Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Hi everyone! My name is Courtney and I am the author of the healthy living blog “Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life.”

If you’ve stopped by my blog before, you probably already know that I have quite the sweet tooth + a slight huge obsession with baking cupcakes.

Now I love baking all sorts of cupcakes, from Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Filled Cupcakes, to Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes, Strawberry-Filled Lemon Cupcakes, and even Soda Cupcakes; but now with the fall season quickly approaching, there’s one ingredient who has already stolen my heart. Oh yes my friends, it’s about that time to start baking with my beloved pumpkin.

I knew as soon as I broke out the pumpkin for my pumpkin oats last week, it wouldn’t take long to get it goin’ in some baked goods. And in this household, cupcakes is the name of the game.

Let me tell you guys, these cupcakes were absolutely scrumptious. I’ve always been a fan of pumpkin in any baked goods, but when I mixed it with this spice cake mix, the combination just came together like peanut butter and jelly anything.

As always, I tried to make a few healthier modifications to the original recipe: unsweetened applesauce for vegetable oil and 3/4 cup Egg Beaters for 3 whole eggs. If anything, I believe that substituting the applesauce for oil almost always makes for a more moist, sponge-like cupcake. And if it makes it healthier, than why wouldn’t I use it?

The frosting, on the other hand, is in not exactly what I’d call healthy. However, when is frosting ever supposed to be healthy? So that’s where the healthy balance comes in – healthier cupcake…not-so-healthy (but oh-so-delicious) frosting. It all evens out.

I used my Honey Cinnamon Cream Cheese frosting recipe, which I had previously used on a batch of banana cupcakes. I’m not sure which one I like the frosting on better, but I do know that I would still eat the frosting directly out of the bowl, with a ladle, until the bowl was wiped clean. I’m just sayin’…

If you’re looking for a perfect fall recipe that’s full of flavor and sure to be a crowd pleaser, then you definitely have to give these guys a try. I promise you won’t regret it.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

(Adapted from this original recipe)

Makes 24 cupcakes, or 12 cupcakes and 1 9-inch cake

Ingredients:

1 box spice cake mix

1 15oz. can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

3/4 cup egg substitute

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Honey Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Paper-line or grease 24 muffin cups.

Blend cake mix, pumpkin, egg substitute, applesauce, water, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until moistened. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups, about 3/4 full.

Bake for 18-23 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. After 10 minutes, remove from pans, place on wire racks, and cool completely.

Prepare frosting according to directions and spread evenly on cupcakes. ENJOY!

Now that we’re on the subjects of fall & baking…

What are some of YOUR favorite fall recipes?