Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Spice Cupcakes

I finally made a decision and made these cupcakes for my office on Halloween instead of brain cupcakes... I was going to fill them and didn't want them to get soggy overnight. I didn't think I could be creative enough first thing in the morning to make the frosting look like brains, so I opted for pumpkins. These cupcakes turned out yummo!! and I've been asked for the recipe... I shared a link in an earlier post going to the original recipe, but you know me.... I just had to tweak the recipe a bit. And these turned out to be some of the BEST cupcakes I"ve every made..... it all kind of happened by accident. First off, it called for a boxed cake mix all chocolate. Well all I had was white cake mixes except  1/2 a box of triple chocolate fudge and 1/2 a box of yellow cake mix (the kind with butter).... long story behind those, but I will try to shorten it. Did you know you can make a 1 layer cake with 1/2 a cake mix by measuring out the dry mix into a bowl, then measure 1/2 of it back into the box.... and following the directions on the back using only 1/2 of each ingredient called for. I like to make 1 layer cakes sometimes if I'm just feeding my family, and sometimes you like a double layer cake with 1 layer chocolate and 1 layer yellow.... anyway... that is what I had, and what I used. And it was a bonus since my triple chocolate cake mix had mini chocolate chips in them!! Ha! I also replaced the milk with eggnogg. Then I filled mine with vanilla pudding that I tweaked with pumpkin pie spice. I made the frosting the same as the original recipe... and Voila! YUMMY cupcakes!!

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Spice Cupcakes
1/2 box Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake mix
1/2 box Yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups Eggnog
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup mini chocolate chips(only if your cake mix doesn't already have them in it, mine did)
Place cake mix, room temperature butter, eggs and milk, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice into mixing bowl and mix on medium speed for two minutes, scrape down sides after one minute. Stir in chocolate chips. Use a large scoop (3 Tablespoon size) it helps them to all come out in a uniform shape, into your lined cupcake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched in the center. Let cool completely.

For Filling:
1 small package instant vanilla pudding
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin pie spice
Mix pudding according to the Pie filling directions (that way it's a bit thicker) and stir in the pumpkin pie spice. Fill your cupcakes. (you can scoop out a little of the cake and fill, when you ice them it covers up the hole.)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
5 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3 Tablespoons eggnogg
Beat cream cheese and sugar then add powdered sugar pumpkin pie spice and milk and mix until fully blended together and fluffy (I like to whip mine for 2 minutes after everything is incorporated). Remove 4 Tablespoons frosting for the stems, add two drops of  green food coloring. Add a drop or two of Orange food coloring to the remaining frosting

I placed the orange frosting in a piping bag with a #2D tip and started piping the pumpkins. Begin at the top of each cupcakes and pipe down three lines one on each outer edge and one down the center. Then pipe two additional lines in the spaces in between the other three. Apply the green stems with tip #66.
or ice as desired!!
Enjoy!!