it's fall!!

fall is almost my favorite season..it's a close second after winter. living in southern california means many sunny days, and i wait ALL year long for those cold, crisp days in fall and the grey skies and rain in winter. i love nothing more than curling up with a good book or movie on a rainy day and drinking something warm. along with fall comes one of my favorite flavors...pumpkin! pumpkin spice lattes from starbucks, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin spice cupcakes!

here's the recipe for the cupcakes:

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes

2 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (i didn't use fresh)

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp salt

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix, you can find puree at trader joes)

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup canola or vegetable oil

4 large eggs

Directions: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. line cupcake pans with paper liners. in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. set aside. in the bowl of an electric mixer, blend together the pumpkin, brown sugar, granulated sugar and oil. add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. with the mixture on low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing just until incorporated.

fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full, bake until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, let cool completely before frosting them.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)

1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon (add more to your liking)

Directions: combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. mix in the vanilla extract. gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until totally mixed in, increase the speed then beat until smooth. frost cooled cupcakes as desired!