Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These may be my favorite fall treat, also clearly made for the Wake Forest tailgate.  To be upfront and honest, because I hear those things are important, only the football ones here are pumpkin.  The "WF" ones are yellow cake with chocolate frosting because that is what one of my friends requested and well I aim to please.

So onto the deliciousness of the fall cupcakes

Ingredients - cupcakes
2 cups canned pumpkin (I have never tried it with actual pumpkin, but if someone does - let me know)
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs
1 and 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon (this is to taste, I prefer lots of cinnamon and nutmeg)
2 tsp nutmeg (this is to taste, I prefer lots of cinnamon and nutmeg)
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar

Combine the canned pumpkin, canola oil and eggs in a mixer.  Beat well.  Then slowly add flour, mix to combine.  Then add everything else.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes (I am not sure about the actual time because I have a sixth sense as to when my cupcakes are done - mostly by checking them frequently).  If you can put the toothpick in them and it comes out clean, it is done.

Ingredients - frosting
1 brick of cream cheese (not sure off the top of my head how much it is, but you know what I am talking about - the stuff that comes in the box, also I used the reduced fat it no one knew)
1/2 stick of margarine
1 bag of powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp milk

The key to making this frosting if you want to do things such as pipe it is to put the liquids in last - remember a little goes a LONG way in frosting.  So first combine cream cheese, margarine and powdered sugar.  Also make sure to start the mixer slowly so not to have the powdered sugar coat your counter. (I tend to have a problem remembering that if I add more powered sugar, then I end up with powder sugar all over my phone, move phone and somehow have to IM my friend to call said phone and find out I had put it in the silverware drawer.  But hey I am forgetful).

After it is combined slowly add the vanilla and milk.  And I mean add a very little, let the mixer do the work, if it is not as thin as you want, add a little more, and keep going.

Then spread on the frosting and/or pipe however you want!  Enjoy fall yumminess!

Blueberry Cobbler

So I offered to make my friend's bday cake, little to realize that according to his awesome girlfriend, his favorite is blueberry cobbler.  Blueberries are high on my list of favorite things, but I have never made one of these before, nor have I actually ever made a fruit pie.  So I was a bit worried.  On top of that, the birthday party was cooking out and playing volleyball (both of which are awesome and ended up being really fun) but started at 6pm on a Friday, making me have to rush from work to get there at 7pm.

So think that this cobbler taste alright, at least I liked it, so I am sharing the recipe.  Which was modified from one found on localkitchenblog.com.  Unfortunately I was in a hurry so did not take any pictures while making it and this is the only finished picture I have.

Ingredients
4 pints of blueberries
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 1/2 cup of sugar
little pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons of  acai-blueberry vodka (or any other type of berry liquor and this is optional)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 sticks of margarine
2 cups of flour


In a bowl - mix berries, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and liquor - allow to sit for a couple of hours (it allows the berries to release some of their juices)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray your 11x13 inch pan with cooking oil.  In another bowl - mix together 1 stick of margarine, 1 cup of flour, and 1 cup of sugar together until crumbly.  I then patted this into the bottom of the pan as a bottom crust.  I then put this in the oven for about 5 minutes.

Strain the fruit mixture, collecting the liquid, syrupy stuff in saucepan.  Bring this liquid to a boil, let it boil for a few minutes.  Then whisk in cornstarch and sugar.  Allow it to boil for another minute until the mixture starts to thicken.  Then remove from heat.

Put the berries in the syrup and mix thoroughly.  Then add this to the pan where the cobbler will be.

Mix together another stick of margarine, cup of flour and cup of sugar until crumbly.  Sprinkle on top of blueberries.

Place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, the top should be a nice golden color and the blueberry juice should be bubbling.

When we served this we warmed it (and by we I mean Birthday Boy's Girlfriend because I am not all about the grille) on the grille.

Important lesson learned, placing 26 candles into a warm birthday cobbler means that the candles will melt and get wax in your cobbler.  However, even with the addition of wax, it was still tasty.