The story behind my pumpkin cupcakes

Autumn and Halloween are my favorite seasons right behind Christmas, but I think I already told you that and what kind of fruit is in season during fall? It’s pumpkin! And Styria the part in Austria where I am living is famous for it’s pumpkins and pumpkin seed oil! So basically pumpkin and pumpkin seed oil is running in our veins like maple syrup is in the blood of Canadians 😉 Thats why I needed to make a pumpkin cupcake with vanilla cream cheese frosting. We’ve even put some pumpkin seed oil on top of the finished cupcake, right before serving and they were very delicious.

I have been making cupcakes since the young age of 15 with my sister Nina. We’ve been experimenting a lot (yeah nothing changed we still have small catastrophes happening in our kitchen cause of our experiments once in a while) and we’ve made a lot of cupcakes over the years. These pumpkin cupcakes are perfectly moist with the perfect amount of spices and combined with my favorite vanilla frosting a truly dream come true. Like biting into pure bliss!

How to make these delicious Pumpkin Cupcakes:

We start with the pumpkin cake made with real pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice. I always prepare a lot of pumpkin purée which I than try to use up and try to incorporate it in as many recipes as possiple! I always use Hokkaido Pumpkin, slice it and roast it in the oven at 180°C for 20-30 min until soft. Then I puree it in my high speed mixer. Voila now you’re ready to make these delicious Pumpkin Cupcakes!

Ingredients for the pumpkin cake

• Whole Grain Flour
• Baking Powder
• Homemade Pumpkin Spice
• salt
• Pumpkin purée
• Coconut oil, melted
• Brown sugar –> adds a caramel quality
• Granulated sugar –> adds sweetness
• Egg
• Pure Vanilla extract

1.Step
Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a muffin pan with 6 cupcake liner

2.Step:
In a large bowl mix together the whole grain flour, baking powder, pumpkin spice and salt.

3.Step
In a smaller bowl combine the pumpkin purée, coconut oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

4.Step
Using an ice cream scoop or spoons, divide the batter evenly onto the 6 cupcake liner. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean at 180°C. Let it cool completely before frosting

Now to my favorite frosting in the world – Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting!

This is my all-time favorite frosting and always the basis for other flavors of frosting! You know this is not just a plain-old recipe for vanilla frosting, this one is one of a kind! My secret recipe for frosting cakes and cupcakes. Psst don’t tell anyone! You know the secret ingredient is the caster sugar. Every Cream cheese frosting recipe in the world wide web calls for powdered sugar but I make mine with caster sugar. I don’t like my frosting extremely overly sweet which happens when you use powdered sugar, because when using powdered sugar you need a lot of it.

This recipe is for a small patch of cupcakes, but making frosting for only 6 is very difficult, just FYI and you will need a standing mixer like a Kitchenaid or something similar because the butter and the sugar need to be beat for at least 5 minutes.

The 4 holy ingredients:

• Butter
• Caster Sugar
• Vanilla extract high in quality
• Cream Cheese

Like I already said, first you need to beat the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy for at least 5 minutes, always scraping down the sides during. Then add the vanilla and beat again. This is the most IMPORTANT step add the cream cheese and carefully beat only until it’s just combined. Do not over beat it!!

Pipe the frosting on top of the little cakes and then dip the edges into the pumpkin seeds.

How to make little marzipan pumpkins

These little pumpkins are the perfect decoration for halloween too!

You will need:

• Green Fondant (I used this one)
• Orange Marzipan-Fondant (I used this one)
• Brown Fondant (I used this one)

or you could color your marzipan yourself – this is the perfect step by step directions if you’re coloring it by yourself

Lets begin with the orange pumpkin:

Cut the orange marzipan into 3 parts lenghtwise. You will need two parts. Now you divide the 2 parts into thirds and shape little balls. With a toothpick make intends where the stems and the green ranks will be placed afterwards. Press creases along outer edges from top to bottom for pumpkin ribs.

