Autumn Spiced Cupcakes: In the Oven in Under 5 Minutes

There are two kinds of people in the world:

1. Cake people

and

2. Icing people

I’m a cake person. {Ok, when it comes to dessert, cake isn’t really on my list of favorites, but this is about cupcakes, not all the desserts of the world.}

Unless it’s a really good cream cheese frosting on a red velvet cake, I’d be much happier with just the cake base. The only real reason I see for icing is this: to make the cake moist.

If you have a dry cake, you have to icing to make up for it. My solution? Make a moist cake!

And for the cupcake purists out there, I came up with a compromise- an icing that isn’t too sweet or sugary, but adds flavor to the overall result.

Now I’m usually one to make things from scratch. I’d rather take the extra 30 seconds to measure out some flour than to eat a plateful of added chemicals. But you know what? Sometimes a shortcut is just the way to go. We’re already talking cupcakes- it’s not like I’m ruining a bowl of vegetables. The best part about this shortcut? You can use it and still end up with a vegan cupcake.

This cupcake starts with a boxed cake mix. If you’re going the vegan route, just check the ingredients. You’d be surprised to learn that some brands are in fact vegan.

Now grab a can of pumpkin. I know you have it lying around somewhere; it’s fall after all.

Cake mix, meet pumpkin. The end.

{Wait- pour batter into pan. The end.}

Your work is done. The hard part is waiting for them to come out of the oven. Now like I said, these cupcakes are good enough sans icing, for you cake-only lovers like me.

I  know “moist” might be the most hated word in the English language, but there real is no other word adequate enough to describe these cupcakes. “Not dry” doesn’t even come close to cutting it…

They’re especially good still warm from the oven- not something you can say with frosted cupcakes. Have you ever tried to ice a warm cupcake? That’s what I thought.

Now if you insist, here’s an easy icing that even I think makes this cupcake phenomenal.

So we started with a cake mix, call it cheating if you must, but then we didn’t add any eggs or oil. Plus we bumped up the nutrient content with some pumpkin, so we’re still ahead if you’re keeping score.

Now of course you can use any flavor cake batter you want, and even another puree if you’re not a pumpkin fan, but fall is the most fleeting of all the seasons, and I’m embracing the flavors while I can.

More please.

So which are you, a cake person or an icing person?