unwritten rules

You're not supposed to wear white after Labor Day, but why not? It's an unwritten rule that really has no basis in our society anymore. There's another rule that everyone seems to follow for no apparent reason--even though it's widely available year-round, you rarely see pumpkin used as an ingredient until fall officially begins.

Well, glory be, fall is here! Scrolling through my reader yesterday after a few days away revealed that about 50% of the posts I missed were pumpkin-focused, and that may be understating it. It's as if all bloggers were patiently sitting on their pumpkin recipes, just waiting for fall to begin. I, of course, wouldn't do anything like that. I do what I want, rebelling against social norms at every opportunity.*

*That's a lie.

These cupcakes are delicious and will even please those among you who are on the fence about pumpkin. There's enough other stuff going on (like, say, fluffy cinnamon-scented whipped cream) to mute the flavor of the pumpkin, but not so much that you weird pumpkin-lovers won't still be appeased. I liked the cream cheese frosting on these, but it needed a little something. A hint of maple might be nice, or even the tiniest pinch of ginger, nutmeg, or cloves to tie everything together.

My contribution to the onslaught of pumpkin recipes is hereby complete.

Bandwagon-Boarding Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Makes 16 cupcakes
Cupcakes:

• 2 cups cake flour, sifted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1-1/4 cups brown sugar, tightly packed
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)

Filling:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream, cold
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices; set aside.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, beating until just combined. Add the pumpkin; beat until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.
To make the filling, simply whip the cream and sugar until stiff, then blend in the cinnamon.
To make the frosting, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter until smooth, then add the cream cheese and beat until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add the sugar then the vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
To fill the cupcakes, carve out a cone-shaped hole and squirt the cinnamon whipped cream inside. Apply frosting generously to the cupcakes and, after giving the components a few minutes to mingle, zealously partake.