Pumpkin Brown Butter Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting

Yesterday I made banana cupcakes for the same reason everyone makes banana cake: guilt over letting them go brown in the fruit bowl. The recipe called for nutmeg, and I didn't have any so I figured cinnamon was a suitable substitute and went merrily on my way. The cakes were delicious, and were made even tastier by a little smear of chocolate buttercream. I'm not going to post about the banana cakes... if you want the recipe, let me know - it's a good one.

Today's post was inspired by the cinnamoon. That little hint with the banana triggered a hankering, so I did what all good researchers do. I googled. Specifically, I googled "what flavours go with cinnamon". Techinical, I know. I was presented with quite a few options, but the pumpkin intruiged me, plus I had some leftover steamed pumpkin from dinner the night before. Waste not, want not, and all that.

just like a bought one

The recipe needed a lot more pumpkin than I had, so I halved everything. Now I wish I'd gone to the shops and got more pumpkin because these cupcakes are freaking delicious.

yummo.

The cake is dense, the brown butter flavour is amazingly noticable and the pumpkin is sweek and caramelly. Maybe I'm so fascinated by the flavour because pumpkin is not something we tend to cook into sweet foods here in Aus... (American pumpkin pie, I'm thinking of you...). Also, it seems that any recipe with sour cream is a winner.

Then came the frosting. I've never made anything like it. You start by cooking some of it, so it's sort of custardy. Then you beat the living daylights out of it till its kind of meringuey.Then goes the butter, so it's a bit like a buttercream. Then you add what is almost an obscene amount of cinnamon.

 O. M. G. It is amazing.

I think this is the smallest amount of frosting you're legally allowed to put on this cake.

Here is a list of other flavoured cakes I think the frosting would go well with: chocolate, vanilla, banana, apple, zucchini (stay with me here..), or just about anything else. And I'm pretty sure the pumpkin cake would be good with a rich chocolate frosting too.

These might be my new 'special occaision' or 'I'm trying to impress you with how good my baking is' cupcakes. Plus, they've got vegetables in them, so they're practically good for you.

Credit where credit's due: recipe is from Sprinkle Bakes.