CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

When Fall rolls around, I love everything 'pumpkin' and 'spice'.  I wanted to make some cupcakes and was going to resort to spiced cupcakes, but decided to add a 'Fall" twist with frosting instead.  We ended up with chocolate cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting….perfectly chocolate with just a hint of spice!

When I make cupcakes, I usually use a box mix-just being honest.  I love the texture and you can't beat the ease of adding a handful of ingredients and turning on the mixer!  I almost always have cream cheese on hand, so these little babies took no time at all!  Below is the recipe, if you can even call it that…..Enjoy!!

RECIPE

Chocolate Fudge cake mix-prepare cupcakes per box instructions.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting-

8 oz. package of cream cheese, room temp.

1/4 cup of unsalted butter, room temp.

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. of vanilla

2-3 cups of powered sugar, depending on desired consistency.  

With a hand held, or stand mixer, mix cream cheese and butter together until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Garnish with dried cranberries or anything else that sounds good!

BOSTOM CREAM PIE CUTIES || mine aren't so 'cute' but they taste really good

Last Friday night we came home from a friend's house to find a little plate of these Boston Cream Pie Cuties at our front door.  My mom had made some for a friend and dropped a few extra by.  Would you believe that my tummy was still quite full from dinner AND dessert and I managed to have two of these cuties??  They are so good!

I made a batch a few days ago and that was a bad decision!  Mine don't look nearly as cute as my mom's did, but these little cuties taste soooo good!  Hopefully you have better self control than I do ;-)  Either way, here is the recipe!

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg.  (2-layer size) yellow cake mix

1 pkg.  (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1 cup  cold milk

1-1/2 cups  thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided

1 pkg.  (4 oz.) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

DIRECTIONS

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

PREPARE cake batter and bake as directed on package for 20 cupcakes. Cool completely.

BEAT pudding mix and milk with whisk 2 min. Let stand 5 min. Meanwhile, use serrated knife to cut cupcakes horizontally in half. Whisk 1/2 cup COOL WHIP into pudding; spoon onto bottom halves of cupcakes, using about 1 Tbsp. for each. Cover with cupcake tops.

MICROWAVE remaining COOL WHIP and chocolate in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until blended. Let stand 15 min.; spread onto cupcakes. Refrigerate 15 min.

TIPS::

ONLY MAKE 20 CUPCAKES (instead of 24)

HOW TO CUT CUPCAKES IN HALF~Use a serrated knife to easily cut the cupcakes in half.

SPECIAL EXTRA~Serve frosted cupcakes in colorful paper muffin cups.

Enjoy!!!