October 31, 2022

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Thanksgiving is about three things when we get down to it: Family, Giving Thanks, and Food! If you’re looking for a recipe that will taste incredible and look beautiful when visiting friends and family for thanksgiving, these pumpkin spice cupcakes with honey cream cheese frosting are perfect.

Packed full of nutrient-rich pumpkin, holiday spices and sweet, rich, raw manuka honey they bring back happy memories of thanksgivings gone by, and they make a little spiced treat for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other time you feel like a decadent sweet treat.

This is another recipe that calls for our signature Steens Spiced Pumpkin Paste – make a big batch, freeze it in portions and take out whenever you want to make a spiced pumpkin recipe. It’s 100% natural with no additives or preservatives and no refined sugar. Check out our other spiced pumpkin recipes too!

These beautifully soft cupcakes can be frozen (without the icing) and taken out any time you need them, or you can bake them in a large cake tin and create a masterpiece Thanksgiving pumpkin cake! So many options..

Happy baking,

The Steens Team x

INGREDIENTS

1 & 2/3cups flour, spooned and leveled
3/4 cup butter, ( 1 and 1/2 sticks)
2teaspoons baking powder
1teaspoon kosher salt
1teaspoon cinnamon
1/2teaspoon nutmeg
1/4teaspoon cloves
1cup Steens Pumpkin Spice Paste
11/2 cups Manuka Honey
1/2teaspoon vanilla
2eggs

Icing

½ cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese
2 cups Manuka Honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Decorate with crushed pecans and drizzle with Manuka Honey

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and place oven rack so that the cupcakes will be in the center of the oven. Line two muffin tins with 18-20 paper cupcake liners.

Melt 3/4 cup of butter over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Soon the butter will bubble and form a thick white foam on top. After that, the foam will recede a little bit and you will start to see little brown "bits" forming on the bottom of the pan. Stir them up and take a whiff. If you see brown specks and your butter has taken on a nutty aroma, your butter is browned. Take it off the heat right away. It goes from browned to burned real quick, so pay attention! Set aside to let it cool a bit.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk together 1 cup pumpkin puree (just roast up your pumpkin and whizz in the food processor, or you can use your Steens Pumpkin Spice puree from the freezer and just eliminate adding any dry spices later in the recipe), and 1 & 1/2 cups manuka honey. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

When the browned butter has cooled (it can still be warm, just make sure it's not so hot you risk curdling your eggs) add it to the pumpkin mixture and stir well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 and 2/3 cup flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon cloves. Add the flour mixture to the batter and fold through – you don’t want to over mix, just fold through until mostly combined.

Fill your cupcake liners to ¾ full.

Bake the cupcakes at 325˙ F for 18-20 minutes. You can press your finger into the top of a cupcake, and if the cupcake springs back immediately, it's done. (if your finger leaves a dent, leave it in a couple more minutes.)

Within 3-4 minutes of taking the cupcakes out of the oven, carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. This will help keep your cupcakes from getting soggy on the bottom.

When the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost them your cream cheese frosting.

To make the frosting:

Combine all ingredients (ensure butter is at room temp, or pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften).
You can either use an egg beater, or a food processer – mix well until light and fluffy, a bit like creaming butter and sugar together. Once it’s easy to move your spoon through the mix, its ready to use as icing. Pipe into little spirals or however makes you happy.
Then top each cupcake with a pecan and drizzle with manuka honey!