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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I've had multiple people ask how to make these, So here you go!





Pumpkin cupcakes:

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup finely shopped pecans/walnuts
  •  
  • Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 3 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F . Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. Sift together the flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
  2. Beat 1/2 cup of butter, the white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Stir in the milk and pumpkin puree after the last egg. Stir in the flour mixture and nuts, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes. Do NOT overbake!!  Remove as soon a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
  4. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting by beating the cream cheese and 1/4 butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar a little at a time until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract; beat until fluffy. Once the cupcakes are cool, frost with the cream cheese icing.                                                        ***For party cupcakes, I double the recipe for icing and use a 3M piping tip to pipe the frosting on. ***

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Owl Themed Baby Shower

Here's some pictures from an owl themed baby shower that I hosted today!

The larger owls on the table were made using the template that I found here:

http://www.acrossthebranch.com/2010/10/guess-whooos-two-owl-party.html

I just made a little tissue paper pom pom for them to sit in.  I put one on a stick in a glass of candy.

 Spinach Artichoke dip.  Pasta Salad.  Mini Chicken Salad Croissants.

Fruit Salad.  Meatballs. Veggie Tray.


'Too Much Chocolate' Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Icing.  And Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing.   I made the owl Toppers with cardstock and stickers.



 Guacamole Deviled Eggs.

Bowl of Owl favor bags to the left of the cupcakes.


Owl Cupcakes.


 Hanging pom poms throughout the room.

Owl screensaver for the shower, I edited it to say 'Baby Onyx' .   Owl banner- Owls were made from the template linked above.

 Banner:     (I also made a smaller version to go along the front of the table of food)


Owl 'Advice Tree'.  I also made these owls also using the above template, just traced down to a smaller size.  I laid them on the shelf with pens and paperclips, After you write your advice for the mom to be you clip your owl to the tree.  I found the 'tree' at hobby lobby.



And here's the cloth diaper gift mentioned in my aforementioned post.
It turned out well.  She got 6 bumgenius 4.0s, 6 Fuzzibunz one size, 2 econobum covers and prefolds, babylegs, a wetbag, 2 infant prefolds and a Domestic Mother nursing cover.

2 infant prefolds.

Bumgenius 4.0, mirror.

Grovia wetbag.


Bumgenius 4.0s, concrete jungle and eiffel tower.

Bumgenius, free spirit.
Some Bumgenius and Fuzzibunz.



Fuzzibunz, big sky.


Fuzzibunz babylegs.
Fuzzibunz!
Econobum.

The Nursing Cover.  She got to pick her material.







Thanks for Looking!!!