Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Butter Icing

I had a can of pumpkin in my cupboard for at least two weeks  and everytime I saw it I would think of an interesting pumpkin dessert that I could make with it.

What I really wanted was something moist, spiced, and simple that I could whip up quickly without any fussy decorating. Not that I don't like fussy decorating (I secretly love it) but sometimes simple and unstyled is refreshing.

These cupcakes are exactly what I hoped they would be: lots of pumpkin flavor topped with brown butter icing which is so delicious that it doesn't need to be pretty.

 

For the cupcakes I used a recipe that I've posted before because I love it so much. Instead of creaming the butter and sugar with the eggs and then alternating wet and dry ingredients the recipe calls for mixing the wet and dry ingredients seperately and then stirring them together. They are really moist and tasty even without any icing.

But why eat them without icing when you could be eating them with icing??

 

This icing is a combination of browned butter, powdered sugar, milk, and a bit of vanilla. Brown butter is made by melting butter in a pot and then swirling it over medium low heat until it turns golden and starts to smell toasted and delicious. It has a deeper almost nutty flavor compared to regular butter and it really stands out.

The powdered sugar is added to the butter while is still warm and then drizzled/spread on top of the cupcakes.

 

To top off the cupcakes I added some dutch sprinkles which look like regular brown jimmy sprinkles but taste a lot more like chocolate.

 

Easiest decorating method: open box of sprinkles, sprinkle on cupcakes, consume cupcakes.

 

It was so easy that Wellington felt he could take a break from his usual role as baking supervisor and relax a bit.

 

 

Pumpkin Spice Cake

(From Epicurious)

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel

1. Preheat the oven to 350

2. Whisk the first 9 ingredients together

3. In a separate bowl for electric mixer mix the pumpkin, oil, and sugar together. Beat the eggs in one by one.

4. Add the flour-spice mixture until just combined then stir in orange peel

5.  Divide batter into cupcake papers and bake for 20- 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

Brown Butter Icing

(Martha Stewart)

1 cup butter

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3 to 4 tbsp milk

1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Once it has melted turn the heat down to medium low and continue to cook the butter swirling the pan occasionally.The butter will develop brown flecks and slows turn a golden colour. When this happens remove the pan from the heat and pour the butter into a bowl.Set the warm pan aside (its helpful if the icing separates)

2. Stir the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2 tbsp of milk into the butter. If it needs to be thinned out further then add 1 to 2 tbsp more. If the icing separates then pour it into the warm pan and whisk until it comes together again. Use immediately.

 

 

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Comments

[Marilyn]

Yes please! =D

[Les]

Those look delicious. Pumpkin and spice cake flavors are my all time favorites.

[Lisa]

Love anything with pumpkin right now, yours look especially flavorful. You make the icing sound so easy to make ;)

[Chelsey V]

I love those De Ruijter sprinkles so. much. My Oma always keeps them in the house and when I was little we got to eat them on toast or rusks. Chocolate for breakfast? Hell yea.

[Becs@Lay the table]

I have some of those sprinkles! I have the fruity flavour ones...
They look gorgeous by the way, mmm brown butter icing *drool*

[yummy supper]

Hey Stephanie,
Pumpkin and brown butter... great flavor combo! And totally decadent. Whenever I see you with sprinkles I think of that amazing "embroidered cake."
And thanks so much for the mention in Saveur. I was totally honored!
-Erin

[Megan Pence @Country Cleaver]

Oh there are no words to describe how splendid browned butter is. It takes everything to a new level. Gorgeous! ~Megan

[Rigel_p]

Mmmm, browned butter icing. Wonderful idea. I love your clever twists! I'm in the beginning stages of a relocation from Toronto to Vancouver, and I think this should be the first dessert I bake in my new kitchen (wherever that may be.)

[Miss Nom]

I just read the interview you did with savuer and they are right! You're blog is gorgeous! I am travelling in italy at the moment but as soon as i have a kitchen again i will be trying out some of your recipes - for sure! Until then i will just read some more...

[Hyosun Ro]

Stephanie - These pumpkin cupcakes look yummy! The browned butter icing sounds so good with these. Also, congrats on your interview with Saveur!! And thank you very much for mentioning eating and living. I was incredibly flattered by it.

[Kimberly from Foodies Unite]

I saw your feature on Saveur and came to check out the site - fell in love with your blog and Wellington! I look forward to reading more!

[Melissa@EyesBigger]

I heart pumpkin cake, muffins, cupcakes, whatever. The spice is so comforting and makes me think of chai. Bet these would be god with a cream cheese frosting too. mmmmmm. YUM

[kyleen]

I need to make these cupcakes so I can try the frosting--mhmm I love brown butter.

[Jessica @ bake me away!]

I just made something pumpkiny today and was thinking of brown butter icing, and you have just convinced me! These are the kind of cupcakes I love: simple, not over-iced, and super delicious. It's nice to know that there are real chocolate jimmies out there! Also, kitty <3

[Christian Louboutin Outlet]

I will be posting my newsletter once a week until the Countdown end. Our last post will be December 9th as one of our talented artists is going away. I think we will have to come up with a new version in the new year so we don't have to wait till the Christmas season. Countdown to Spring??? Just a thought. I can hear the groans already.Now here is the next project.Simple, easy and fast. Just what we need this time of year. Get those colors out and create your own!!!!

[Mary at n00bcakes]

Love it! I'd completely forgotten about this recipe, though I made almost this exact one last fall. Having partial cans of pumpkin in my fridge is always a problem these months...I should definitely whip up a batch of these again. :)

[Russell van Kraayenburg]

I'm loving the flavor combinations here! Yum, yum!

[Gothicreations]

I made these cupcakes today. I changed the frosting to a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. oh so tasty.

[BlondeBomber]

These look so incredible right now. I want to use pumpkin in one of my Thanksgiving recipes and I think it needs to be these. :) YUM! Thank YOU!

[Pierre]

Nice one! Hey I know those sprinkles! They're from Edelweiss Village, those whacky Europeans and their crrazy food http://bit.ly/rrrVxM

[Laura]

Thanks for posting this recipe! I made them last night and they turned out wonderful!

[TSAC]

Since my freezer is stocked with pumpkin...
this recipe shall be put to use! Cupcakes are so cute and fun to make. Yum!
bloomingtastebuds.blogspot.com/

[Nike Air Max]

These look so incredible right now. I want to use pumpkin in one of my Thanksgiving recipes and I think it needs to be these. :) YUM! Thank YOU!

[Christian Louboutin Online]

Very cool idea. I think I will have to try this one. I just love the "It's the Little Things" line. Thanks!

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