Smashing Pumkins...literally.

I'm going to put it out there - pumpkins kick ass. I'm talking about anything pumpkin related. Not only are pumpkins the ultimate symbol of fall (and the raddest holiday in existence), but they also taste really, incredibly good. As a tribute to Daenra's upcoming birthday, I decided to experiment with my all time favorite pumpkin cupcake recipe. These little packages of awesomeness combine three of my favorite things - pumpkin, ice cream, and cupcakes. The name is a bit of tribute to one of Daenra's favs from his teenage years. Plus, in terms of British adjectives, these babies really are smashing.




For the mini-cakes, I used the Pumpkin Chocolate Cupcake recipe (sans chocolate chips) from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World in a Wilton pumpkin mini-cake pan.

The Wilton pan makes 8 pumpkin halves which you place together for 4 total pumpkins. After baking, I scooped out their guts with a regular table spoon to make a bowl shape, then filled the bowls with vanilla ice cream just before serving.


For the leaves, I molded tinted gum paste and then used food coloring diluted with vanilla extract to paint the shadows. For the vines, I wrapped strips of gum paste around lollipop sticks and let dry in place.


The frosting is cinnamon buttercream tinted orange and piped into the pumpkin crevices with a #5 tip. We were pretty excited to eat these, so please excuse the hasty piping job.

This recipe alone is probably reason enough to go out and buy the cookbook if you don't already have it. The cake comes out moist and delicate with a fine crumb - in other words, "awesome". The best part is that you literally have to smash these mini-cakes to get to the tasty ice cream center. Try it, and I guarantee that you won't be disappointed.


Inspired by: Daenra, Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan, and Autumn. Best enjoyed with Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness playing in the background. Don't worry, autumn is an annually issued passport to emo-dom, regardless of who you are. Embrace it.

x ms. s