Next to the stems:

You will only a little bit of the fondant. Cut little pieces from the brown fondant and shape into small robes

Last but not least the pumpkin tendrils:

Just repeat the step how to shape the stems. You will only need a little bit of the fondant. Cut little pieces from the green fondant and shape into small tendrils.

Attach the stems and the green tendrils on the top of the pumpkin, pressing with a toothpick to adhere.

Believe me you need to make these cupcakes ASAP. They are like I already said perfectly moist, perfectly spiced and with the best vanilla cream cheese frosting 😉 This recipe is only for a small batch of cupcakes but you just need to increase the ingredients and you will be perfectly fine if you like to have more than 6 cupcakes-

Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram @twosisterslivinglife or hashtag #twosisterslivinglife. You can find us on Facebook too and Nina and I would be more than happy if you followed us on our social media channels for more delicious food pictures and infos to what we are up to at the moment.

Love, Antonia

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

0 from 0 votes

Recipe by Antonia Course: cake, DessertCuisine: American

Servings

6

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

478

kcal

These Pumpkin Cupcakes are perfect for the fall season and for Halloween. They are moist and oh so perfect and with the vanilla cream-cheese frosting just pure perfection!

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup 3/4 whole grain flour

• 3/4 tsp 3/4 baking powder

• 1 1/2 tsp 1 1/2 pumpkin spice

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 salt

• 3/4 cup 3/4 pumpkin puree

• 1/4 cup 1/4 coconut oil melted

• 1/4 cup 1/4 brown sugar

• 2 Tbsp 2 granulated sugar

• 1 1 egg

• 1 tsp 1 vanilla

• 1/4 cup 1/4 butter

• 1/2 cup 1/2 caster sugar

• 8 oz 8 cream cheese

• 1 tsp 1 vanilla

• 1/3 cup 1/3 pumpkin seeds lightly chopped

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a muffin pan with 6 black cupcake liner
• In a large bowl mix together the whole grain flour, baking powder, pumpkin spice and salt.
• In a smaller bowl combine the pumpkin purée, coconut oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
• Using an ice cream scoop or spoons, divide the batter evenly onto the 6 cupcake liner.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean at 180°C. Let it cool completely before frosting
• Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
• Beat the softened butter and the caster sugar until pale and fluffy for at least 6 minutes. It needs to be very light in color. Add the vanilla beat again. Add the Cream Cheese and only beat for a short time. IMPORTANT Don't overbeat it! only until its just combined!
• Pipe the frosting on top of the cake and then dip the edges into the pumpkin seeds.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 478kcal
• Carbohydrates: 44g
• Protein: 6g
• Fat: 32g
• Saturated Fat: 21g
• Cholesterol: 89mg
• Sodium: 401mg
• Potassium: 256mg
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 32g
• Vitamin A: 5550IU
• Vitamin C: 1mg
• Calcium: 97mg
• Iron: 1mg

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The post Pumpkin Cupcake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting appeared first on Two Sisters Living Life.

Every year during Christmas I prepare these adorable Rudolph reindeer cupcakes. Did you notice the reindeer is an upside down gingerbread man?! Isn’t that a genius idea? I can’t remember where I got this thought but ever since, the upside down gingerbread man turned into Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.

I’ve used my speculoos gingerbread recipe to make these cute little reindeers. These cookies are my favorite especially the delicious brown butter maple glaze!

How to make these cute Rudolph the reindeer gingerbread cupcakes:

We start with the cherry mulled wine filling. Put cherries, sugar and wine (or orange juice for non alcoholic version) into a pot over medium low heat until all the sugar is dissolved. Kick the heat onto medium high heat until the mixture cooks. Meanwhile in a small bowl combine cornstarch and cold water. Add to the cherry wine mixture and let it boil until it thickens. Let it stand aside to cool.

Now we make the gingerbread batter.

In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. In a bowl of an electric mixture beat the butter and the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, honey, and eggs (one at the time) until combined. Add milk alternating with flour mixture. Divide batter evenly onto prepared muffin pan. 

