oh. my. gourd.

pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

pumpkin you up, girly-man!

it's not fall...or halloween...or thanksgiving; pumpkins aren't even in season. but that's the beauty of publix america. i'm proud to live in a country that considers justin bieber's DUI breaking news offers us canned, pure pumpkin 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

besides being available every day of the year, pumpkins in this country are available in all sorts of shapes, sizes, fictional holiday figures, and reality TV show personalities. my favorite of the aforementioned being honey boo boo's questionably-human older sister, also known as lauryn.

now that you are thoroughly disturbed and have most likely lost your appetite, back to the cupcakes. a blanket of rich, soft, cream cheese frosting rests on these warm, moist, pumpkin spice cakes. this treat is an absolute hit with my family and friends and can be served with or without frosting (hello, muffins!). i gave these cupcakes a healthy makeover thanks to egg whites and a blend of low-fat yogurt and canola oil...i also gave myself an excuse to eat extra cream cheese frosting. not sorry.

enjoy!

cake ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large egg whites (~1/4 cup if your eggs come in a pour-able container like mine do. again, not sorry)

1 cup pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)

1/4 cup canola oil

1/3 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

frosting ingredients:

1/2 lb good quality cream cheese, softened (recommend philadelphia)

1 stick of butter, softened

2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

directions:

preheat oven to 350 F.

using a whisk, combine brown sugar and egg whites; add pumpkin, oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract and stir to combine in a large bowl.

in a second bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until batter is combined.

pour batter into a muffin tin with cupcake liners until about 2/3 full (~2 tbsp of batter per cupcake).

bake cupcakes for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

while cupcakes are baking, prepare frosting by beating cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until smooth. add confectioner's sugar and cinnamon and continue to beat until frosting is light and fluffy.

let cupcakes cool to room temperature before frosting.

once frosted, sift some ground cinnamon on top of the cupcakes for a little extra flavor and flair.

note: if you don't have a piping bag, place frosting in a gallon-size plastic bag and cut the tip off of one of the bottom corners. voilà!