Martha's Pumpkin Cupcakes

My boyfriend, Steve, is in an all-male a cappella singing group, the Harvard Din & Tonics. These guys are truly wonderful - they have the best voices ever and are total sweethearts. I'm lucky enough to have the honorary position of "Din Mom" as Steve's girlfriend and probably their biggest groupie. My duties include coming to all their concerts, loving them as if they were my babies... I even went on part of their world tour with them this summer. One of my most important jobs, though, is to feed them during their "hell week," the week leading up to their big concert of the semester. This week is hell week, and the poor guys have rehearsal from 6pm to midnight every day until their concert on Saturday (which I can't wait for!).

Tonight I decided to bake the lovely Dins some scrumptious pumpkin cupcakes. I got this idea into my head and ultimately decided on Martha Stewart's recipe (when it comes to baking, Martha often knows best, am I right?). When I took these cupcakes over to the Dins' rehearsal tonight, the cupcakes disappeared in about 10 seconds flat. They're light, fluffy, pumpkiny, everything I imagined they would be. I even made some home-made cream cheese frosting that was, literally, the icing on the cake.

Martha Stewart's Pumpkin Cupcakes
(makes 18-24, depending on size)

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. coarse salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (or freshly grated if you've got it)
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 c. light brown sugar
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 2 sticks (1 c.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before icing.

Martha's Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
• 1 c. confectioner's sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Put cream cheese into a large mixing bowl and soften with a spatula. Gradually add the butter, beating until smooth. Continue beating while you gradually sift in the confectioner's sugar. Finally, add vanilla, and beat until smooth and fluffy.