The Country Church Cookbook

I have been tossing ideas around in my head about making pumpkin cupcakes for about two weeks now. On Wednesday I picked up cream cheese and butter, knowing I would probably need those for the frosting if I did decide to make some. Normally I turn to Google.com to handle most of my culinary questions, but this time I turned to a staple in the kitchen of any Baptist-raised woman I know, the Church Cookbook.

I love the church cookbook. This one is from 1990 and is filled with recipes by ladies with names like Mary Etta, Florence, Elva, Betty Laura, Esther and Eloise. These names and their recipes tell a story of a time nearly forgotten. A time and place in which I am fortunate my parents chose to plant our family, and I am glad to know still exists in the midst of the hustle and bustle of today's busy world. These ladies filled pages and pages with recipes that had been passed down to them from their mothers and to them from their mothers.

I was upset about two things while flipping through the cookbook. Primarily, Nannie didn't publish any recipes in that edition, and I am really not sure why. Secondly, my Mom published a recipe that year for Blackberry Cake, and I can't remember ever eating this amazing dessert!!! 

Anyhow, I knew within those pages I would find a recipe that would inspire me to create the perfect pumpkin cupcakes. Bernice published a recipe that year for Pumpkin Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting. I kept the cookbook open to that page for about 3 days this week mulling over how to adjust the recipe for my cupcake needs.  After my Friday Gym Date with Forrest, I came home on a mission. Those cupcakes were in the oven before our dinner was. I told Forrest it was because the pizza dough needed to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes (which is true...really)!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

"Where's Forrest?": extra points if you can find him in this picture!

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
1 tsp Pumpkin Spice
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin (save the rest and make my Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkin Pancakes)
1 tsp baking soda

(Notice the really cramped cooking space--that's it really--in our apartment kitchen and the amazing yellow mixer my parents gave me--thanks for always supporting my cooking habit!)

This is how we do it...
First, mix the sugar and eggs

it is actually spinning in this picture

Add the oil and mix at medium until it is fully incorporated. Scoop in the pumpkin and mix at a lower speed until the batter for the cupcakes is well blended.

Place cupcake shells into a cupcake or muffin pan and pour the batter in until the shells are about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the cupcakes turn a light golden brown. (You can always test to be sure they are ready by sticking a toothpick into the center-most cupcake--if it comes out clean you are good to go!)

Remove and let them cool while you make the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 package of cream cheese (8 oz) at room temp for about 5 mins

2 tsp vanilla

1 stick of butter, softened

1 lb confectioners sugar

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter for about 2 minutes (You may have to scrape the mixture down off of the whisk a few times in the process). 

Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and blend at a medium-high speed until the frosting is smooth. 

While all of this was going on in the kitchen, I finally managed to get dinner ready so I took a break and stuck the frosting in the fridge while Forrest and I enjoyed homemade pizza. Look for that recipe on the next installment of TJ Special this week!

So finally, while we were watching Bad Teacher, I sat in the dining room which is literally in our living room, smoothing that amazing frosting over these super moist cupcakes. Forrest and I enjoyed one each for dessert and they are amazing!

This makes 18 cupcakes.