Giada's Pumpkin Cupcakes Are Easy Enough to Make Any Night of the Week
Whether you have no time to spend in the kitchen or are just feeling worn out during a long week, one thing is for sure—easy recipes are the only way to go. We're spending this autumn making some of our favorites, from vegetarian dinners to fall pasta dishes. And as luck would have it, Giada De Laurentiis just posted one of the easiest pumpkin dessert recipes we've ever seen, so the season just got a lot sweeter.
De Laurentiis's blog, Giadzy, posted the recipe on Instagram with a sentiment we have to agree with: bring on the pumpkin! These petite cupcakes start with a box of Betty Crocker French vanilla cake mix (buy it: $1.49 at Target), so it only takes a few minutes to whip up this simple cake batter. De Laurentiis suggests using a hand mixer to combine the cake mix, pumpkin purée, milk, oil, eggs and pumpkin pie spice.
Once the batter is mixed and your mini muffin tin is lined with paper liners, the little cakes bake for just 10 to 12 minutes before they're nice and golden. (De Laurentiis suggests using a small cookie scoop to take the guesswork out of how much cake batter should go in one liner. This one from OXO should do the trick without breaking the bank.) The cakes should cool for at least 30 minutes, and you can leave the cakes in the pan for the first 10.
As the cakes cool, you can get started on the whipped chocolate frosting. Confectioner's sugar, sour cream, butter, cream cheese and unsweetened cocoa powder make up the quick frosting. You may want to prep your butter and cream cheese before the cupcakes go into the oven, as the recipe calls for those ingredients to be at room temperature.
Once the frosting is ready and the cakes are cooled to room temperature, you can grab your spatula and ice the cupcakes to your heart's content. For an added bonus, the recipe suggests using fall-themed sprinkles to add a little extra pizazz to your treats.
If you're looking for a sweet treat to whip up for game day or a low-effort baking project for a lazy afternoon or weekend, these cupcakes are perfect candidates. The recipe yields 36 sweets, and each cupcake contains just 88 calories, which makes them an easy low-calorie dessert.
Commenters were quick to chime in on the post from Giadzy, heralding the start of gourd season with pumpkin emojis and good humor. "Whoa," one commenter wrote. "These are the answer to all my problems.🦇 ❤" We doubt a cupcake could solve all our problems—but it's worth a shot.