autumn spice cupcakes

This is for all of you who were lucky enough to taste the scrumptious cupcakes at my wedding last month. They were INSANELY delicious! And much to everyone's surprise they were also gluten-free, soy-free and corn-free. I accosted our wedding coordinator after one bite of those tasty treats and requested that she immediately box up a bunch and deliver them to the honeymoon suite for me to enjoy later on. By the time I took my last bite of those cupcakes I was determined to replicate the recipe once I got home. And not only have I stumbled upon a pretty much spot-on version of them, I think I may have made them even better with the addition of a maple buttercream frosting (using the leftovers of the Vermont pure maple syrup we gave our wedding guests as part of the welcome bags we put in their hotel rooms).

I made them gluten-free at home, just like at the wedding, so I cannot speak for the deliciousness of the regular flour version. I'd wager they are just as delicious so feel free to substitute. In addition to substituting gluten-free flour for the regular flour, I also used raw cane sugar and low-fat buttermilk instead of regular sugar and full fat buttermilk. Also, I did not use the chopped nuts or cocoa powder for garnish (as indicated in the recipe).

You can find the recipe that I adapted from the Food Network's Paula Deen here: Spice Cake. This is for a Spice Cake, instead of cupcakes, but it works all the same. Simply ignore the directions regarding layering.

The best part of my version of the cupcakes was the frosting I added. Here is my recipe:

Maple Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter
3 cup confectioners sugar
6 tablespoon real, pure maple syrup

Thoroughly cream butter and sugar, adding maple syrup until light and spreadable.

I used my KitchenAid for both the cupcakes, and frosting....perfection. Enjoy!