Pumpkin Cupcakes

(I made these yesterday for my dorm’s Halloween progressive, but since I was too lazy to make frosting I passed them off as muffins).

I hope you all had as an exciting a Halloween as I did.  Our progressive was a smashing success – so much so that apparently it had to get broken up by the dorm staff.  At my school the highlight of Halloween is the Mausoleum Party, which is held at, you guessed it, the burial site of the school’s founders.  An irreverent tradition, yes, but nonetheless epic.  It was pretty chilly though so I didn’t stay too long.  I was sad when the night was over and the reality of imminent papers and midterms came crashing down Sunday morning (a weekly tradition, it seems).

Recipe (adapted from the Sweet Autumn Pumpkin Cake courtesy of Recipezaar):

• 1 C cane sugar
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1/2 C maple syrup
• 2 1/2 C all purpose flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground cloves
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t salt

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a muffin tin with liners.

Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together oil, syrup, and sugar until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and dry ingredients a little at a time, alternating between each, and beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in vanilla.

Fill liners 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Yields about 18 cupcakes.