La Kitchenette Souris : Pumpkin Buttercream Vanilla Cupcakes

I finally tried out a new creation in the kitchen~ an idea that had been rumbling around in my brain for a long time.... 

And they turned out so well~ very yummy & super easy! 

I will include a little tutorial video at the end of this post on how to do some basic cupcake decorating, including the swirl I used on these. 

On the top I merely added a dash of cinnamon for a little extra flavor & it looks so pretty! 

♥

Pumpkin Buttercream Vanilla Cupcakes

The Cupcake

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

Sift dry ingredients together into medium bowl. 

Add remaining ingredients & stir just until evenly mixed.

DO NOT BEAT! The less you have to stir, the fluffier your cupcakes!

Evenly divide into 12 muffin cups.

Bake at 375F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Set aside & let cool before several hours (or even overnight) before icing. 

If they are even slightly warm when you ice them, the icing will instantly melt!

The Icing

1  cup margarine, slightly softened

1/4 cup milk

2 teaspoons Watkins Imitation Pumpkin Spice Extract

1 cup icing sugar (plus about another 2 cups)

Beat together until smooth. 

Then using a spoon, slowly blend in more icing sugar until you have a stiff icing that holds it shape. Now I believe I added around 2 cups but since I actually don't measure at all with this recipe, I am only guessing.

But when your spoon stays standing up on it's own & you can form tough little peaks that stay standing for a good long while, the icing is thick enough to swirl properly.

How To Create The Swirl

Here is the tutorial I found explaining how to do different swirls.

If you need more help, just bounce around on Youtube~ there are tons of tips & tricks! 

I just played around & practiced until I figured out the easiest way for me to do swirls.

Just have fun with it! ♥