Critter Cupcakes
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Makes
16 servings

Photo: Sugar Daze/Flickr
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin purée
- 1/2 cup milk
- decorating supplies , (see below)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 16 muffin-tin compartments with paper cupcake liners.
- In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy – about 3-4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in pumpkin purée. On low speed, alternately stir flour mixture and milk into butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into prepared cupcake liners, filling each 3⁄4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes; they’re done when a toothpick poked into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean, with no batter clinging to it.
- Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely.
- To decorate lion critter: Tint canned vanilla icing with orange food colouring. Smooth icing overtop cupcakes. Use toasted flaked almonds to create the lion’s mane. Then cut a gumdrop in half for cheeks, and create eyes with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Use a small pink candy for the nose and black licorice for whiskers. (Have fun creating your own critters by adapting these instructions.)
- Makes 16 cupcakes.
- In 1 cupcake: 271 calories, 3.0 g protein, 9.6 g fat, 44.2 g carbohydrates, 33 mg calcium
FILED UNDER: baking dessert holiday recipes