These cupcakes are moist and rich with vanilla flavor that is unlike anything else. This recipe is adapted from a Martha Stewart Classic, but with Rodelle’s spin on it.
- 45 mins
- 12 servings
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cupcakes
- 1 cup (2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1-2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tsp Rodelle Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Rodelle Vanilla Sugar
- 1 Rodelle Vanilla Bean, split and scraped
- 2 large eggs
- Optional: Replace 2 sticks of butter with cream cheese.
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
- 4 egg whites
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp Rodelle Pure Vanilla Extract (or 1 tsp Rodelle Vanilla Extract and 1 Rodelle Vanilla Bean, split and scraped)
- 4 sticks (2 cups or 32 tbsp. or 16 oz.) unsalted butter, softened (room temp)
- 5 cups powdered sugar plus more for consistency
Uses
Directions
Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line muffin tins with paper liners.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until butter turns golden brown.
- Skim foam from top, remove from heat, pour into bowl and let cool.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, both sugars, eggs, and brown-butter mixture
- Add the flour mixture, and whisk until just combined
- Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full
- Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
- Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes
- Frost with Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
- Place egg whites, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl, whisk thoroughly.
- Place egg white mixture in a double boiler and heat water to a simmer on LOW to just warm the egg whites (the small amount of indirect warmth from the water underneath will help dissolve the sugar while NOT cooking the eggs).
- Heat until sugar is dissolved, about 3-5 minutes.
- Set egg white mixture aside and let cool.
- With the paddle attachment on an electric mixer, cream butter on medium until creamy.
- Slowly add the egg white mixture ½ cup at a time, scraping down sides as needed.
- Change to the whisk attachment and whisk for 2-3 minutes until creamy and well incorporated.
- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing on medium and then high in between.
- Mix on high for 1-2 minutes until frosting is light and fluffy.
- If the frosting is too heavy, add additional powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time) until fluffy.
Photos and video taken by Kathryn Herndon at @kniftykat