There are two option to add the filling, either adding the filling now to the unbaked batter right just into the middle. Or after baking, than you need to make a little hole to add the filling. Your decision.

Bake for 18-22 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs attached.

At last we make the white chocolate cream cheese frosting.

In a small microwave safe bowl heat carefully the white chocolate and the cream in the microwave until melted and combine. Let it cool completely. It needs to be cold, so please be patient if not your frosting will be runny.

Beat the softened butter and the caster sugar until pale and fluffy for at least 6 minutes. It needs to be very light in color. Add the white choclate cream and beat again. Add the Cream Cheese and only beat for a short time. IMPORTANT Don’t overbeat it! only until its just combined!

Pipe the frosting on top of the cake
Enjoy

Did you make this recipe? Great tag us on Instagram @twosisterslivinglife or use our hashtag #twosisterslivinglife so we can see. Make sure to pin our recipe for later and follow us on Pinterest

Love, Antonia

Rudolph Reindeer Gingerbread Cupcakes

5 from 23 votes

Recipe by Antonia Course: christmas cupcakes, christmas desserts, Dessert, festive dessertsCuisine: American

Servings

6

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooking time

18

minutes

Calories

602

kcal

These are may favorite rudolph reindeer gingerbread cupcake filled with a delicious mulled cherry wine filling. They taste deliciously like christmas with all the spice and topped with a smooth white chocolate cream cheese frosting.

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Ingredients

• Cherry Mulled Wine Filling

• 250 g 250 cherries fresh or frozen and thawed

• 1/3 cup 1/3 sugar

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 cinnamon

• 1/4 cup 1/4 red wine or orange juice

• 2 tsp 2 cornstarch +2tbsp cold water

• Gingerbread Cupcake

• 3/4 cup 3/4 flour I've used half spelt flour and half AP flour

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 baking powder

• 1/4 tsp 1/4 baking soda

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 ground ginger

• 1/8 tsp 1/8 ground nutmeg

• 1/8 tsp 1/8 ground cloves

• 1 pinch 1 salt

• 3 tbsp 3 milk

• 1/2 stick 1/2 butter

• 1/4 cup 1/4 brown sugar

• 1 tsp 1 vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup 1/4 honey

• 2 2 eggs

• White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

• 25 g 25 white chocolate

• 25 ml 25 cream

• 50 g 50 butter soft

• 100 g 100 caster sugar

• 225 g 225 cream cheese

Directions

• Cherry Mulled wine filling
• Put all the ingredients (except cornstarch and cold water) into a pot over medium low heat until all the sugar is dissolved. Kick the heat onto medium high heat until the mixture cooks. Meanwhile in a small bowl combine cornstarch and cold water. Add to the cherry wine mixture and let it boil until it thickens. Let it stand aside to cool.
• Gingerbread Cupcakes
• In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt.
• In a bowl of an electric mixture beat the butter and the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, honey, and eggs (one at the time) until combined. Add milk alternating with flour mixture.
• Divide batter evenly onto prepared muffin pan.
• There are two option to add the filling, either adding the filling now to the unbaked batter right just into the middle. Or after baking, than you need to make a little hole to add the filling. Your decision.
• Bake for 18-22 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs attached.
• White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
• n a small microwave safe bowl heat carefully the white chocolate and the cream in the microwave until melted and combine. Let it cool completely. It needs to be cold, so please be patient if not your frosting will be runny.
• Beat the softened butter and the caster sugar until pale and fluffy for at least 6 minutes. It needs to be very light in color. Add the white choclate cream and beat again. Add the Cream Cheese and only beat for a short time. IMPORTANT Don't overbeat it! only until its just combined!
• Pipe the frosting on top of the cake 
• Enjoy

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 602kcal
• Carbohydrates: 73g
• Protein: 7g
• Fat: 32g
• Saturated Fat: 19g
• Cholesterol: 141mg
• Sodium: 340mg
• Potassium: 277mg
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 58g
• Vitamin A: 1126IU
• Vitamin C: 3mg
• Calcium: 106mg
• Iron: 2mg

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The post Rudolph Reindeer Gingerbread Cupcakes appeared first on Two Sisters Living Life.

