Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Pumpkin Brown Butter Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting

Last week I had plans to make a cupcake that looked like a candy corn but after two failed attempts I gave up. What I did find was this great recipe for pumpkin cupcakes. When I made this batch I decided to brown the butter to add a richer, nuttier flavor plus, I love browned butter with squash. I like this pumpkin cupcake because it comes out light & fluffy not heavier like a pumpkin bread of muffin.
Pumpkin Brown Butter Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting
Matt inspired the idea for the dulce de leche frosting by printing out a couple different recipes for dessert featuring it. I planned to go the simple route & just buy a can of it but the grocery store I was at didn't have any & I didn't feel like running from store to store looking. So, I ended up buying a can of sweetened condensed milk to make my own.
Making Dulce de Leche
This was our first time making dulce de leche & it was actually quite easy. You just take the label off a small can of condensed milk & poke two venting holes in the top. Place the can in a pot with the holes facing up. Put water in the pan up to 1/4 -inch from the top of the can. Bring the water to an easy simmer. Allow the can to simmer in the water for about 4 hours, adding more water as needed. The condensed milk will thicken & change to a dark golden brown.
Homemade Dulce de Leche
(I had a spoon of this in my coffee this morning, what a treat!)

Pumpkin Brown Butter Cupcakes
(adapted from Martha Stewart's Pumpkin Cupcakes)

1/4 c unsalted butter
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground ginger
pinch of nutmeg
1 large egg
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c white sugar
3.5 oz pumpkin purée

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 6 muffin tins.

In a small skillet melt the butter over medium-low heat. Cook the butter over low heat stirring from time to time until it is a golden brown & smells nutty. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn. Remove from the heat & allow it to cool.

In a small bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg together & set aside.

In another bowl lightly beat the egg. Whisk in the sugars & cooled butter. Add the dry ingredients & whisk until smooth. Finally whisk in the pumpkin & maple syrup.
1/4 T maple syrup

Divide the batter between the 6 prepared muffin tins. Bake for 20 -22 minutes, a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Allow to cool completely on a rack before frosting.

Makes 6 cupcakes

Dulce de Leche Frosting

1/4 c unsalted butter, at room temp
2 T dulce de leche
1/2 t vanilla
1 c powdered sugar, plus more if needed

Beat everything together with an electric mixer on medium until smooth, about 3 minutes. If the frosting is not stiff enough add more powdered sugar 1 T at a time, beating for about a minute with each addition.

Makes enough to frost 6 cupcakes

17 comments:

Mom24 said...

Do you know if poking the holes eliminates the risk of the can exploding? I am such a chicken.

Deborah said...

Everything is better with dulce de leche! And browned butter.
YUM!

Anonymous said...

I love pumpkin cupcakes! The addition of brown butter sounds so good. I am curious about your candy corn cupcakes attempts...

Maria♥ said...

Wow these look so delish!

Maria
x

Beth (jamandcream) said...

I love the knitted pumpkins!! These sound so good

Lori said...

Hmmmm that sounds heavenly. You are a brave sould arent you with that Dulce de Leche. I have been wanting to make it as well.

Those knitted pumpkins are totally cute.

Stacey Snacks said...

Kat,
I know you knitted those li'l punkins for this post!

Anonymous said...

Mm caramelized butter AND milk? This is going to be great. This won't be light on flavor for sure.
Cooking a can makes me nervous, though.

Annie H said...

"Bake for 20 -22 minutes, a pumpkin inserted into the center should come out clean."

Hehe... I'd like to see someone try that! ;)

kat said...

Annie - So much for my proofreading (actually I think I was drinking a glass of wine when I wrote that post). Its all fixed now....

Ingrid_3Bs said...

You're deffinitely right about the browned butter, YUM! These sound DELISH!

I just bought some Dulce de Leche for a Recipe Girl recipe (LOL) guess I'll need to go back for another can for your recipe.
~ingrid

Anonymous said...

Pumpkin cupcakes are one of my favorite fall treats. These sound pretty tasty. The batter looks so silky.

grace said...

i don't think it's possible to take a bad picture of dulce de leche, but yours is especially alluring. :)
great idea for the icing--i'm sure they're magnificent cupcakes.

Alicia Foodycat said...

I can't believe you had any left to put in your coffee! Give me a can of that and a spoon and it is all over.

Amanda said...

I've included this in my round up!
http://oldtips.blogspot.com/2009/10/friday-recipes-pumpkin-desserts.html

Elle said...

Holy yum!!! Thanks for the info!

Anonymous said...

I loved dulce de leche too, I have ate a lot of times. Sometimes I travel only to eat it. I recommend the ones from Uruguay (South America), there I bought my best one at http://www.thebestofuruguay.com and then I continue buying from home. Amaaaaaaazing. Regards. Alex

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