Introduction: Pumpkin Spice "Turkey" Cupcakes
WARNING: These cupcakes contain milk, eggs, wheat, and peanuts. If you are allergic, do NOT eat these cupcakes.
Step 1: Gather Cupcake Ingredients
The Ingredients You Will Need Are:
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup(from a 15-oz can) pure pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup milk
You will need to gather the ingredients listed above and allow them to come to room temperature. The butter should be softened.
Step 2: Preheat Oven
Preheat oven to 350°F(177°C). Place paper baking cups into each of 24 regular-size cupcake cups.
Step 3: Combine Dry Ingredients
Whisk the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a medium-size bowl.
Step 4: Cream Butter
Cream the butter, with an electric mixer, which can either be a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer, on medium speed or until light and fluffy.
Step 5: Add Sugar
Add the sugar in, about a 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the side of the bowl occasionally.
Step 6: Add Eggs
Add the eggs, *one at a time, beating for 20 seconds, after each addition.
*The reason you add the eggs one at a time is that you need to create a water-in-fat emulsion. This also prevents the butter and eggs from curdling.
Step 7: Add Pumpkin and Vanilla
Beat in the pumpkin and vanilla(basically the flavor!!!! Yum!)
Step 8: Beat in Flour and Milk
On *low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture, about 1/3 at a time, and milk, about 1/2 at a time, beating after each addition, until **just blended.
* If you beat on high speed, the flour will end up erupting from the bowl in a big floury mess.
** Just blended means just until ingredients are mixed and there are no streaks of flour or milk throughout the batter. Over mixing will result in a dense, almost rubbery cake.
*** The picture above shows what the batter will look like when it is done.
Step 9: Divide and Conquer
Divide the cupcake batter into each of the muffin cups in the muffin tin.
Step 10: Bake the Cupcakes
Place the cupcakes in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick(I used a cake tester) inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.
Step 11: Take Cupcakes Out of Oven
Take the cupcakes out of the oven. They should look like the photo.
Step 12: Gather Frosting Ingredients
Gather the frosting ingredients.
You will need:
1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese
1/4 cup *butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
**2 to 3 teaspoons of milk
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
4 cups ***powdered sugar
* You can use margarine but butter has a better taste in my opinion but go ahead and try both to see which one you prefer
**You will most definitely need 2 teaspoons of milk, the extra is added at the end if the frosting is too thick
***Powdered sugar is also referred to as confectioner's sugar and icing sugar
Note: The butter and cream cheese need to be softened and at room temperature.
Step 13: Beat Together First 4 Ingredients
Beat together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and 2 teaspoons of milk on low speed until smooth.
Step 14: Add Pumpkin Pie Spice
Add the pumpkin pie spice to the butter and cream cheese mixture, and continue beating.
Step 15: Add Powdered Sugar
Beat in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, on low speed. You may need to add a few drops of milk to make it smooth and spreadable, but it should look like the photo.
Step 16: Frost the Cupcakes
Frost the cupcakes with the frosting you just made. If you use a piping bag, use a round tip and pipe the spiral flat onto the cupcakes.
Step 17: Gather Decorations
For the decorations, you will need:
216 regular candy corn
24 Indian corn candy
24 mini peanut butter cups
48 mini candy eyeballs
Step 18: Make the Turkey Head
To make the turkey head, press the peanut butter cup, upside down, into the frosting near the front of the cupcakes.
Step 19: Show Your Tail Feathers
To make the turkey's tail feathers, put a curved row of 5 candy corn following the edge, opposite of the edge you put the peanut butter cup. Next, put a curved row of 4 candy corn right in front of the row of 5 candy corn.
Step 20: Make the Turkey Face
To make the turkey face, use the remaining frosting to attach two candy eyes to the top of the peanut butter cup, and an Indian corn to the bottom of the peanut butter cup, as in the photo.