Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

 YELLOW CUPCAKES WITH RASPBERRY FILLING and VANILLA CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

I'm not going to write down the recipe for the cupcakes because, well, I just used a box of cake mix and made them according to the package directions. Oh, but I did add some raspberry filling that made them oh so good.

FROSTING
1/2 C butter, room temperature
8oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 C powdered sugar
1-4 TBSP heavy cream or whole milk

*Combine all ingredients in electric mixer. Cream together until well combined and fluffy. About 3 minutes. If you are piping it you don't want to add too much milk or it will be too runny.

RED VELVET CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

*If you are making carrot cake cupcakes or red velvet I would recommend adding an additional 8oz of cream cheese and a little more powdered sugar if needed.

Pumpkin Angel Food Cake

PUMPKIN ANGEL FOOD CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

I had to make a dessert for our family dinner on Sunday and decided to try a new recipe. New recipes are always a little risky but this one seemed easy enough. The original recipe called for a ginger cream frosting, but when I think of pumpkin I automatically think it needs cream cheese frosting. I followed the cake recipe.

CAKE
1 (1 lb) box white angel food cake mix
1 TBSP all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 C canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 C cold water

*Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, mix all ingredients together with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Pour into ungreased 10-inch angel food cake pan. Bake 35-45 minutes or until crust is dark golden brown and cracks are dry (I baked it for 37). Immediately turn pan upside down on glass jar and let cool completely (about 2 hours). Loosen cake from side and bottom of pan by running a knife between cake and pan. Turn cake upside down on serving plate. Cut in half with serrated knife.

When the cake came out I was surprised that it rise as much as an angel food cake normally does. I should have figured it wouldn't since the pumpkin is dense. Here's the cake just out of the oven.

The cake flipped upside down and cut in half.

Now it's time for the icing. I would totally change this next time. But this is how I made it.

ICING
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP shortening
4 1/2 C powdered sugar
3 TBSP milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
*Beat everything together with an electric mixer until it is smooth and creamy.

All mixed up

Then I iced the cake

After I iced the cake I just sprinkled a little pumpkin pie spice to make it look a little more finished. The cake was tasty. It tasted like pumpkin. It tasted like angel food cake. But I have to say the cake was good, but not great. When I taste pumpkin treats I think I just expect them to be more dense and this was really light.

WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENT

First, I would have added a little more pumpkin pie spice to the cake to give it more of a pumpkin flavor. As far as the icing, I was way off. I was trying to make a lot because I was afraid I was going to run out. I would have done less powdered sugar. Like maybe 2 1/2 to 3 cups. Less milk to match the powdered sugar of course. If I wanted to give it a more pumpkin flavor I might have even added some pumpkin pie spice to it. I also think it didn't need that much icing. The icing was really sweet so I probably wouldn't cut it in half and ice the middle. Just ice the outside.

I'd probably make it again, just make it a little different. It just wasn't a must have dessert.