Pink pumpkin cupcakes

YIELD: 24 cupcakes (with extra amount of frosting)

For cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsps. pumpkin spice
1 tsp. salt
2 tsps. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups white sugar
4 large eggs
¾ cup canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla paste
16 oz. or 2 cups pumpkin purée (roast whole pumpkin at 350°F for almost 2 hours, then cool; peel pumpkin meat out and purée)

For icing:
½ lb. or 2 sticks butter, softened
2 ½ lbs. or 8 cups powdered sugar
½ cup half-and-half1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. pumpkin compound (optional)
pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 24 muffin cups or line with muffin liners. Sift together flour, pumpkin spice, salt, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.
2. Beat white sugar, eggs, canola oil and vanilla paste with electric mixer in large bowl until light and fluffy. Fold in pumpkin puree. Mixture should be lighter in color. Stir in flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.
3. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups or greased tin.
4. Bake in preheated oven until golden with springy tops, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pans for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on wire rack.
5. For frosting: While cupcakes cool, make frosting by beating butter with electric mixer in bowl until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar a little at a time until incorporated. Add half-and-half slowly (you may not need all of it). Add vanilla extract and ground cinnamon and pumpkin compound. Beat until fluffy and stiff. You can add more powdered sugar if icing looks too soft. Once cupcakes cool, frost with cream cheese icing.

Photo and recipe: Nazim Khan, CEC/Bryan Health