Boozy Chai Spice Pumpkin Cupcakes

Nothing says Fall like pumpkin spice (thanks Starbucks). This recipe was actually on my brain for the better part of a year when I decided to spoof the seasonal lattes in cake form, but I had only managed to make a boozy peppermint mocha cake. I love pumpkin-themed foods and drinks, but they can be sickeningly sweet and one-dimensional sometimes (hi Starbucks). I decided to change up the usual fall spice note and go bold with garam masala.  It's difficult to put a twist on something that gets done to the nth degree. Luckily with my birthday and Thanksgiving, I get lots of opportunities to try and guests make great taste testers. And no one objects to a baby bourbon.


Total time: 1 hour --- 30 minutes to make the cakes and frosting, 30 minutes to let them cool/blow out my hair.


VERDICT: I made these while cleaning and packing for a work conference so my mind was in at least 3 other places. Everyone seemed to like them enough go back for extra helpings. Hooray!

And the Hudson Baby Bourbon makes another appearance.

Boozy Chai Spice Pumpkin Cupcakes

adapted from chow.com, yields 12 cupcakes

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 garam masala

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1 /2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed

2 large eggs

1/2 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée

3-4 tablespoons bourbon

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line muffin tin with paper liners or coat with oil/cooking spray.

2. Place the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to break up any lumps and set aside.

3. Place the sugar and vegetable oil in the bowl. Beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until the sugar is incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula.

Then, add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Add the pumpkin, and beat on low speed until just combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then, add the flour mixture, and beat for about a minute or until it is almost completely incorporated. Fold in any unincorporated flour at the edges, making sure to scrape to the bottom of the bowl. Stir in bourbon.

5. Fill the muffin tin three-quarters of the way (~1/4 cup per well). Place the muffin  tin in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the tin and bake for ~10 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool before frosting. Optional: brush cakes with bourbon while they're still slightly warm.

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8oz) package cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, boozy if you like.

2 teaspoons garam masala
2-3 tablespoons bourbon

1. Soften cream cheese and sift powdered sugar and garam masala to remove clumps.

2. Add powdered sugar to butter, 1 cup at a time. Alternate with rum in small batches. You may need more or less powdered sugar/bourbon to get your desired consistency/booziness.

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

As a result of my pumpkin puree hoarding, I had a lot of pumpkin to experiment with. I thought about making a boozy pumpkin pie, but who has time on a Friday night to wait for dough to chill and then roll it out? Not me, I got happy hours to pre-game (kidding, kind of). I decided to compromise and make a pumpkin pie cupcake, with a graham cracker "crust" cake and a pumpkin pie "filling" frosting. This was originally a sober recipe, but I'm adding a boozy suggestion in parenthesis.

Total time: 45 minutes, includes letting cakes cool before frosting and drinking 2 glasses of sauvignon blanc.

VERDICT: The roommate liked it and has had multiple helpings. Flavor-wise, it captures the end of fall pretty well and pairs surprisingly well with red wine.

Pie "crust" cupcakes 

(adapted from s'mores cake, yields 12 cupcakes)

1 cup flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or whiskey vanilla extract)
1/2 cup milk (or cinnamon liqueur, I recommend Fireball)


1. Preheat oven to 400F. Take out butter, cream cheese, and eggs so that they come to room temperature.
2. Graham cracker crumbs: take out a bunch and blend into a fine powder by pulsing in a blender/food processor OR put in a ziploc bag and crush by hand.
3. Combine flour, cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Make sure there are no clumps and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla extract, then add the flour mixture and milk in alternate batches starting with the flour mixture.
5. Fill cupcake tin to about 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400F.
6. Prepare the frosting: combine powdered sugar and spices, set aside. Mix the butter, cream cheese, and pumpkin puree, then add the sugar mixture and liqueur (if using). Make sure everything is evenly incorporated.
7. Let the cupcakes cool for 10-20 minutes before frosting.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting 

adapted from chow.com

1 stick unsalted butter
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar (plus extra if adding liqueur)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 can pumpkin puree
1 oz Fireball liqueur (optional)

Mini Pumpkin Souffles

I realized that it's almost DECEMBER and I hadn't made anything with pumpkin yet. Fall is hands down my favorite season and it's rare that there is a non-chocolate dessert that people love so I jump on the chance to bake with pumpkin. The other mini souffles turned out well so I decided to try a non-chocolate option (I almost always try a new cake recipe with chocolate first; it hides a multitude of sins).

On a more pathetic note, the thought of missing out on the short window of time where pumpkin puree is readily available hurt so much that I actually went to the store after vowing that I was going to be lazy and use whatever I had on hand and hoarded an extra 2 cans of the stuff for later.

Total prep time: 15 minutes + 20 minutes baking and cooling
Verdict: These were much more moist, for lack of a better word, than the chocolate ones. I'm not sure if it's because I had them in the oven for less time or if it's because I didn't remove them from the muffin tin right away and they ended up steaming while they were cooling. Overall, they're not very sweet. I would add milk to the mixture to make it more custard-y or serve them with a cinnamon/brown sugar/graham cracker topping to up the dessert factor.

my collapsed souffle :(

Mini Pumpkin Souffles

Adapted from Comfy Tummy, yields 12 mini souffles

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Whiskey Vanilla Extract
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 375F, spray or grease baking dish (ramekin if you have it, muffin tin works too).

2. Combine 1/4 cup sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, spices and pumpkin puree.

3. In a separate (not plastic) bowl, add 1 tablespoon sugar to the egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form.

4. Gently fold egg whites into pumpkin batter. Work in small batches, adding egg whites in thirds to the batter, until the egg whites have just been incorporated into the batter.

5. Fill baking dish/cups/tin to the brim and bake for 12-15 minutes.