Perfect Pumpkin Cupcakes

Perfectly delicious….perfectly tender cake…..perfectly creamy frosting, equals perfection!

I know I should be careful using the term "perfect" but so these cupcakes are according to my palette and opinion of what a pumpkin cupcake should taste like! Or cake for that matter. Now, I am no novice to autumn spices used in pumpkin breads, cakes, pies, soups, stews so I speak from extensive pumpkin-tasting experience.

Upon discovering this recipe I also came to appreciate Chinese 5-Spice powder and how it works in concert with pumpkin and fall! And then to top that off with a French white chocolate buttercream, which complements the moist crumb of the cake with buttery, melt-away sweetness....ahhh! In all honesty, I had to sit down while sampling my first one this season, overcome by the "umami" and with self-deprecating honesty, I did not eat just one!

My favorite pumpkin story occurred in Tunis, Tunisia where we lived for two years. Now in those days, the 80s, the only pumpkins you found in the states were the traditional fat round orange ones. But those didn't exist in Tunisia. In fact, one year I had to use various melons which we found don't carve well. But being determined to have a jack-o-lantern for our poor culturally deprived children, the next year we eventually found a pumpkin (pale green with streaks of peach). Yes, they had them but they were large, the wrong color and grown exclusively for their meaty flesh to be used in stews and ragouts.

Tunisians used them like we use a hubbard or acorn squash and hadn't visualized them as lanterns with scowling, grinning features. At least the vegetable merchant didn't get it and we had to repeat several times that yes, we wanted the whole thing. which necessitated lugging the pumpkin to the meat market where the scale was big enough to weigh "the whole thing." ("Crazy Americans!").

This, the smallest of the pumpkins, 2 feet in diameter, weighed in at 50 pounds. One of my favorite images is that of my husband hauling it to the car, with Tunisians watching curiously after him. But there was carving fun for all and it held several pillar candles. Another perk - I cooked down the 4-inch flesh the next day to use as pumpkin pie filling - something else we couldn't find there, so it took care of two holiday traditions!

Speaking of traditions, these cupcakes may become one for you! Put this recipe on the top of your list of pumpkin sweets to make - I can't imagine you'd be sorry, even if you had to haul a 50-pound pumpkin for the required ingredient. Maybe that's what I should have done after the number of these cupcakes I ate!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter at room temperature

2 cups packed, brown sugar

3 large eggs at room temperature

1 15 ounce can solid pack pumpkin

1/3 cup whole milk

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 cupcake tins with paper liners.

-Whisk flour, baking powder and soda, Chinese 5- spice powder and salt together in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in another bowl until smooth. Add brown sugar and continue to beat until creamy. Add eggs 1 at a time beating to blend between each egg. Beat in pumpkin. Add half the dry ingredient to the butter mixture then the milk, then the other half of the dry ingredients. (Mix just until smooth). Scoop batter into cupcake liners, filling each 3/4s full.

-Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into a center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove from tins and cool completely on wire rack.

FRENCH WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

5 ounces white chocolate

3 egg yolks

1/2 pound butter

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla or orange extract

-Place the chocolate in a small bowl and melt it in the microwave at full power for 40 seconds. Let it rest for 2 minutes then give it another 30 seconds at full power in the microwave. Let it rest another 2 minutes. Stir the chocolate until it is completely melted. (If it isn't all melted continue the technique above until it is smooth after stirring). Let cool for at least 10 minutes but not until it is hard again.

-Combine the 1/3 cup sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir briefly. Boil, without stirring, until the syrup reaches the softball stage (236- 238 degrees) on candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

-Place the 3 egg yolks in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 5 minutes, until thick and pale yellow. As the mixer is running pour the hot sugar syrup over the yolks a few drops at a time while beating at medium speed, gradually increasing to a thin stream to temper the eggs. (Do not scrape out the syrup from the saucepan.) Increase speed to high and beat for 5 minutes, until mixture is thick and pale yellow.

-Reduce speed to low and add the 1/2 pound butter, a chunk at a time. Beat until the mixture is smooth. Add the melted chocolate to the buttercream and beat again until smooth. Stir in the extract.

-Frost tops of cooled cupcakes generously with buttercream. Decorate with orange sugar, sprinkle of cinnamon and/or candy corn.

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**This recipe can also be made as a cake. If making layers cook the batter in 2 well-greased and floured 9 - 10 inch cake pans. Cool completely, then slice in half-horizontally to create 4 layers of cake. If using the buttercream frosting make 1 1/2 recipes then frost between each layer and generously on the top and to cover the sides (or leave the sides naked if you prefer.)

**The French Buttercream is wonderful with melted dark, semi-sweet or milk chocolate as well, for frosting cupcakes, cakes, buche de noel, etc.

**You may want to increase the buttercream recipe to 1 1/2 recipes in order to have a thicker layer of frosting on each cupcake.