Starting in early September, especially here in New England, everyone goes nuts for pumpkin. Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin beer…just to name a few.
Cupcakes felt left out.
I mixed up some pumpkin pie filling, but instead of baking it in a pie shell, I baked it as-is in a small pyrex pan. While it was cooling, I whipped up a spice cake batter and filled the liners about 2/3 full. In the first attempt (pictured above), I put the filling (about 2 tsp) in between two layers of batter. I don’t think that’s the best idea because it ends up sinking to the bottom as it gets hot again. I suggest filling your cupcakes and then lightly pressing a couple teaspoons of pumpkin pie filling into the top. Press it in just a little…heat and gravity will do the rest.
I made a cinnamon cream cheese frosting which paired really well with the pumpkin and spice flavors. This has become an instant hit in my house, especially for a Thanksgiving dessert treat when you need a break from all the pies!