Last Friday was my birthday, and I’m still celebrating. I like to stretch it out as long as possible. I have to admit that this is the first year that I’ve actually felt older, like maybe I’m really a grown-up now. I just turned 37 (still can’t believe it). I was blessed with nice skin, it’s genetic, but I recently noticed a little vertical wrinkle right by my eye. It bugs me. It really bugs me. I moisturize twice a day, and even have one of those “almost guaranteed to disappear” wrinkle fillers… but yet, it’s still there. I live in Orange County, possibly the Botox capital of the U.S., but I’ve always believed in aging gracefully… that is until that vertical wrinkle made its debut on my face this year. As we get older and have to deal with wrinkles, a birth-day is not enough, a birth-week or birth-month is more like it.                                                                                                                                                            

We also deserve a great tasting birthday cake. Last Friday, I made my own birthday cake, and celebrated with my family. A few friends have felt sorry and said, “Awww, you made your own birthday cake?”. There was actually a bit of a surprise dropped on me last week, and it wasn’t a good one. I don’t do well with surprises, especially the yucky kind. Baking is my form of yoga, and I’ll seize just about any opportunity to get in the zone for awhile. Baking my cake was a gift, in itself, and helped me refocus on the blessings in my life. 

Besides, I had left-over pumpkin from the pumpkin bar recipe I made last week, and I wouldn’t dare waste it (seeing how canned pumpkin is a precious commodity today). I really hope Libby is our trust-worthy friend, and comes through with pumpkin at the end of the month, as promised.

You may have heard my cupcake vs. muffin argument before. Piping frosting on a muffin doesn’t make it a cupcake. Muffins are denser, and cupcakes should be light and fluffy. This time of year there are a lot of pumpkin muffins out their posing as cupcakes. I have no problem with a little frosting on a pumpkin muffin, but just please, please call it a muffin. Pumpkin puree is dense in texture, so making a light and fluffy pumpkin cupcake isn’t as easy as it may sound.

That’s why I took a short-cut and doctored up a yellow Duncan Hines cake mix, to ensure a cupcake texture. It totally worked! It’s not as heavy like a muffin, but insanely moist with a great pumpkin-y flavor. Cream cheese frosting is a match made in heaven for pumpkin, but this is a twist on the classic… cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It tastes great with pumpkin cake, and would also do well with carrot cake, or gingerbread.

You know, pumpkin is one of those Super Foods. Hmmm…. if I eat enough of these, will it take care of that little wrinkle?

Pumpkin Cupcakes (Adapted from KraftRecipes.com)

Duncan Hines Yellow cake mix

1 cup pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1/3 cup oil

½ cup milk

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. ginger

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and spices in a large bowl with mixer until well blended. Pour into cupcakes pans

Bake approximately 20 minutes,  or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely before frosting.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (Recipe from GimmeSomeOven)

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

4 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. cinnamon

In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar and cinnamon, mixing well until it’s all incorporated.  Use immediately or refrigerate.  Bring the frosting to room temperature if you refrigerate before frosting the cupcakes.