This recipe for Pumpkin Whipped Cream Frosting was originally a Month of Pumpkin guest post written by my online friend Yvette. Follow Yvette on Facebook at her page Pumpkin Passion. The post has been updated for the blog and I am resharing to spread the pumpkin love!
When September comes around I am primed to start gorging on pumpkin-flavored anything. It all starts with that first pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks but the funny thing is that I don’t even like them. I just patiently sip my pumpkin spice lattés for the first few days of what I like to call “Pumpkin Eatin’ Season” and wait for more delicious pumpkin items to hit the store shelves. I love it all: the scones, cookies, popsicles, pancakes, bread, ice cream, ravioli, soup, fudge, pies and the list goes on and on.
Pumpkin Whipped Cream Frosting
The item I’m never very excited about is pumpkin cupcakes. I love cupcakes and I love pumpkins but I’ve never had a really great pumpkin cupcake. The typical pumpkin cupcake is not as moist and tasty as a standard vanilla or chocolate cupcake. The cake, however, is just a minor annoyance. My real issue is the frosting. Why! WHy! WHY must pumpkin cakes/cupcakes always be topped with cream cheese frosting? How did this happen, the marriage of pumpkin and cream cheese?
A chocolate cupcake and cream cheese frosting is delicious, nothing could be better on a carrot cake than cream cheese frosting, but cream cheese on pumpkin isn’t the best match. The cream cheese has too strong of a “tang” and it masks the subtle flavor of the pumpkin. Plus, there’s a whole lot of bad cream cheese frosting out there, less is more, people!
For several Pumpkin Eatin’ Seasons I just avoided pumpkin cupcakes. Recently, I have been on a quest to find the perfect frosting for pumpkin cupcakes and leave the tang of cream cheese behind. I want something delicious but subtle in flavor and something that more closely resembles the whipped topping on pumpkin pie.
After many attempts and several more inches added to my waist, I think I’ve finally found it. Use your favorite pumpkin bread or muffin recipe for the cakey part of the cupcake and finish with the Pumpkin Whipped Cream Frosting recipe below.
Join me in ending the reign of cream cheese frosting on pumpkin cupcakes!
PrintPumpkin Whipped-cream Frosting
- 3 sticks of room-temperature unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 tablespoons whipping cream
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin liqueur
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Pumpkin whipped-cream frosting
- Beat together the butter, whipping cream, and liqueur until combined.
- Set the mixer to low and slowly add the powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Beat until incorporated and then increase the speed to medium high and beat for approximately 7 minutes.
You can also just keep it simple and substitute vanilla for the pumpkin liqueur and omit the pumpkin pie spice.
