Yes this is a series that I am going to try and keep up with. Other blogs do posts such as “Wedding Wednesday” and I thought about copying the title but the truth is I have ideas about stuff other than weddings. Yes I plan on giving tips as I plan my wedding and I continue with photography but I also have tips on throwing showers (I feel like a pro now), yummy recipes, do it yourself crafts, decorating ideas and a bunch of other stuff.

So let’s start off with something a little seasonal…PUMPKIN CUPCAKES!!

I absolutely adore annies-eats.net! Seriously, every single recipe I’ve tried has been wonderful! So I took a couple of her recipes and mixed them together to make these pumpkin cupcakes.

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes – Makes around 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs

Directions:

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and slat. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend together the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar and oil. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixture on low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing just until incorporated.

Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full. Bake until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center come out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes fromt he pans and let cool completely.

Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

To make the frosting, place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-low speed at first, gradually increasing to high speed. Blend in the confectioners’ sugar gradually. Whip until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-beat. Use a pasty bag fitted with a decorative tip to frost the cooled cupcakes.

Carmel Sauce

Ingredients:

• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

To make the caramel sauce, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar begins to foam a bit. It will look and smell like it’s on the verge of burning. (No really it will foam a lot and turn brown….this is good this is where the caramel get’s it’s color.) Remove from the heat and add the heavy cream. Stir until the sauce is smooth (you may need to return it to the heat to smooth it out), then mix in the vanilla and salt. Let cool. I usually just put some on a fork and drizzle it across the cupcakes or you can put it in a baggie and then cut a little hole and drizzle it. (Side note: the caramel will last for 2 weeks in the fridge…I like to cut up apples and dip them in the caramel.)

Mmmmm yummy….these taste like little pumpkin pies!

I’m going to try to work on taking pictures of food because I have a bunch of other recipes for Try it Tuesdays! Also check out my awesome cake stand my mom got me :0) I loooove cake stands and Martha Stewart’s line!