Frosted Cupcakes

Here's the finished product!  Everyone agreed that these cupcakes were fantastic.  I was tempted to skip the frosting but that would've been a big mistake.  The frosting is by far the best part!  It's creamy and smooth and not at all too sweet.  Store bought cream cheese would never have a chance if more people tried this simple recipe.

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

I'm in the middle of my first assignment as a member of the Martha Stewart Cupcake Club - Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes. 

We just got new carpet installed in the house (pictures coming soon) so we've temporarily moved all of our belongings into the basement and any room that didn't need new carpet.  That includes the kitchen.  I have to say that working in this kitchen certainly added to the challenge of the cupcake club...

But, a challenge is a challenge so of course I balanced my Martha Stewart Cupcakes book on a cardboard box and got started baking.

I bought some new cupcake liners, but somehow I managed to pick up JUMBO liners which wouldn't work for this recipe.  Luckily I had some adorable polka dotted liners in my cabinent from Michael's.  They don't exactly scream "pumpkin patch" but they're so cute I let them slide.

The recipe went very smoothly.  It made way too much batter for me, but I often find that to be true with scratch recipes.  I'm not sure what's happening, does anyone else have this problem?  Mom?

They took a good bit longer than Martha said, I ended up baking for closer to 20 minutes...

But then they came out absolutely perfectly!!

These would be perfect with just a sprinkling of powdered sugar.  They're really sweet enough on their own.  The recipe calls for a fluffy cream cheese frosting though, so that's what will be topping my little pumpkin goodies.  I'll be making the frosting in the morning so it's nice and fresh when I take these into work.

I'll have pictures of the final cupcakes tomorrow, and more importantly I'll let you know how they taste!

Martha Stewart Cupcake Club

Nothing makes a new house a home like the smell of baked goods.   This townhouse needs some baking asap! That's why I, Laura, have just signed up to be part if the Martha Stewart Cupcake Club!  Each month we'll bake a cupcake from Martha's amazing baking book called Martha Stewart Cupcakes.  In the next week I'll be kicking this challenge off with Pumpkin Patch cupcakes.  I've been craving pumpkin all fall, so I could not be more excited about my first assignment.

Can't wait to get started on the challenge!