So, I must confess..I am not a fan of the infamous Pumpkin Pie. I don’t know what it is..maybe its a texture thing..but I have to say, you wont find me dancing around the dessert table with a slice of that orange pie on my plate. Instead, to keep with the ‘pumpkin theme’, I made a pumpkin CAKE. A yummy cinnamon spice cupcake with cream cheese icing. YUM.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cups Canola oil
1/2 unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups canned pumpkin
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 24-cupcake pan or line with baking cups. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine sugar, applesauce and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool. Once cooled, ice the cakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

INGREDIENTS:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon. Store in the refrigerator after use.