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Got leftover pumpkin? Make cupcakes!

By Catherine Toth Fox • December 4, 2013 • Food, Weekend Dish

pumpkincupcakes

It seems like the only time of the year I make anything with canned pumpkin is Thanksgiving.

This year was exceptional, too, since, in addition to a pumpkin cheesecake, I made pumpkin soup with apples, carrots and onions.

And then I was stuck with half a can of pumpkin puree.

What now?

Turns out, you can whip up a pretty nice cupcake with just half a cup of the pureed squash.

So if you’ve got some canned pumpkin to spare, here’s a great recipe to use those leftovers — after Thanksgiving and, really, all year long:

Pumpkin Cupcakes
Adopted from The Neelys

Ingredients

Pumpkin cupcakes:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. canned pure pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Maple cream cheese frosting:
1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese
2 T. butter, at room temperature
2 T. pure maple syrup
2 c. powdered sugar
Chopped toasted pecans, for topping, optional

Directions:

For the pumpkin cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 1 (12-cup) muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add the butter and the sugar. Beat with a hand-held mixer until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree and the vanilla extract. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time. Incorporate the dry mixture into the wet mixtures together until thoroughly combined.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way full. Bake until the tops turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the oven to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting .

For the cream cheese frosting: Add the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, and salt to a large bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar until thoroughly combined.

Top the cupcakes with the frosting and chopped pecans, if you want.

Makes 12 cupcakes

canned pumpkinPumpkin cupcakespumpkin leftoversrecipeThe NeelysWeekend Dish. Thanksgiving leftovers
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About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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5 Comments

  • Reply Miss Em December 4, 2013 at 10:11 pm

    This time of year, I love making and eating pumpkin desserts. So if you’ve stocked up on cans of pumpkin when they were on sale, you can be like me and make pumpkin mochi and pumpkin chocolate chip bread.

  • Reply Annoddah Dave December 5, 2013 at 7:43 am

    CAT: Do you deliver?

  • Reply rayboyjr December 5, 2013 at 8:42 am

    Hey Cat: … I’m seeing your passion for food … as a future business opportunity for you … then maybe you can quit your day job …

    … you already have an established name for your business … The Cat Dish …

  • Reply Makiki December 5, 2013 at 9:34 am

    rayboyjr – Why? Isn’t her day job surfing, hiking and eating? 😉

    Cat – Can you frost those with cookie butter?

  • Reply Dennis December 6, 2013 at 8:43 am

    Love cup cakes. Especially pumpkin!

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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