Pumpkin Mini Cakes With Cream Cheese Icing |
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Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes |
Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 15 |
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These miniature pumpkin cakes are the rich color of an autumn sunset. Topped with a swirl of cream cheese icing and a garnish of crystallized ginger, they're the perfect ending to a dinner party, when all your guests need are a few bites of something sweet. Tips from our bakers: To make mini cakes without a mini cake pan, simply bake the cake in a square or rectangular pan as directed, then use a round biscuit cutter (2 to 2 1/4 ) to cut out mini cakes. Frost as directed for the pumpkin-shaped mini cakes. Ingredients:
1/3 cup vegetable oil |
2 large eggs |
1 cup sugar |
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin) |
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or you can use 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger and nutmeg) |
1 teaspoon salt |
1 teaspoon baking powder |
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, king arthur unbleached |
1/2 cup cream cheese |
3 tablespoons butter |
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar |
1 teaspoon vanilla extract |
3 tablespoons crystallized ginger, finely diced |
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F Lightly grease a pumpkin mini cheesecake pan, or a 9 x 9 or 7 x 11 pan.
2. Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder till smooth.
3. Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.
4. Fill the wells of the pumpkin mini cheesecake pan about 3/4 full; use a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well.
5. If you're using a 9 square pan or 7 x 11 pan, pour the batter into the pan.
6. Bake the mini cakes for 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Bake the sheet cake for about 30 minutes, till it tests done the same way.
7. Remove the cake(s) from the oven, and allow to cool. Remove the mini cakes from the pan after about 5 minutes, transferring them to a rack to cool. The sheet cake can cool right in the pan.
8. While the cakes are cooling, prepare the icing. If the butter and cream cheese are cold, warm them very briefly in the microwave, just till they feel soft but haven't begun to melt.
9. Beat together the cream cheese, butter, sugar, and vanilla till smooth.
10. Spread the soft frosting atop the cooled cake(s).
11. Sprinkle with the crystallized ginger.
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