1 ½ cup flour
1 tsp baking soda, level
2 tsp pumpkin spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp each of cloves nutmeg, and ginger)
¾ cup soft brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
¾ cup pumpkin puree (approx. 350g uncooked pumpkin)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
250g cream cheese at room temp
125g soft butter
2/3 cup castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon or ½ tsp orange zest
Preheat oven to 180°C (fan assisted). Place paper cupcake cases into muffin tins. Alternatively grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger into a mixing bowl.
Whisk together brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and pumpkin puree until well combined. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in pumpkin mixture. Stir to mix. Spoon mixture into cupcake cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked and golden. Transfer to a baking rack to cool. Once cupcakes are cold, pipe cream cheese frosting onto the top of the cupcakes. Place 3 choc bits on the frosting to make the eyes and mouth.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat together cream cheese with 2 ½ cups of the measured icing sugar and orange zest until creamy. Add extra icing sugar if necessary to make a firm but piping consistency.
Tips
To make pumpkin puree: cook peeled pumpkin, puree in a food processor, or mash and sieve.
For Halloween add chocolate drops to decorate