Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

I absolutely adored the cupcakes we had for our Halloween party recently, they’re squidgy and moreish thanks to the wonderful winter spices and the cinnamon icing might just be the best thing ever! Today I’m going to share the recipe for Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing.

Ingredients

3oz/ 85g Butter or Margarine

8oz/ 225g White Sugar

8oz/ 225g Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

180ml Milk

8oz/ 225g Pumpkin Puree (you can use canned or freshly made)

10oz Self Raising Flour

1 heaped Tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger

1/2 Tsp Nutmeg

1/2 Tsp Ground Cloves

1/2 Tsp Allspice

 

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

1 standard tub of Cream Cheese (usually about 225g)

2oz/ 50g Butter

Icing Sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1 heaped Tsp Ground Cinnamon

 

Method

First cream together the white sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Then add in the eggs one at a time mixing thoroughly.

Now stir in the milk and pumpkin puree until combined.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves and allspice into the mixture. Fold the flour into the mixture using a large spoon until just combined.

Now fill 23-24 cupcake cases or approx. 15 muffin cases with the batter.

Bake in a preheated oven 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Icing

The trick to cream cheese icing is not to over mix, if you do you’ll end up with a delicious runny icing but it’s no good for piping on a cake. Either use an electric mixer on low speed or mix by hand.

Mix together the butter and cream cheese until just combined. Next add in the vanilla extract and cinnamon.

I haven’t put a quantity for the icing sugar because I think it’s better to test your icing by taste and texture. Add icing sugar and mix gently until you like the sweetness and your icing can hold together sufficiently to be iced onto your cooled cupcakes.

 

 

 

 

Autumn/Winter Fashion Trends For Kids

It’s no secret that little girls love dressing in fun stylish clothes, and now that the autumn/ winter season has officially arrived there are countless numbers of fashionable looks that your children can try out. As a stylish parent, it is likely that your kids will always try to copy your on-trend outfits and this season is filled with fashion forward looks that any little girl will love dressing up in.

Here are some of children’s designer clothes trends taking centre stage this AW13…

Faux Fur From snuggly faux fur coats to adorable faux fur hats and headbands, faux fur has been a favourite fashion staple amongst adults for plenty of years and now children’s brands such as Monnalisa have incorporated this luxury and chic material into their collections. Little girls will love feeling super stylish in a faux fur coat or gilet while babies are sure to look cosy and cute in a faux fur lined snowsuit.

Perfect Prints Polka dots, leopard, floral – this A/W is all about adding that fun pop of colour and print to any outfit. Little girls will feel like pretty princesses in floral printed rara skirts while a polka dot party dress is simply perfect for Christmas day.

Cute Cover-ups It just wouldn’t be autumn/ winter without treating your little ones to a cosy new coat. While keeping warm is key when it comes to the colder months, little girls will also want to look super fashionable – that’s why children designer clothing brands such as Catimini have created a complete collection of snug winter coats with added style appeal. With girly colours of purple and pink as well as pretty floral printed macs, a Catimini coat will keep any little fashionista warm and happy this winter. Remember to choose a coat or jacket with faux fur detailing for extra style points!

Trends for Boys It isn’t just girl’s clothes that is keeping up with the trends this season, baby boys designer clothing collections are also filled with a number of key looks to dress little lads in. Designer favourites Moschino boys have created a number of sporty inspired polo tops with long sleeves to help update your son’s wardrobe for the new season.

 

 

Autumn Musings

 

Many people seem to feel a kind of displeasure when summer gives way for autumn. Certainly many of my own friends see long nights, rainy days and umbrellas in the months ahead. But I’m actually quite excited to see it making an appearance.

There is just so much to admire about the season as a whole. Fabulous shades of red and gold adorn the trees and bushes, it’s also the perfect time to go exploring and foraging, whether you live in the countryside or city. You just need a little green patch or park and you’ve got a wonderful family day out.

Raincoats and wellies at the ready, my children and I set out for a nature walk in the Derbyshire countryside. We were on a very simple mission, my children were searching for any signs that confirmed autumn was on the way. With a bucket in each hand and free rein to leap in puddles or collect fallen leaves, they had a wonderful time.

I adore these festive Hawthorn Berries, which were liberally scattered along our route. There was also the easily missed but just as beautiful raindrops clinging to a blade of grass . It’s so small and simple, but this patch of humble grass was my daughter’s favourite find. She thought they looked like miniature glass beads and insisted on touching them to check they were water.

We also uncovered an abundance of Elderberries. They poked through hedgerows, twisted through branches and generally made their presence felt. My husband makes wonderful Elderflower Champagne but the berries are always reserved for baking.  As long as they are ripe and de-stemed, cooking thoroughly renders them safe and delicious to eat. They are particularly good mixed with some Bramley apples in a crumble.

Our walk was not confined to wild plants and trees. We also met several cows, a horse and this little cat. Perched on an old wall and watching something moving on the ground intently, she looked as if she’d jumped straight out of a Beatrix Potter book. I don’t think she even noticed her photo being taken!

When we finally arrived home I had a new stash of Elderberries and the children had lots of acorns, leaves and Blackberries (we avoided Toadstools).

Autumn Craft Project

For a quick Autumn Craft Project ask your children to collect fallen leaves in a variety of colours. The flatter the leaf the better! Then pull or cut off the stalks and arrange inside a laminator sheet. Once laminated they look fabulous hung on a window. The sun streams through and almost ignites the jewels shades.

You can also carefully cut out each laminated leaf and make a mobile or garland, the only limit is your imagination. If you don’t have a laminator at home most good stationary stores can laminate in a variety of sizes for a small fee.

So while it’s sad to turn our backs on the summer, autumn has an awful lot of pleasure to offer. At the very least it’s a wonderful excuse to break out your Autumn wardrobe…

This post was originally written by me for the Boden Community.