Pumpkin Pie Filled Spice Cake Cupcakes

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!