A delicious and easy recipe for moist and fluffy carrot cake cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting.

The Carrot Cake is made of whole grain flour, brown sugar, coconut sugar, walnuts, raisins and yes carrots, but there is this secret ingredient which makes the cake extra special! Blended pineapple chunks! It makes it extra moist and delicious!

These carrot cake cupcakes are a modified version of my favorite Carrot Cake and are perfect for Easter as Easter Cupcakes with homemade bunny ears!

How to make the bunny marshmallow ears for Easter Cupcakes

• 6 Marshmallows for 12 Cupcakes
• 1 tsp dried raspberry powder
• 60 g sugar
• 1 tsp water

Whisk granulated sugar and dried raspberry powder in a small bowl. Add water and thoroughly stir until sugar is evenly coated.

This step you can omit if you only want to use the sugar for the bunny ears
Preheat the oven to 90°C. Spread the raspberry sugar mixture onto an prepared pan into an even layer. Place in the oven and turn off the heat. Let the sugar dry for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. If being used right away, the sugar doesn’t have to be completely dry, but must be stored. If there are clumps, use a rolling pin to crush into fine pieces.

Cut marshmallows in half diagonally. Immediately dip the sticky, cut side into the raspberry sugar. Position the marshmallows on the cupcakes to look like bunny ears.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe for easy Carrot Cake recipes! It’s soo delicious and perfect for sharing!

Say HELLO to us on social media <3 ! You can connect with us on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram ! We would love to see you there! #twosisterslivinglife

Love, Antonia

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

0 from 0 votes

Recipe by Antonia Course: brunch, cake, Cupcakes, DessertCuisine: American

Servings

14

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

18

minutes

Calories

443

kcal

A delicious and easy recipe for moist and fluffy carrot cake cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting.

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Ingredients

• Carrot Cake

• 3 3 eggs

• 1 cup 1 vegetable oil or 1/2 cup apple sauce + 1/2 cup oil

• 1 cup 1 blended pineapple Approximately 350g pineapple

• 2 cup 2 whole grain flour

• 1 cup 1 brown sugar

• 2 tsp 2 baking soda

• 1 tsp 1 cinnamon

• 1 cup 1 walnuts roughly chopped

• 1 cup 1 carrots shredded

• 1/2 cup 1/2 raisins

• 1/2 cup 1/2 coconut shredded

• Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 100 g 100 butter

• 170 g 170 caster sugar

• 400 g 400 cream cheese

• 4 tbsp 4 lemon juice freshly squeezed

• zest from one small lemon

Directions

• Carrot Cake
• Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liner
• In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs and the oil together and then add the blended pineapple. Stir in the flour, sugars, baking soda and cinnamon until just combined. Carefully add the walnuts, carrots, desiccated coconut and raisins and don't overmix it!
• Using an ice cream scoop or spoons, divide the batter evenly onto the cupcake liner.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean at 180°C. Let it cool completely before frosting.
• Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
• In a standing mixer beat the butter and the sugar for 5 minutes. It needs to look very light! Then add the lemon juice and the lemon zests, beat shortly. Be careful when adding the cream cheese, you should only beat it for a short time like a minute until everything is well combined. Don't overmix it because then its too runny.
• Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes and decorate with the marshmallow bunny ears

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 443kcal
• Carbohydrates: 49g
• Protein: 7g
• Fat: 26g
• Saturated Fat: 12g
• Cholesterol: 82mg
• Sodium: 329mg
• Potassium: 273mg
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 31g
• Vitamin A: 2147IU
• Vitamin C: 8mg
• Calcium: 73mg
• Iron: 2mg

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Tag @twosisterslivinglife on Instagram and hashtag it with

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If you don’t like lemon cream cheese frosting, you can find a recipe for vanilla cream cheese frosting here.

