Rosy Little Pumpkin Cupcakes

Rosy Little Pumpkin Cupcakes for a sweet little pumpkin named Lucy...

Kristan's baby girl is expected in just a few weeks and since she will be a fall little pumpkin, I thought some pumpkin cupcakes might be in order.

I feel sure you all know Kristan from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. I would say that Kristan is one of my very favorite bloggers, but you know what? She's more than that. She's one of my very favorite people. Her little Lucy is about to be welcomed into one adorable and loving family, full of sparkles and big brother's magic tricks.

The cupcakes are a doctored up cake mix batter loaded with pumpkin and spices. The frosting...oh, the frosting! How about a buttery, cinnamon cream cheese frosting that's so good, you'll contemplate buying one of those beer helmets and converting it to a frosting helmet.

{Listen, cupcake ATMs are a real thing; why not frosting helmets?}

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
{adapted from Kraft}

for the cupcakes:

1 box French Vanilla cake mix
1 & 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1/4 cup oil
3 eggs

for the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
6 TBSP salted butter, at room temperature
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Line 22 muffin cups with liners.

Whisk together the cake mix and spices. Add in the remaining cake ingredients. Mix on low until combined, then beat 2 minutes on medium.

Scoop the batter into the lined tins and bake for 20 minutes, or until done. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to cool completely on wire racks.

To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter until combined. Add the sugar in three additions, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla and cinnamon.

(If frosting the cupcakes generously, like these roses, double the recipe.)

To make the rose frosting, I used Created by Diane's video as a guide. I didn't have the correct tip on hand (I used an Ateco 828 star tip), but I still think they turned out pretty.

Since Kristan likes sparkles, I sprinkled the rosy icing with a bit of sanding sugar.