Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Maple Frosting

Pumpkin Spice Sheet Cake with Maple Frosting
As shared from the kitchen of Once Upon a Plate by Mari
www.onceuponaplate1.com

Makes a 9 x 13-inch pan

I usually make half a recipe (baked in a 9-inch square baking pan) unless we're having company

Ingredients:
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), at room temperature
2 tablespoons good, pure maple syrup (no substitute)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups confectioners sugar
Optional: Toasted pecans, chopped

Directions:
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350ºF (rack in center of oven)
Combine cake ingredients, EXCEPT butter. Whisk until combined, when mixed add melted butter and
stir until smooth. Pour batter into a 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake until cake springs back when touched
lightly, about 40 minutes.

Frosting:
Cream together cream cheese and butter. Add remainder of ingredients and mix well. Spread on cooled
cake.
If desired sprinkle toasted, chopped pecans over frosting.  (I serve the chopped nuts in a small bowl with a spoon so each person can add nuts if they like and those that don't want them can pass.)

Bon Appetit!

Bite-Size Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese & Coconut Frosting

Bite Size Vanilla Cupcakes

Yields 24 mini cupcakes

This recipe is identical to Nigella Lawson's recipe for Fairy Cakes, and could not be simpler as the batter is made in the food processor.

Preheat oven to 375* (F)

24 cup mini-cupcake pan, with mini-baking cups placed in each cup
OR for regular size cupcakes:
12-cup muffin pan lined with 12 paper baking cups

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup self-rising cake flour (or 3/4 cup all-purpose flour with a scant 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder sifted in)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 Tablespoons milk or cream

Place all ingredients except milk into food processor bowl. Process until smooth. Add the milk or cream and pulse until soft consistency is reached; soft enough to drop from a spoon.

This amount looks very sparse, but it will be enough to fill each cup. Fill each cup equally. I use a very small food portion scoop to make the job easier.

Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cupcakes are baked and golden on top, a toothpick inserted in the center should reveal moist crumbs.
When baked, remove from oven, allow to cool a few minutes in the pan, then remove from pan and cool completely on a cake rack.

Sometimes this recipe tends to produce mounded peaks, you can either frost over the mound or trim flat with a small, serrated knife, then decorate.

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Cream Cheese Frosting

I use Ina Garten's recipe for Cream Cheese frosting for these cupcakes, but I divide her recipe in half. The proportions for half a recipe are as follows:

Note: This will make plenty of frosting. I frost very generously but always have some frosting left over. It can be refrigerated for several days.

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
3/4 pounds (12 ounces) confectioners' sugar, sifted
Sweetened, moist shredded coconut to finish


In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost cupcakes, then sprinkle generously with the coconut.

For the leaves I used tiny organic mint leaves, the "berries" are 'Red Hots' (tm) , cinnamon candies.

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