Description
Butternut squash has never tasted so good as in these delicious cupcakes, topped with a sweet maple cream cheese frosting!
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcake Ingredients:
- 1 cup butternut squash puree (**see note below for instructions – so easy!**)
- 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup milk (or soymilk)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
- 2 Tbsp. real maple syrup
- 1 lb. powdered sugar (or more/less to achieve desired consistency)
Instructions
To Make The Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line baking pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, stir together butternut squash puree, oil, sugars, milk, and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Gently whisk by hand until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Fill liners with 1/4 cup batter (cups should be approximately 2/3 full). Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.
To Make Frosting:
- Using an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese, butter, and maple syrup until smooth and well-combined. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, mixing well until it’s all incorporated. Use a pastry bag to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, or spread it on with a knife. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.
Notes
To make butternut squash puree, roughly chop up some butternut squash. Then cook it in the microwave (covered with plastic wrap to keep in the moisture) for about 5-6 minutes until soft. Transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth. (Or you can mash it with a fork.)