Pumpkin spiced cupcakes

With a gentle spice from ginger and cinnamon, and the sweet crunch of honey roasted pumpkin seeds they are a comforting treat ideal for a little seasonal pick-me-up.

Ingredients

For the honey roasted pumpkin seeds:

• The seeds of a whole pumpkin
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp honey
  

For the icing:

• 150g unsalted butter, room temp
• 300g icing sugar, sifted
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1tsp vanilla extract
  

Method

Pumpkin puree

1. Whilst cleaning out your pumpkin, save the seeds and wash the in a bowl of cold water, leave on a tea towel to dry.
2. Preheat your oven to 170°C. Chop your pumpkin into quarters, place onto baking trays and brush with rapeseed oil.
3. Roast for 40 minutes to 1 hour until the pumpkin is tender. Cover with foil and set aside to cool.
4. Once cool scoop the pumpkin away from the skin and blitz in a food processor or with a stick blender in a jug until you have a fairly smooth puree.
5. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days or freezer for 1 month.

Honey roasted pumpkin seeds

1. Preheat your oven to 170°C.
2. Dry your washed pumpkin seeds with a tea towel.
3. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper
4. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat or in the microwave in 10 second bursts then combine with the honey.
5. Place the pumpkin seeds in a bowl and pour the honey butter over the seeds, mix well, and spread evenly on the baking tray.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, being careful not to let the honey catch as this will give a bitter taste.

Cupcakes

1. Preheat your oven to 170°C.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, all-spice and salt and sift.
3. Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk, stand mixer or if you fancy a bit of a workout with a wooden spoon followed by a whisk once it’s loosened up a bit. You’ll know when it ready as the mixture will feel light and airy, the colour should also get paler.
4. Stir in the eggs one at a time, if the mixture starts to split you can bring it back together by adding a little of the flour mixture as you go.
5. Stir in the pumpkin puree and the milk until combined.
6. Gently combine the sifted dry ingredients into the mixture.
7. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cases
8. Gently divide the cake mixture between the cases and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.
9. Check the cakes are cooked by inserting a metal skewer into the centre of a cake, if it comes out clean remove the cakes from the oven, leave to stand in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack, allow to cool completely before icing.

For the icing

1. Cream the butter, icing sugar, ground cinnamon and vanilla, it’s quick and easy with an electric whisk, stand mixer or you can use good old fashioned elbow grease, whatever works for you.
2. Once you’ve got a fluffy, light buttercream, spoon into a piping bake and generously top your cooled cakes, sprinkle the roasted pumpkin seeds over the top and enjoy.

More recipes from Countryside:

Pumpkin soup

Pumpkin and banana cake

Pumpkin risotto