The post Carrot Cake Cupcakes appeared first on Two Sisters Living Life.

This is a classic and delicious recipe for moist and fluffy red velvet cupcakes, with the perfect balance of sweetness between chocolate cake and white chocolate frosting. Perfect for every ocation especially for valentines day!

These Red Velvet Cupcakes are based on the Red Velvet Cake which is a classic southern states cake and traditionally made of a red, red-brown or crimson colored chocolate layer cake. “Velvet” means that it’s a soft velvety crumb cake and only uses cocoa and not melted chocolate.

What kind of food coloring should I use for red velvet cupcakes?

The cake for these red velvet cupcakes wouldn’t be red without food coloring. I would recommend gel food coloring, because it’s concentrated and you need less of it. Or you could use beetroot powder like I did in this recipe, which is a natural coloring and you can find it either on Amazon or in health food stores.

How to make the chocolate lettering?

The chocolate lettering is one of the easiest decoration you could make for cake or cupcakes. Just melt 50-100g of dark chocolate and pipe the chocolate using a freezer bag on to parchment paper and let it cool in the fridge. It’s always better to make more because the chocolate lettering is very fragile. It can break very easily.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! It’s soo delicious and perfect for sharing!

Say HELLO to us on social media <3 ! You can connect with us on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram ! We would love to see you there! #twosisterslivinglife

Love, Antonia

Red Velvet Cupcakes

0 from 0 votes

Recipe by Antonia Course: cake, DessertCuisine: American

Servings

12

Prep time

1

hour 

Cooking time

18

minutes

Calories

468

kcal

This is a classic and delicious recipe for a red velvet cupcake, with a smooth white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Perfect for every ocation especially for valentines day!

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Ingredients

• 80 g 80 butter unsalted

• 150 g 150 granulated sugar

• 2 2 eggs

• 200 g 200 all-purpose flour

• 10 g 10 unsweetend cocoa powder

• 1 tbsp 1 beetroot powder natural color or use 2 tbsp red food coloring

• 1 tl 1 vanilla extract

• 180 g 180 buttermilk

• 2 tl 2 vinegar

• white chocolate cream cheese frosting

• 50 g 50 white chocolate

• 50 ml 50 cream

• 100 g 100 butter

• 200 g 200 caster sugar

• 450 g 450 cream cheese

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liner
• In a large bowl mix together the flour, cocoa powder and beetroot powder. In a smaller bowl combine vanilla extract, buttermilik and vinegar.
• Beat the softened butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, add the eggs one at the time. Now add alternately the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients and mix until everything is combined.
• Using an ice cream scoop or spoons, divide the batter evenly onto the cupcake liner.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean at 170°C. Let it cool completely before frosting.
• White Chocolate Frosting
• In a small microwave safe bowl heat carefully the white chocolate and the cream in the microwave until melted and combine. Let it cool completely. It needs to be cold, so please be patient if not your frosting will be runny.
• Beat the softened butter and the caster sugar until pale and fluffy for at least 6 minutes. It needs to be very light in color. Add the white choclate cream and beat again. Add the Cream Cheese and only beat for a short time. IMPORTANT Don't overbeat it! only until its just combined!
• Pipe the frosting on top of the cake 
• Choclate decoration
• Melt 50g dark chocolate and pipe little hearts and love or xoxo on parchment paper and let it harden in the fridge.

Notes

• If you used red food coloring and not beetroot powder than you need to add it to the buttermilk, vinegar and vanilla extract, before you add it alternately with the dry ingredients to the sugar butter-egg-mixture.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 468kcal
• Carbohydrates: 47g
• Protein: 6g
• Fat: 29g
• Saturated Fat: 17g
• Cholesterol: 109mg
• Sodium: 260mg
• Potassium: 128mg
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 34g
• Vitamin A: 1004IU
• Calcium: 76mg
• Iron: 1mg

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The post Red Velvet Cupcakes appeared first on Two Sisters Living Life.