Pumpkin Pecan Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

For the cupcakes:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 12-count standard muffin pan with some pretty cupcake papers.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg and set aside.

Next comes the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, and eggs. Then add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine completely. Last, stir in the chopped pecans.

I used an ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and to assure the cupcakes would be the same size. Fill the liners about three-fourths full.

Bake for about 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let them cool completely before icing.

For the frosting:

Start the frosting once the cupcakes are cooled because you’ll need to use it right away. In the bowl of your electric mixer beat the cream cheese, butter and maple extract together on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add the maple syrup and beat until incorporated. Gradually add the sugar, mixing until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. If the consistency seems too soft, you may chill this in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. But otherwise, pipe or spread the frosting onto the tops of the cupcakes right away.