Because it’s autumn, and also because there were a number of special events this week at work (two birthdays, someone coming back from maternity leave, someone else leaving), I decided it was time to break out the pumpkin cupcakes.

The recipe comes from a scanned page of my mother’s cookbook, in which she had a pasted a number of recipes cut out from the newspaper.  Though there’s no date on the clipping, the neighboring recipes suggest that it’s from the early 80s.  The clipping gives credit to one Carol Poling, of Vincent (wherever that is), who found the recipe in Farm Wife News magazine and sent it in.

I’ve updated the recipe quite a bit, replacing margarine with butter and “salad oil,” whatever that is, with canola oil.  I also reduced the sugar and added spice. 

Here it is:

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 and 1/4 to 1 and 1/2 cups sugar, depending on how sweet you like it
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 15 oz. can of pumpkin

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F
2. Mix the dry ingredients together (up to the salt)
3. Mix in the rest of the ingredients
4. Use a mixer or just stir it really hard for about a minute, until the batter is of uniform consistency.
5. pour batter into a lined cupcake tray (I found this made 16 cupcakes), filling the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full
6. bake for 15-20 minutes, until the top bounces back when you lightly touch it.

While your cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting.  You should take the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge to warm up as soon as you decide that you’re going to make cupcakes.

• one stick of butter
• one 8 oz. packet of cream cheese
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

1. beat the softened (but not melted) butter and cream cheese together
2. add powdered sugar in increments, until you’ve achieved your desired consistency
3. mix in the vanilla

Once the cupcakes have cooled down, frost ‘em.

Once you’ve frosted them all, lick the bowl and beaters clean:

Later, at the bar, we realized that we both had frosting in our hair.