This morning it feels like Autumn has arrived in the NY area. So, posting a recipe involving pumpkin seems apropos.
If you don't know it by now, for the last decade cupcakes have been a big deal in NY. But in the last two years, there have been predictions that pies will be the new cupcakes. But I say, why choose when you can have the best of both in one dessert?
Dessert is taken seriously in the Muse family. So, for my birthday, there were two cakes. One was chocolate (previously blogged here and frosting here) because it wouldn't feel like my birthday without chocolate cake. The other was Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes. Mmmm... I love Autumn and all the flavors that go with it.
Pies are a lot of work, but these cupcakes were a breeze with help from my 10yo nephew, Orpheus. The recipe is simple but interesting; it's basically a pumpkin version of a molten chocolate cake. Essentially, all you do is make pumpkin pie filling and add just a bit of flour and leavening.
As the cupcakes bake (for a mere 20 minutes!), they set around the edges like a cake, but stay custard-y in the center, like pumpkin pie. It's the very best of both worlds.
Once cooled, we piped a little bit of stabilized whipped cream with some cinnamon mixed into it onto the cupcakes. (To stabilize whipped cream just add a little cream of tartar to your heavy cream as you beat it with sugar and vanilla.)
We under-filled our cupcake tins to make 16 instead of 12 cupcakes, so they are on the small side. But that's fine. In the future, I'll make them normal size. Oh, and yes, these will be made again. I have any number of friends and family members who lament that pumpkin pie comes but once a year.
A few last thoughts on my birthday party and family...
I love being an Aunt. And I had two really big reminders of why over the weekend. First, my 7yo nephew Linus made me a birthday gift. When his mom asked what he wanted to give me, he told her that he wanted to make me a necklace, because "Aunt Clio is good at making things".
Look what an awesome job he did! And I could see how very proud of his gift he was, which made it all the more wonderful.
And then my 10yo nephew, Orpheus, and I baked our awesome cupcakes together, and he gave me a subscription to a baking magazine and made me promise that we would bake together from it.
Being "good at making things" is important to me. If you read this blog, you too! In addition to the hours I spend each week actually sewing, knitting and baking, I also devote time to learning more about these pursuits. So, realizing that I actually have been passing that love of creating along to my nephews made me feel tremendously happy on my birthday.
Are you passing your love of creating along to others? Do tell.
If you don't know it by now, for the last decade cupcakes have been a big deal in NY. But in the last two years, there have been predictions that pies will be the new cupcakes. But I say, why choose when you can have the best of both in one dessert?
 |
| Dessert! |
Dessert is taken seriously in the Muse family. So, for my birthday, there were two cakes. One was chocolate (previously blogged here and frosting here) because it wouldn't feel like my birthday without chocolate cake. The other was Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes. Mmmm... I love Autumn and all the flavors that go with it.
 |
| Omnomnom! |
Pies are a lot of work, but these cupcakes were a breeze with help from my 10yo nephew, Orpheus. The recipe is simple but interesting; it's basically a pumpkin version of a molten chocolate cake. Essentially, all you do is make pumpkin pie filling and add just a bit of flour and leavening.
As the cupcakes bake (for a mere 20 minutes!), they set around the edges like a cake, but stay custard-y in the center, like pumpkin pie. It's the very best of both worlds.
 |
| Is it a pie or a cake? |
Once cooled, we piped a little bit of stabilized whipped cream with some cinnamon mixed into it onto the cupcakes. (To stabilize whipped cream just add a little cream of tartar to your heavy cream as you beat it with sugar and vanilla.)
We under-filled our cupcake tins to make 16 instead of 12 cupcakes, so they are on the small side. But that's fine. In the future, I'll make them normal size. Oh, and yes, these will be made again. I have any number of friends and family members who lament that pumpkin pie comes but once a year.
A few last thoughts on my birthday party and family...
I love being an Aunt. And I had two really big reminders of why over the weekend. First, my 7yo nephew Linus made me a birthday gift. When his mom asked what he wanted to give me, he told her that he wanted to make me a necklace, because "Aunt Clio is good at making things".
 |
| The macaroni necklace has come a LONG way! |
Look what an awesome job he did! And I could see how very proud of his gift he was, which made it all the more wonderful.
And then my 10yo nephew, Orpheus, and I baked our awesome cupcakes together, and he gave me a subscription to a baking magazine and made me promise that we would bake together from it.
Being "good at making things" is important to me. If you read this blog, you too! In addition to the hours I spend each week actually sewing, knitting and baking, I also devote time to learning more about these pursuits. So, realizing that I actually have been passing that love of creating along to my nephews made me feel tremendously happy on my birthday.
Are you passing your love of creating along to others? Do tell.
