Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with Ginger Pumpkin Buttercream

this might not look like much....but this is one of my FAVORITE frosting recipes...the cupcake is pretty good too...but the frosting is hands down amazing!

I can't remember where I got this recipe. It's been hanging around my recipe box for a couple years and I love to use it around this time of year...when it starts to get cold, it's nice to have the oven on and everyone is enjoying everything pumpkin. I believe the original recipe was for a ginger buttercream...I had some leftover pumpkin from making the cupcakes and threw a bit in...and the Ginger Pumpkin Buttercream was born.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cupcakes
makes around 30 cupcakes

2 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cup pumpkin
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cup sugar
5 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together lour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla and set aside. Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Alternatively add flour mixture and buttermilk/pumpkin mixtures to mixer until combined.

Line muffin pan and scoop around 1/4 cup of batter into each. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Ginger Pumpkin Buttercream

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla
2 lbs powdered sugar

beat butter and add spices, vanilla and pumpkin. Slowly add powdered sugar. (I add about 1/4 of the bag at a time and mix it well).

Like I previously mentioned...I LOVE this frosting...the cupcake recipe is pretty good but it has a lot of ingredients to it (and a lot of butter in it!). If you're not feeling the cupcake recipe, you could always grab a box cake mix...maybe add a 1/2 cup of pumpkin, or just do a plain chocolate cupcake as well!

Enjoy!