As you all probably know by now, I’m a huge fan of pumpkin. During the fall and winter I tend to use it in everything: soup, savory tarts, pancakes, cookies, cheesecake… I just have no limits. So, when it comes time to celebrate almost any occasion during this season, pumpkin is always on the menu in some form. I made these cupcakes for a small gathering of my girlfriends one Sunday afternoon, and they all loved the unexpected, peppery kick from the candied ginger. Thanks to my #Oggifesteggio collaboration with Paneangeli, I was able to experiment with many of their different decorations, inventing three different versions of the cupcakes that you can see in the video below. You can order all Paneangeli products and decorations from their e-shop.
Pumpkin and Ginger Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups (200 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (170 g) pumpkin puree (recipe follows)
- 1/3 cup (20 g) finely chopped crystallized ginger
- 1 package Dolceneve Paneangeli (for the frosting)
- various decorations
For 12 cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C).
In a large bowl, sift together the first six ingredients. Line 12 regular-sized muffin cups with paper liners and set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately mix in the flour mixture and pumpkin puree in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not over mix. Gently fold in the chopped, crystallized ginger.
Fill the muffin cups evenly with the batter using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake for about 18 – 20 minutes for large cupcakes or 7-10 minutes for mini-cupcakes, or until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing.
- 1 small pie pumpkin
- aluminum foil
Preheat oven to 375°F (290°C). Cut the pumpkin in half, scrape out the seeds and pulp from the center and discard. Place pumpkin halves on a baking sheet face up, cover with aluminum foil and roast in a 375-degree oven for about an hour, or until pumpkin is fork-tender. Let cool slightly, then peel the pumpkin and blend the pulp in a food processor.
