Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese

If you know me, you know I love CUPCAKES! I love to bake them, eat them and collect anything that has to do with them! I guess you can say I get it from my grandmother's... LaVina Lillian Foti & Ellen Kathryn Canham...Now you can see where I get my name from! These two ladies are AMAZING...

I took the time today to bake my first cupcake recipe from scratch...That's right, the secret is out, I've always used a box...but this time, with all my free time, I decided to go from scratch, like my grandmother's have done. My first thought, Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting...YUM!

I figured, why not, Thanksgiving is right around the corner, might as well give it a shot. So I did... But first, I had to get all the necessary ingredients...Never have I bought so many spices; Nutmeg, Ginger, Allspice, Cinnamon (ok, maybe cinnamon), but still, I was branching out. Then I had to get the Flour, Baking Soda, and Baking Powder...Let's just say it took me a while in the baking aisle at Target.

As I start with my 2 cups of flour, I move on to the "Teaspoon" of all the spices, baking powder and baking soda...Even though I read "teaspoon" a ton of times, I still poured a "Tablespoon"...Can you guess what I did next? Yup, through out that mix and started all over...The next time around, I got it right...After mixing and dirtying tons of dishes and utensils, I finally got the cupcake batter and frosting made and ready for baking...20 minutes later, the cupcakes were fresh out of the oven and my apartment smelled like both my grandmother's kitchens!

My final product!!! TA-DA!!!

A Pumpkin Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Chocolate Sprinkles

& a French Vanilla Waffer

I enjoyed the time it took for me to make these...Most of all, I thought about my grandma Foti...She loved to bake...Most of all, I think she enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, showing them how to bake just the way she did. Granted, the last time I baked with her, I was 8 years old, but i'll never forget the batch of lemon cookies she let me cook without the pecans (I don't like pecans). I enjoyed baking with her and would give anything for one more day with her in the kitchen!

Grandma LaVina Lillian Foti

Now with Grandma Ellen Kathryn Canham, I am still fortunate enough to spend time in the kitchen with her and learn more ways of the baking world...With Grandma Canham, when I was a young girl, she used to show me how to create frosting roses, flowers and decorations for cakes. Boy was that tough, but she always had the best looking decorations for the cakes she made. I remember as a kid, sneaking in to the sewing room (Grandma & Grandpa Canham named the rooms they had in there California home) and getting into her tupperware boxes that had the frosting candies. Some tasted great where they melted in your mouth, and some were definitely meant for just show. But grandma was sure good at it.

Grandma Ellen Kathryn Canham

Bet you're wondering how I got blessed with two great grandmother's that both cook and bake really good...Well Grandma Foti taught Grandma Canham a lot about the cake decoratig and baking world. Lucky me, I got to learn from both! I only hope to continue to learn a lot more so that when I become a mother and a grandmother, I'll be able to pass on to my children and grandchildren the baking machines we are meant to be! 

So what's my next cupcake going to be? Don't know yet...Any suggestions?