PUMPKIN AND APPLE CUPCAKES

Fall is definitely the best season, it's not too cold, not too warm, there’s no allergy, I can start wearing fluffy socks, it’s the season of pumpkins, mushrooms and sweet potatoes, it's Halloween ... So I wanted to celebrate the beginning, making these pumpkin and apple cupcakes, topped with cheesecream and decorated with fondant mini pumpkins.

For about 15 normal and 30 mini, depending on the size of the paper liners.

Ingredients:
180 g flour (6.3 oz.)
1 teaspoon baking
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 eggs M
100 g of white sugar (3.5 oz.)
30 g brown sugar (1 oz.)
60 ml oil (I used sunflower oil) 
120 ml pumpkin puree (250 g approx)
60 ml apple puree (1 apple, 200 g approx)
75 ml buttermilk (if you can’t find it, add a tablespoon of lemon juice to 75 ml of milk and let it rest for 5 minutes)

For the creamcheese (recipe from Alma Obregón):
90 g of butter
90 g of cream cheese
210 g of icing sugar

Start making the puree, if you don’t use it prepared. We will use about 250 g of pumpkin and 200 g of apple. Peel and chop the pumpkin, put it in a container, suitable for oven, with water at 200ºC (390ºF) for 30 minutes. Get discouraged the apple, remove the seeds and cut into four pieces, also put it in the oven at 200ºC (390ºC) for 20 minutes. It can also be cooked in a microwave or boiled, instead. Once the pieces are soft, remove the skin of the apple and, along with pumpkin, grind it.

Now start with the cake.

Prepare the paper liners in the baking sheet and preheat the oven to 160ºC (320ºF).

Mix the flour with the baking soda and the cinnamon, sift and reserve.

Beat the eggs with the white and brown sugar. Add half the flour mixture until blended. Next, add the pumpkin puree and apple. Add the remaining flour, mix well, pour the oil and finally add the buttermilk.

Distribute the batter in the paper liners and bake them for 20 minutes (15 for the mini) and make sure a toothpick comes out clean.

Let them rest a couple of minutes and pass them to a rack to cool down.


While baking, prepare the cheesecream. Put the butter in the bowl, well-chilled cheese and sifted icing sugar. Beat at high speed (covering the bowl, unless you want to turn your kitchen into Santa Claus’ town) for 5 minutes. The cream has to be white and increase its volume.

When they are completely cooled, decorate them with the cheese icing. 

You can use any type of edible decorations, I put these fondant pumpkins, which are really simple to make and very cute :)