Cupcakes, the new Thanksgiving dessert!

Okay, so we all know I couldn't do my posts for Thanksgiving without telling you about all of the fabulous cupcake recipes that I found that are { PERFECT } for the upcoming holiday!!

And BTW...  can you believe that it's only 9 days until THANKSGIVING?!?! 

Here they are.  Some yummy. delicious. decadent. cupcakes that you will practically drool over while just reading this post, I promise.

{ WARNING! Prepare for pumpkin overload. }

How about these fabulous Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes by Une Deux Senses, could the pumpkin pie frosting be anymore perfect?!?!  Get the recipe here. 

If you're a fan of Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte then you surely will love these Pumpkin Spice Latte cupcakes created by Annie's Eats.  Get the recipe here and enjoy!

These delicate beauties are from the amazing Sprinkle Bakes, can you say Pumpkin Brown Butter cupcakes topped with Cinnamon frosting = YUM!!  Get the recipe here.  

The wonderful combination of these cupcakes would be a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving dessert line-up...  Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream.   Get the recipe here from Made in Melissa's Kitchen.

In case you can't quite give up the usual pumpkin pie then this cupcake is a starter...  Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Buttercream.  You can find the recipe here from Bake it in a Cake.

And for those of you who might not love pumpkin as much as I do...  don't worry this recipe is perfect for you...  Maple Cupcakes topped with real maple syrup, get the recipe here from Country Living

Or if you aren't quite sure about taking the jump to cupcakes, how about a cake in the shape of a pumpkin.  Here's the recipe and directions for putting it together, provided by Half Baked The Cake Blog  

Last, but not least some fun cupcakes that could replace your Thanksgiving dinner...  well maybe not.

Here's to a wonderful Thanksgiving for everyone with your family and friends!

Thanksgiving touches { Inspiration. Inspired } Part 2

How's about some inspiration for decorating around the house for Thanksgiving?!?!  If you aren't up for the go-all-out approach with your tablesetting then here are some ideas on little touches of Thanksgiving you can do instead.

Add a frame and you've got a great addition to your mantle.

A collection of pumpkins/gourds would look festive at your front door.

A beautiful wreath for your front door by Saffron Fields design studio on Etsy.  I just { LOVE } the colors and the glittery pears!!

Add a simple and colorful bunting to your table/mantle/anywhere you want.  You can find the DIY project for this garland at A Beautiful Mess Blog.

Another printable to put in a frame, this time with words of fall and Thanksgiving.  Get the free printable here from Betty Crocker {wannabe}.

And to decorate your dessert... I found this adorable Autumn Garland on Etsy from Potter + Butler.  I think the fabric poms would look just PERFECT on this Snickerdoodle Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream, get the recipe for this scrumptious cake here by Foodie with Family.   

Our you could make some cupcakes that look like pumpkins.

{ Simply add frosting to the cupcake in a dome shape, roll it in sprinkles so that it completely covers (or cover in M&Ms), then use the back of a butterknife to make the indents and then add the end of a chubby pretzel to the top. }

Here's another printable for those who { LOVE } cranberry sauce...  specifically that which comes from a can (or at least love commenting every Thanksgiving about where the canned stuff is)...  **pointing finger at you Dad**

Get the printable here, courtesy of Scene of the Grime.



Until next time, enjoy!

{ My FAVES } Frosting.

The frosting makes the cake...  or cupcake in my case!  There are so many to choose from, there's buttercream (italian, french or the "original"/American that most people are familiar with), whipped cream, royal icing, vegan frosting, fondant, ganache, etc...  the options are endless.

Personally I prefer an icing that isn't overly sugary, otherwise I just scrape off the icing to enjoy the cake...  and that's what I've done for many years.  That was until I tried a cupcake from The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co in Seattle, it was a Boston Cream Pie cupcake and it was delicious!  The next day I searched the internet for a hint as to what kind of frosting they use... it was a buttery, sweet frosting that I'd never had before, I had to know what type it was so that I could make it for my cupcakes!!  After a little searching I found my answer... ITALIAN BUTTERCREAM.  Next came finding a recipe for Italian buttercream and that's when I found Cake Journal, a wonderful blog about cake decorating, and the perfect recipe for Italian Meringue Buttercream also know as IMBC.

Picture courtesy of Cake Journal, IMBC.

You can find the recipe for this lucious, decadent fosting here.


Here are a couple of frostings that I've made and the recipes...

Mascarpone & Whipped Cream frosting { perfect for Tiramisu cupcakes }

Vegan Whipped frosting { courtesy of Chef Chloe, Cupcakes War award winning recipe }

Do you have a favorite frosting?  Maybe a favorite cake?



ENJOY!

Love,
Steph