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Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

A batch of chocolate pumpkin cupcakes on a marble board.
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★★★★★

5 from 16 reviews

These chocolate pumpkin cupcakes topped with a gorgeous swirl of pumpkin cream cheese frosting are a fantastic fall treat. Full of autumnal tastes and flavors, these are a pumpkin lover's dream!

Ingredients

Scale

For the candied pumpkin:

  • 14.1 oz (400 g) pumpkin
  • 2 cups + 2 tablespoons (480 g) granulated sugar
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 ml) water
  • 1 4/ cup (55 g) granulated sugar for decoration

For the pumpkin filling:

  • 17.6 oz (500 g) pumpkin
  • 1 1/4 cup + 4 teaspoons (300 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons (100 ml) water
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest

For batter:

  • 1 2/3 cup + 4 tablespoons (240 g) icing (powdered) sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup + 1/2 tablespoon (160 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup (80 g) cacao powder
  • 2/3 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2/3 cup + 4 teaspoons (180 g) milk
  • 8.1 oz (230 g) butter, softened
  • 1 large egg (50 g)
  • 1/4 cup (60 g) egg whites (see note #1)

For pumpkin cream cheese frosting:

  • 3.5 oz (100 g) unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup (85 ml) pumpkin syrup
  • 7.7 oz (220 g) cream cheese

* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.

Instructions

  1. To make the candied pumpkin, cut the pumpkin into 1-inch x 1 inch /2.5 cm x 2.5 cm cubes. Place pumpkin cubes, sugar, and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 35 minutes. Drain pumpkin cubes with a colander for 30 minutes. Keep the pumpkin syrup for later.
  2. Preheat oven to 175 F/80 C. Place pumpkin cubes on parchment paper and dry in the oven for 2 to 3 hours. Let cool and roll pumpkin cubes, a few at a time, in granulated sugar. 
  3. To make the pumpkin filling, cut the pumpkin into small cubes and cook with sugar and water over medium heat for 20 minutes until the pumpkin is soft. Drain the pumpkin with a colander and make the puree using a food processor. Set aside.
  4. Preheat oven to 335 F/170 C. To make the batter, sift flour, icing (powdered) sugar, cacao powder, salt, and baking powder and put aside. Beat softened butter with the dry ingredients using a stand mixer. Add eggs, egg whites, and mix. Gradually add warm milk, and mix to combine. Pour/spoon the batter into cupcake liners, filling up to 2/3. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating.
  5. To make pumpkin cream cheese frosting, place softened butter, sugar, and 85 ml of pumpkin syrup (remained after making the sugared pumpkin) in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer till the mixture becomes creamy. Add cream cheese at room temperature and beat it till the cream becomes smooth and homogeneous.
  6. To decorate cupcakes, remove the center of cupcakes with a cupcake corer and fill each cupcake with pumpkin filling. Place pumpkin frosting in a pastry bag with the open star pastry tip (Wilton 1M) and pipe on top of cupcakes. Decorate each cupcake with a candied pumpkin cube.

Notes

  1. 60 g egg whites approximately whites equal 2 raw fresh egg whites from medium size chicken eggs).
  2. To make the sugared pumpkin, use butternut squash. Use baking pumpkins labeled as “sugar pumpkins” or “pie pumpkins” to make the pumpkin filling; although, butternut squash works here as well.
  3. Make candied pumpkin cubes in advance and keep them in an airtight container. Instead of using the oven, let dry pumpkin cubes on parchment paper for one to two days at room temperature. Then roll cubes in sugar.
  4. Prepare pumpkin cupcake filling ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 1 week. 
  5. Use canned pumpkin puree as a filling to decrease the sugar load if you desire.
  6. Replace a homemade pumpkin syrup with a store-bought pumpkin spice syrup.
  7. Decorate the top of cupcakes with pumpkin seeds instead of making candied pumpkin cubes if you are short on time.
  8. Make cupcakes one day in advance, cover, and store at room temperature. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to two to three months. To thaw, please keep them in the fridge overnight. 
  9. Nutrition is calculated for one cupcake topped with a swirl of cream cheese frosting and does not include pumpkin filling and a pumpkin candied cube on top.

Nutrition

Keywords: chocolate pumpkin cupcakes, chocolate pumpkin dessert, pumpkin filled cupcakes

Find it online: https://www.bakinglikeachef.com/chocolate-pumpkin-cupcakes/

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