Halloween is just one week away, and I imagine there will be parties, get-togethers, and a host of spooky events this week. Over the weekend, I spent time baking and getting the house ready for the Fall season. We made cookies and cupcakes, trialed some Thanksgiving recipes, and dabbled in some vegan pumpkin pie. This week I’ll have a ton of recipes and ideas for a fun and colorful holiday.
When it comes to holiday baking, two things come to mind…spices and color. This recipe from McCormick includes both! Interestingly enough, I didn’t adapt this recipe but rather left it as is because it’s perfect. It isn’t like me to use a boxed cake mix, however, there are several different steps, some of which are time consuming. Decorating typically takes the most time, particularly if you’re dying the frosting, so using a prepared cake mix with children can help save time and keep them engaged in the baking project.
What’s nice about this recipe is you could really use any type of cake mix (organic, all-natural, gluten-free, etc.) and adapt the recipe accordingly.
Makes 24 servings.
1 package (18 1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
1 package (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick Cinnamon, Ground
1 teaspoon McCormick Cloves, Ground
1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat all ingredients, except Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting, in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened, scraping side of bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes or until well blended.
2. Spoon batter into 24 lightly greased or paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
3. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting.
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened, 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened, 1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract, and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Ground Cloves in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 1 box (16 ounces) confectioners’ sugar until smooth.
These cupcakes are moist and delicious and almost taste like you’re eating pumpkin pie.
You can turn your ordinary recipe into something fabulous, simply by adding spices or extracts. For example, sugar cookies traditionally call for vanilla extract. But why not substitute almond or lemon extract in place of the almond extracts?
Looking for inspiration for your spooky celebration? Visit McCormick for colorful Halloween ideas.
No compensation was received for this post. Products for review were provided which helped facilitate this review.
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