27 Pumpkin and Spiced Rum Cupcakes

'Tis the season for baking, baking, and more baking. For the past few years, my mom has been baking and selling trays of baked goods and every year at Christmas time the orders pour in. She gets a bunch of cookie orders for this one, some variety trays for that one, and cupcakes for someone else. My mom asked me for some help with some cupcakes, telling me that I'd be able to put them on my blog as incentive. I'm not really sure who they're for or what the occasion is, but I'll take the opportunity to bake cupcakes.

Luckily for me, my mom has made these before and also did all her shopping for her baking marathon so everything was already here to whip these cupcakes together. If you need to go out and buy some spiced rum because you don't have any on hand, don't spend the money on buying good booze if it's only for cupcakes. The recipe suggests using Cruzan 9. If you're going to drink it, then go ahead and spend the extra bucks on something nice for yourself, but otherwise, save a little money and buy whatever is cheap. Now, my mom needed 2 dozen and the recipe only make 12 cupcakes, so I obviously just doubled all the amounts.

After I had mixed the ingredients as the recipe instructed me, I realized a much easier way to do it all. So to save you the hassle, I'll give you the foresight. First, I would mix the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl to the stand mixer. Obviously, don't use the beater to mix them. I normally use a fork. Next, I would mix the pumpkin and other wet ingredients in a large liquid measuring cup. Then, I put just a little of the wet ingredients and turned the mixer on low just so the dry ingredients didn't fly everywhere. Then, I added the rest.

All the Wet Ingredients
and my Bunny Whisk!

I get a little weary when the recipe says to fill the cupcakes 3/4 full. I'm always afraid that they'll bake over. Only one did really bad and 2 baked over just a little. But overall, they all turned out nice.

Since I made the icing a few days ago, it was a breeze this time around. For a double batch it made a ton of icing. I might make a batch and a half next time I need to make that much.

These cupcakes would be really good for around Thanksgiving time. The rum flavor isn't too strong, so you could bring them to share with all your family at all kinds of holiday events. The cake is moist because of the pumpkin in it and the cinnamon in the icing with the cinnamon in the cupcakes is just right. It isn't overwhelming at all. The taste of these cupcakes will evoke memories of pumpkin pie and family get-togethers from the past and maybe become a tradition.

Pumpkin and Spiced Rum Cupcakes Ingredients

1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c sugar
3/4 c canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 c canola oil
1/4 c spiced rum

Cupcake How to

All the Dry Ingredients

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, spices, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Stir to combine.
2. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk pumpkin, eggs, canola oil, and rum.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir just until combined. 
4. Spoon batter into greased muffin tin. (You'll fill each cup a slid 3/4 of the way full to make 12 cupcakes.)
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely before frosting.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese
1/4 c butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Frosting How to

1. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. beating well after each addition. Fold in vanilla and cinnamon with last 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.
3. Beat until smooth.
**Refrigerate any leftover frosting