cobweb cupcakes

[saansaturday]

I have never been a fan of cupcakes, as they are usually too sweet for me. But these Halloween cupcakes are so delicious that I can't stop eating them. I used to make them every year. It looks like this year I won't have time. :( I've altered the recipe to work with ingredients available in Germany but I didn't write it down, so this is the original version (ok, with slight modifications, I just can't help changing things to my taste)of the recipe. It comes from, of all places, the October 5, 1999 issue of Family Circle. I bought the magazine just for this recipe and it certainly was worth it. Everybody loves the chocolate spiderwebs on top...the frosting is especially yummy. Since I haven't made them this year, I don't have a picture of mine, but I did take a photo of the picture in the magazine...and I have to say that mine actually look better.... :)



This recipe can easily be halved if you don't want 24 cupcakes. But you probably do want 24 cupcakes. ;)

4 cups ap flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 cup butter at room temp.
4 eggs
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (or fresh pumpkin puree)
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted

Frosting:
8 ounces cold cream cheese
6 TBSP butter at room temp.
2 TBSP orange juice concentrate
1/2 tsp orange extract
16 ounces (approx 3 3/4 cups) powdered (confectioners') sugar
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 180 C (350 F). Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners.

Sift flour, soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt into a bowl.

In another bowl, beat sugar and butter until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in pumpkin. Beat in flour until just blended. Add nuts.

Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each cupcake liner.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan to rack to cool.

Beat cheese and butter in a bowl until smooth. Beat in juice and extract. Beat in sugar until smooth.

Frost each cupcake.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Spoon it into a plastic bag and cut off a small piece of the corner. Starting in the center of each cupcake, draw a spiral with chocolate. Using the tip of a knife, draw lines from the middle to the edge to make the cobweb.