October is the official start of my baking season (yes I realize it’s November, but I’ve been too busy baking to blog!).  The kitchen is no longer excessively warm, every fall recipe just begs for cinnamon and nutmeg; and apples, pears, and pumpkins are in abundance at the farmers’ market.  In response to the awesome feedback to my bourbon cream cheese, and coffee liqeur icing on their respective peach and chocolate cupcakes, I decided to explore my options with rum and pumpkin.

I adapted the following recipe from Love and Olive Oil

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Buttercream Rum Icing

Cupcakes:
14 oz. packed pumpkin (canned or cooked yourself)
1/3 cup applesauce
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ginger
1 teaspoon Xanthan gum
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla soy milk

Preheat Oven to 350

In a medium bowl, stir together pumpkin, applesauce, sugar, soymilk, and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, and spices. Once combined, fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill liners 2/3 full. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, cream butter. Add 1/2 cup confectioners sugar and mix until smooth. Add rum (to taste) and cinnamon, and slowly mix. Continue adding sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well between additions. Continue to beat until light and fluffy. If frosting is too thick, add a bit of soymilk to thin it out. If too thin, add more sugar and continue to beat until it is the right consistency.