Putting the Treat in Trick or Treat: A Halloween Delight

Hello everyone!  We're getting pretty close to October now, meaning we're coming up on on the greatest holiday of this season:  Halloween!  I've included a recipe I discovered a few years ago to get you into the spirit of Fall.  As a lover of all things festive, I instantly tried it out, and the result was a delicious set of spiced cupcakes with just a hint of citrus.  A perfect addition to any Halloween party!  (And why not if you live in France - November 1st is a holiday!)  

Halloween Cupcakes

For the mixture 

1 egg

70g metlted salted butter

8cl milk 

200g mashed pumpkin 

75g dried fruit 

140g flour

50g sugar

1 packet vanilla sugar

1 packet dry yeast

2 tblsps rum

1 pinch of salt 

For the icing

220g sugar

powdered sugar (if needed)

½ orange zest

½ lemon zest

4 tblsps orange or lemon juice

orange and black Halloween candies (for the decoration)

1.  Preheat the oven to 180C (th.6).  Cut the dried fruit into small pieces.  In a bowl, mix the egg, melted butter, rum, and milk.  

2.  In another mixing bowl, blend the flour, yeast, sugar, vanilla sugar and the pinch of salt.   Add in to the previous mixture, then the pumpkin mash and the dried fruit bits.  

3.  Line your muffin tin with the cupcake papers, then fill them up two-thirds of the way.  Cook for 25-30 minutes.  

4.  During this time, prepare the icing:  Mix the sugar with the citrus zests, then add the orange or lemon juice.  Wait one minute for the juice to lightly melt the sugar, then mix with a spatula.  If the mixture seems too liquid, add a little bit of powdered sugar until the texture is thick enough.

5.  Ice your cupcakes by dipping them dircetly into the icing or by coating them with a spatula.  Decorate them with the Halloween candy and wait about 30 minutes before serving.

Blend the ingredients without working the mixture too hard, otherwise it may become a bit elastic.

-extract from Cupcakes by Esterelle Payany