy baker!
I would highly recommend that, if you go the cupcake route, you have muffin cups.
Life lesson #543,687,933 – Whole Foods may be good when you can’t find pumpkin anywhere else in the general United States, but they do not sell muffin cups. And if they do they’re REALLY good at hiding them.
It’s OK though…nothing a little more butter couldn’t handle.
You fill the cups up with the mixture about 2/3 of the way up the side of the cup.
Bake ’em off at 325 for 20 minutes, OR if you do the full pan it’s 325 for 45-55 minutes. Now let’s talk about the frosting.
Ooey, gooey, sweet, and spicy. We all know what the best part about cakes are…besides the sugar and butter that is.
This frosting starts with the basic butter/powdered sugar/milk combination that most simple frostings start with.
Add the honey and I start to get a little teary-eyed with joy.
Add the cinnamon and it’s full-blown waterworks.
Luckily I doubled the batch (don’t knock it til you make it and simple must.have.more)! And, following Jenna‘s instruction, have been keeping it in the freezer only to pull it out in case of an emergency.
And yes, you can have frosting emergencies.
Just ask me.
PUMPKIN CAKE (if you’re at a lower altitude, I’ve shown the difference in measurements and cooking temps in the recipe)
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 1 15-oz can of pumpkin (if you can find it!)
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (if you’re at low altitude reduce to 2 cups)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
Preheat oven to 325 (350 if you are at lower altitude). Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the pumpkin and mix thoroughly. Sift together the dry ingredients, and with the mixer on low, slowly incorporate until just combined. For cupcakes, grease the muffin tin or line with muffin cups. Fill each one 2/3 full and bake at 325 for 20 minutes until no longer jiggly in the middle. If making a full pan, grease a 9×13 pan and pour batter, making sure it’s evenly distributed. Bake at 325 for 45-55 minutes, or until cake is brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.
CINNAMON HONEY BUTTERCREAM
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 lb powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp milk or heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
In a bowl cream the butter. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and mix with the mixer on low. Add the honey and cinnamon, and continue to mix. Add in the milk (adding more if the consistency is too thick – but only 1 Tbsp at a time!) until desired consistency is reached. Spread or pipe over cooled cupcakes/cake.
I hope y’all truly enjoy your Monday! Oh, and make sure you check out my post on why I should be the Next Food Blog star 🙂 And then please vote for me by clicking here!
yum-UM. this looks great! and i feel bad for people dealing with libby’s shortage. i just bought 3 big cans at my costco! i should buy it all and ship it out to bloggers! haha. i dont even like frosting but that one sounds like i may enjoy it!
That cake looks absolutely to die for and it seems rather healthy as well.
Awesome blog.
Have a great day and keep those pumpkin recipes coming!
That is pretty much the most perfect recipe on the face of the earth 🙂
One word…YUM!!
Geez that looks DELICIOUS! I love love love pumpkin… put it into a cake/cupcake/bread form and I’m sold. Oh, and then you top it with cinnamon honey buttercream, and I melt. 🙂 Yummy!
Oh. My. God. Those could be in the bakery down the street. Well done — have you every tried (and succeeded) at piping the frosting inside the cupcake. I’ve attempted it a few times… and, um, not yet gotten the technique.
So cute looking! I want one right now.
I’m in awe of these cupcakes. They look so unbelievably amazing. And that frosting sounds heavenly.
I do believe I saw the exact same punpkin at Target, for at least 1/2 a dollar cheaper. I will look at the one by my house this week & report back.
I also recall Vitamin Cottage having the same pumpkin & it may very well be cheaper there, as their prices tend to be WF.
Looks freaking heavenly, well done 🙂
I have to say that I am SO glad I found Libby’s today. I have so many pumpkin recipes I must make!
Whole foods does sell muffin cups. I’m sure there was an associate that could have helped you find them. Ask for help next time.
Sheesh those are adorable 🙂 We tried to get Pumpkin at King Soopers and the manager said “NO ONE has it” – I decided not to argue, knowing full well that WF does. Gah!
Frosting Emergencies arise, true story. 😉
cinnamon honey buttercream sounds amazing!
