Guest Post: Stuffed maple vanilla spice cupcakes from Feed Me, Seymour

So far, November has been an absolute blur for me. I've had some significant family events happen this month, and I need to spend some time with my loved ones right now. As a result, I need to step away from the blog this week, but I have some fabulous friends who have generously offered to do guest posts for me while I'm away.

Today, my friend Kim from Feed Me, Seymour is sharing her stuffed maple vanilla spice cupcakes with us. Kim and I "met" in an online cooking forum and interact with each other almost daily. I hope to meet her one day and convince her to bake me some of her Harry Potter butterbeer cupcakes.  While I'm trying to accomplish that, here is Kim!

Sometimes, I get on these kicks where I want to make the same things over and over again. For a while, it might be risotto. Then I might change my mind and become obsessed with mac and cheese. Either way, I end up with thirty different kinds of something. Lately, it's been cupcakes. 

I rustled up the idea for these cupcakes back in the beginning of fall, when it was still warm outside. Now, the weather has changed and it constantly smells like charcoal and burning leaves outside. The best kind of smell, if you ask me. These cupcakes are perfect for this time of year. The cake itself stays simple, just a classic vanilla cupcake. The icing and the filling? That's where we jazz things up a bit. 

The filling is a cream cheese filling that's been spiced with all kinds of goodness. A little bit of cinnamon and a little big of nutmeg go a long way, making the filling spicy and warm. The icing? Oh, that's the crown jewel here. It's a traditional buttercream base that's been fancied up with maple syrup. Because fall means maple flavors just as much as it means pumpkin flavors. There must be maple in fall. And so, maple and vanilla and spice come together for a fun, tasty little cupcake. 

I knew I wanted to share these with Eva and her readers. Eva is obviously a baker, and a great one. So the dessert I picked had to be good. It had to at least come to close to some of her tasty treats. I think I succeeded here in at least coming somewhat close! 

Ingredients

For cupcakes:
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup milk

For filling: 
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature
4 Tbsp. powdered sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

For icing:
2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbsp. maple syrup
splash of vanilla

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside. In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bwl and beat in vanilla. Add flour and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Divide batter evenly among the liners, about 3/4 to the top. Bake until cupcakes are golden and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Set aside on a baking rack to cool completely. 

To make the filling: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until well mixed. Take a knife and cut out a small circle from the center of the cake. Discard the center portion. Use a spoon and spoon the filling into each cupcake. 

To make the icing: Beat butter until fluffy. Add in sugar, maple syrup and splash of vanilla. Beat until completely incorporated. Add in a splash of cream if the icing seems to thick. Transfer the icing into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe roses on top of the cupcakes, covering the filling

Serves 12

So far, November has been an absolute blur for me. I've had some significant family events happen this month, and I need to spend some time with my loved ones right now. As a result, I need to step away from the blog this week, but I have some fabulous friends who have generously offered to do guest posts for me while I'm away.

Today, my friend Kim from Feed Me, Seymour is sharing her stuffed maple vanilla spice cupcakes with us. Kim and I "met" in an online cooking forum and interact with each other almost daily. I hope to meet her one day and convince her to bake me some of her Harry Potter butterbeer cupcakes.  While I'm trying to accomplish that, here is Kim!

Sometimes, I get on these kicks where I want to make the same things over and over again. For a while, it might be risotto. Then I might change my mind and become obsessed with mac and cheese. Either way, I end up with thirty different kinds of something. Lately, it's been cupcakes. 

I rustled up the idea for these cupcakes back in the beginning of fall, when it was still warm outside. Now, the weather has changed and it constantly smells like charcoal and burning leaves outside. The best kind of smell, if you ask me. These cupcakes are perfect for this time of year. The cake itself stays simple, just a classic vanilla cupcake. The icing and the filling? That's where we jazz things up a bit. 

The filling is a cream cheese filling that's been spiced with all kinds of goodness. A little bit of cinnamon and a little big of nutmeg go a long way, making the filling spicy and warm. The icing? Oh, that's the crown jewel here. It's a traditional buttercream base that's been fancied up with maple syrup. Because fall means maple flavors just as much as it means pumpkin flavors. There must be maple in fall. And so, maple and vanilla and spice come together for a fun, tasty little cupcake. 

I knew I wanted to share these with Eva and her readers. Eva is obviously a baker, and a great one. So the dessert I picked had to be good. It had to at least come to close to some of her tasty treats. I think I succeeded here in at least coming somewhat close! 

Ingredients

For cupcakes:
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup milk

For filling: 
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature
4 Tbsp. powdered sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

For icing:
2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbsp. maple syrup
splash of vanilla

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside. In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bwl and beat in vanilla. Add flour and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Divide batter evenly among the liners, about 3/4 to the top. Bake until cupcakes are golden and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Set aside on a baking rack to cool completely. 

To make the filling: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until well mixed. Take a knife and cut out a small circle from the center of the cake. Discard the center portion. Use a spoon and spoon the filling into each cupcake. 

To make the icing: Beat butter until fluffy. Add in sugar, maple syrup and splash of vanilla. Beat until completely incorporated. Add in a splash of cream if the icing seems to thick. Transfer the icing into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe roses on top of the cupcakes, covering the filling

Serves 12