Halloween Baking/Recipes - cupcakes! #1

I love baking, so when we decided to have a halloween party I naturally started planning what I'd make! I tried some new things this time, and I'd like to share the recipes/creations I came up with you! I found pictures of some of the ideas online, and decided to create them with my own spin. They're really easy and use box mixes (because I was making a lot, so I didn't want to make them all from scratch!). I'll post one a day in the next few days.

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

These cupcakes taste amazing, and they are surprisingly light and fluffy! They are also quite healthy compared to standard cupcakes- the pumpkin puree replaces the oil normally used in cake mix.


Ingredients:
- 1 Vanilla or White cake mix
- 15 ounce can of pumpkin (like the kind you use for pie)
- 1 container of cream cheese frosting- or a batch of homemade cream cheese frosting (easy and delicious!)
- 24 miniature edible pumpkins (see next post!)
-1 egg
- a little bit of water
-cupcake pan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven according to box mix
2. Mix together cake mix, full can of pumpkin, and egg. The batter will be a little thicker than standard cake batter, but it shouldn't be too different. If it is really thick, add some water gradually until it looks about right. This works best if you use an electric mixer and beat it quite a bit; this helps to add the light, airy texture t the cupcakes.
3. Pour the cake mix and fill the cupcake pans 2/3rds of the way full. Bake until done-assume it will be abut as long as it says on the box, but check frequently as the pumpkin may cause them to bake a little differently.
4. Put the frosting in a bowl, then whip it for a few minutes with a mixer. Especially do this if you use store bought frosting. It makes it lighter, airier, and easier to spread. After the cupcakes cool, frost them and top with sprinkles and miniature pumpkin! I frosted these in a purposefully messy pattern, swirling the knife as I went (if that makes sense!)