Guest Post: Pumpkin Cupcakes

When Gina of Taste emailed me recently offering to do a sweet recipe for Chow and Chatter I couldn't resist as I am not much of a baker ☺ she has made wonderful pumpkin cupcakes for us, I just wish I could eat one!!

She has a lovely blog with good food and great information, be sure to visit

I have been reading Rebecca's blog for a few months now and have been loving it. It is so positive and informative. I have noticed that she thinks she isn't great when it comes to the sweet stuff, so I offered to write a guest post about something sweet.

Since it is fall, I went with a popular ingredient - pumpkin. These cupcakes are (slightly) healthier than many other recipes I have seen, but they are still moist and delicious with a great pumpkin flavor. The mascarpone cheese in the frosting is milder than average cream cheese and it adds a special twist to a typical frosting.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cheese Frosting (makes about 24 cupcakes)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk
• 1 can of pumpkin (15 oz. can) OR 2 cups of fresh pumpkin puree

1. Preheat oven to 350° F
2. Put all dry ingredients (from all purpose flour through allspice) in a bowl and mix together with a whisk.
3. Beat together sugar, oil, egg whites, and eggs until well blended.
4. Add in the buttermilk and pumpkin and mix until blended.
5. Mix the dry ingredients to the liquid mixture, until just blended.
6. Coat muffin pans with non stick spray, or line with paper muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25, or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Mascarpone Cheese Frosting

• 1 cup mascarpone cheese (allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to soften)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• a small amount of water (if necessary)
  

1. Using an electric mixer, mix together the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. If the frosting seems too thick, add a tiny amount of water to thin it out.
2. Wait until cupcakes have completely cooled to frost.
3. Store in an airtight container n the refrigerator for up to 5 days.