Page 281 - Cupcakes

2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2½ to 3 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon pure orange extract (see “the Cupcake Doctor says”)

3 drops yellow food coloring
1 drop red food coloring

24 green gumdrops or Dots candy, cut in bite-size pieces for the stem (see “the
Cupcake Doctor says”)

the CupcakeDoctor says...

This recipe makes more cupcakes than most other recipes in the book
because each Bundt mold holds less batter than regular cupcake pan cups. If
you bake this recipe in regular cupcake pans with paper Halloween liners
(no greasing or flouring is necessary), it will make 24 cupcakes; bake for
about 18 minutes.
For the glaze, you can omit the orange extract and opt for a fresher orange
taste by adding 1 teaspoon grated orange zest and using orange juice instead
of the milk. I found the Summerville Green Apple Candy Bites that I bought
at Target really resembled pumpkin stems.

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a

pastry brush, grease the Bundt muffin pans with vegetable oil shortening and
dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set pans aside.

2. Prepare the cupcake batter: Place the cake mix, canned pumpkin, oil, milk,
eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an
electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down
the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium

and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. Spoon or
scoop 3 tablespoons batter into each prepared pan, filling it two thirds of the way
full. (You will get between 34 and 36 pumpkins.) Place the pans in the oven.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they are golden and spring back when lightly pressed
with your finger, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place
them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. (Leave the oven on if baking in