These look insanely good! How did you manage to frost them all though? That frosting wouldn’t have even made it to half of them after I got done with it. 🙂
Last year they said we had a pumpkin shortage, but I could regularly buy 1.50 cans of that same organic pumpkin at Fred Meyer’s. Shortage shmortage. If you have FM’s around, I would check it out in October and November.
Heather… Let me wipe the drool off my chin.
Ok, better. Those are beautiful! How do you make the frosting go on so pretty? You’ve got major skills!
Haha, why would Whole Foods not have muffin cups?? That is so strange. It made me think of one time when I was at Dominicks, desperately trying to find marshmallow fluff to make some fudge. The store didn’t have it. What???
This cake/cupcakes looks amazing. And I am going to Whole Foods today not only to get pumpkin but I am pretty sure if I wasn’t already going…well…the pumpkin would have sent me there, lol.
youre brilliant. just brilliant.
CINNAMON HONEY BUTTERCREAM???
Can I just have a bowl of that please 🙂
I just said yesterday, “I really wish I could find a great pumpkin muffin/cupcake recipe” Umm, THANK YOU!!!
these are stunning… I want.
OH MY MY… these look fabolous… can I please take one off of your post… I love fall and all of its flavors 🙂
oh.
my.
goodness.
Those look absolutely divine! Brilliant idea on the buttercream and I envy your beautiful icing work! Any tips on that would be appreciated!!
Frosting=Heaven. But yours looks so good it just might be a sin =)
Your frosting looks so pretty! Do you have a special pastry tip?? Or a secret trick ;-)?
Wow! YUM!
I’ve made a cinnamon honey butter cream too! Yummm. So good 🙂 I love me some pumpkin!
Is it bad that I wanna take a big ole bite of that frosting?
Cinnamon Honey Buttercream??? Yes, please!
It’s eerie how much we thing alike… As I was eating my pumpkin creation, I thought to myself, “hmmm… I wonder what honey would taste like on these?”
And I think I’m going to keep Honey Buttercream in the back of my head for future reference- that sounds like it’d be a really good frosting for cake/cupcakes that aren’t as sweet.
oh man – I’m so hungry too! can’t you just make some of these for me? 🙂
These look delicious… I guess we both have pumpkin on the brain today 🙂
If you think you’ll be using pumpkin a lot this fall, do a search for organic canned pumpkin on Amazon. You’ll find that you can buy this same brand by the case (12) & the price is just $2.21 per can w/ no shipping cost. I got mine in the mail the other day and I’m thrilled to have a pantry full of pumpkin puree!!
I love that the pictures came out so beautiful, and I really want to try this recipe! I tried to make a pumpkin apple bread last week and it was a complete flop. I just might have to try this next. Thank you for sharing!
Heather those look delicious! I recently found some Libby’s pumpkin and I’m going back to the store tonight to buy more (if they have some!).
We *need* pumpkin this time of year 🙂
These look so yummy and the buttercream sounds delicious! I love the addition on the cinnamon!
Since I bought my weight in pumpkin yesterday, I will be making these immediately, if not sooner.
That’s it, we need to put on Top Chef Just Desserts. This recipe is just in time for the seasons, how beautiful did your icing turn out?!
Oh my goodness everyone is making pumpkin baked goods! I’m slightly jealous and slightly still in denial about fall. I did pick up some TJ’s pumpkin butter this weekend…
That buttercream should be illegal; nothing can be that good.
Do you have my address? I want some of that STAT!
This is calling my name like no recipe I have ever seen.
Very impressive piping with the frosting! Mine will definitely just look like a big ole blob.
YUM. When I was in college, I declared pumpkin pie spice my favorite spice ever. If you’re ever eating applesauce or yogurt, do me a favor and sprinkle some pumpkin pie spice on top.
I’d like a batch of these for my birthday please. Go ahead and send the extra frosting as well….since you know thats my favorite part about having a birthday 🙂 Love you! I can’t wait to see you when you visit!
What a fab looking fall dessert! mmmmm!
I would die to have one of those right now. Die.