Pumpkin Cupcakes With Maple Browned Butter Frosting

We’ve been collecting little munchkin and harlequin pumpkins since the arrival of October. The kids love how tiny they are, it makes them feel like giants! You can find them all over our house at the moment so I thought I’d better start creating some recipes with them before our hoard gets out of hand!

I’ve been desperate to make these cupcakes for a while now - I love how moist the pumpkin makes the sponge and the browned butter frosting is like nothing you’ve ever tasted before!

These are full of autumnal flavours and perfect for a coffee morning with friends this October.

To make the pumpkin puree

You’ll need a couple of munchkin pumpkins or one small pumpkin. Feel free to substitute the pumpkins with a butternut squash. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Slice the pumpkins in half lengthways, remove the seeds and pulp then place them face down on the baking tray. Roast them for 45-60 minutes or until the flesh is soft. Once roasted, allow them to cool a little until they can be safely handled then either spoon out the flesh or peel away the skin. Place the flesh into a bowl and allow to cool fully.

How to make browned butter

The taste of browned butter makes this frosting super special! And it is so easy to make - you’ll be adding it to all sorts of dishes after you’ve tried it once! Take 150g of butter - I prefer to use salted butter as it pairs really well with the sweet icing sugar - and heat it in a light bottomed pan. This is so you can keep a close eye on the colour. Keep the hob temperature on the lowest setting. You’ll soon see the butter melt and bubbles form as it comes to the boil. The milk solids will gradually darken and sink to the bottom and the bubbles will dissipate. Experiment with different timings to see which depth of flavour you prefer but I like it really dark and I love the flecks it adds to the frosting. 5 minutes is the ideal time.

To decorate your cupcakes

There is a huge range of piping tips out there to choose from but for these I used a Wilton 4B. I own quite a few of the Wilton range and they are such good quality. Experiment with different techniques - swirling from the centre out or from the outside in will give different effects. I’ve used cinnamon sugar and sticks to decorate these in keeping with the season - cut a few cinnamon sticks in half and pop into the side of the frosting, kind of like a flake in a whipped ice cream from the seaside!

Pumpkin Cupcakes With Maple Browned Butter Frosting

Author Ella Nurse | Date 17/10/2019

• prep time: 30 minutes

• cook time: 25-30 minutes

• total time: 55-60 minutes

Servings: 6 large cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

• 25g butter

• 100g soft light brown sugar

• 25g caster sugar

• 200g pumpkin puree

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 125g plain flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Frosting

• 150g salted butter

• 300g icing sugar

• 4 tbsp maple syrup

Cinnamon Sugar

• 50g granulated sugar

• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C fan

2. Cream the butter and sugars together using either a stand mixer or hand whisk

3. Add the remaining wet ingredients - pumpkin puree, eggs and vanilla extract and combine

4. Add the plain flour, baking powder and spices to the bowl and fully mix together into the wet ingredients

5. Once silky smooth and fully combined spoon into six large muffin cases and bake for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool fully

6. Whilst the cupcakes are baking, place 150g of butter into a pale bottomed pan and gently heat until the butter has turned a golden brown colour (see tips above)

7. Chill the browned butter until it reaches room temperature

8. Once the butter has cooled, whisk together with the icing sugar and maple syrup. If the frosting is too thick add a little more maple syrup until it's silky smooth but still holds its shape

9. Fit a piping bag with the nozzle of your choice - I used a Wilton 4B on mine - and fill the bag with the frosting

10. Once the cupcakes are cool, frost in the pattern of your choice. For these I created spirals working from the outside in

11. Prepare the cinnamon sugar topping by mixing together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon

12. Sprinkle the cupcakes with the cinnamon sugar and decorate with half a cinnamon stick