Halloween Spiced Pumpkin Muffins with a Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Trick or treat???? I'm definitely the treat one ;) Halloween is a perfect excuse for those who love sweets! You can have as many candies as you want!!!! On this day your motto should be: " Eat, drink and be scary!" 

You will love the spiced pumpkin muffins! The pumpkin puree makes the muffins super moist and soft and the cinnamon frosting gives them a perfect touch! 

Ingredients:

makes approx. 24 muffins*

• 325g light brown sugar
• 100g unsalted butter, softened 
• 4 medium eggs
• 240g plain flour
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¾ tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 115g buttermilk
• 280g pumpkin puree

*Recipe adapted from Peggy Porschen

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 250g mascarpone
• 100g softened butter
• 200g icing sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Preparation: 

For the muffins:

Pre-heat the oven to 175°C and line the muffin tins with cupcake cases.

Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly. Place the pumpkin puree, salt buttermilk and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir together by hand with a balloon whisk until all well mixed.

Add the eggs one at a time to the mixture, whisking well in between each addition.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, backing soda and spices and add this to the liquid mixture in two batches, lightly stirring through with the whisk. Lastly, add the melted butter and gently incorporate this with the whisk again until just mixed in.

With a spoon scoop evenly into the prepared cupcake liners. Remember to fill the muffin cases only 3/4 cavity otherwise they might overflow. The mixture will be quite liquid but don't worry it is just like it should be!

Bake for approx. 18 minutes. You can check tif the muffins are ready by sticking a cocktail stick into the centre of each muffin. It should come out clean. Cool down before frosting.

For the frosting: In a mixing bowl beat the butter, add mascarpone and beat all together, add sugar and cinnamon. Don't get scared if you see that the ingredients start separating from each other forming crumbles, just keep whisking. It might take a while but everything will combine don't worry!