I adore cupcakes and am obsessed with design, so why not try to merge them in any way possible?! Pantone colors & Cupcakes are the perfect combo. Every Friday, let's choose a Pantone color and create a sweet based on it! How fun?! ... and now that the leaves are turning, the scarfs are coming out of hibernation and Starbucks brought back the Pumpkin Spice Latte, I knew it was time for a Pumpkin cupcake. PMS 158 it is. Inspired by this!
RECIPES BELOW - GET BAKING!
FOR THE CHEESECAKE /
½ cup sugar
1 pound cream cheese, softened
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup sour cream
Pinch of sea salt (or regular salt if you don't have sea is fine)
1 / Preheat oven to 275˚F. Beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth.
2 / Add sugar, then vanilla until well combined.
3 / Add eggs, scraping down side of bowl as necessary. Add sour cream and salt. Pour batter into muffin cups, filling almost to the tops.
4 / Bake until sides are set but centers are wobbly, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Note: I experimented with baking in different sized cupcake pans. I have super-mini, mini and standard. I thought the minis would be perfect, and that I could just insert the cheesecakes directly into the cupcakes, but this didn’t work out so well. Your best bet is to use standard cupcake pans. Use some of the baked cheesecakes to fill (you’ll have to ruin the beauty of them and shove them into the cupcake centers) and slice some of them horizontally to add to the top of the cupcakes before icing.
FOR THE CRUST /
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs (about 8 full graham crackers)
2 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 / Preheat oven to 350˚F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until well combined.
2 / Add about 1 tbsp. of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner and bake for 5 minutes until the graham crackers are golden.
3 / Cool on wire racks completely (or you could toss in the refrigerator for a bit) before adding the cupcake mixture.
Note: Do not over bake! The graham cracker will bake for longer when the cupcake batter is added and they go back in the oven. I made the mistake of over baking the graham cracker crusts because they just didn’t look done to me! It didn’t occur to me until it was too late that they would be baked for an additional 18-20 minutes when they were topped with cupcake batter!
FOR THE PUMPKIN PIE /
2 large eggs, beaten
1 can (16 oz.) pureed pumpkin
2 tbsp. molasses
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tbsp. flour
1 can (12 oz.) condensed milk
1 / Preheat the oven to 425˚F. In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients until well combined.
2 / Pour the mixture into a 9-inch round pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350˚F and continue cooking for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the filling comes out clean. Let cool completely before using.
Note: The edges will brown a bit. Its ok, it will still taste delicious. I did try to avoid the edges of the pie when I was filling my icing bag, but later my roommates ate the pie and said it was perfect!
FOR THE CUPCAKE BATTER /
1¾ cups cake flour
1 cup sugar
½ tbsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup milk
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
2 tsp. vanilla
1 / Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined.
2 / Add the butter and ¼ cup of milk to the directly into the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3 / In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, egg white, remaining milk and vanilla.
4 / Add the two mixtures together in 2 additions, mixing for approximately 2 minutes on medium speed after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5 / Spoon the mixture into liners with baked, cooled, graham cracker crust (already prepared) until liners are ⅔ the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before assembling.
ISN'T SHE GORGEOUS!?
ASSEMBLY /
1 / Allow the pumpkin pie, cheesecake and cupcakes to cool completely before assembling.
2 / Using a cupcake corer (or a paring knife if you want more cheesecake inside the cupcake) remove the center of the cupcake.
3 / Using a spoon, scoop cooked cheesecake into the center of the cupcake.
4 / Cut remaining cheesecakes horizontally (about ¼ inch) to get cheesecake “discs” to top the cupcake off with (optional).
5 / Fill an icing bag with cooled pumpkin pie and pipe onto the cupcakes just like you would any other frosting!
Note: I didn’t think the corer was enough cheesecake, but that’s my opinion! If you want less, use the corer, they will still be great. I tried a few different combos and found that the corer with the sliced “discs” of cheesecake OR the larger hole (made with a paring knife) made for the perfect bite (you get some graham, some cupcake, some cheesecake and some pie, perfect!).
HAPPY FALL! Yes, this is time consuming, but if you want a real WOW for the holidays, give it a try! Click here to download the recipe card. Print 'er out, fold it in half and you have a cute 4x6 recipe card with everything you need to succeed (including all the tips on the back)! What are some other sweets you like to make for this glorious season?