Pumpkin Praline Cupcakes!

So this was a bundt cake recipe that I just improvised into cupcakes. They turned out incredibly well! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Praline Bundt Cake/Cupcakes

Cake

1 package yellow cake mix (no pudding)
1/2 cup oil (You can substitute applesauce. I didn't)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
3 eggs
Praline mixture (see below)
Frosting (see below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, oil, brown sugar, spices, pumpkin and water. Beat until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Pour half of mixture into greased and floured Bundt pan. Top with praline mixture; top with remaining batter. Bake 1 hour or until cake tests done with toothpick. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove to platter to finish cooling. Top with frosting and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Cupcakes

For cupcakes, I added an entire can of pumpkin, probably 1 1/2 to 2 cups. I kept the rest of the recipe the same. And then I filled the cupcake tins about 1/3 – 1/2 full of batter, plopped some praline mix on top of the batter and spread it around a little, and then added more batter. I filled the tins almost to the top, so the cupcakes turned out pretty big. It also didn’t make as many that way. The cake box said to fill them about 2/3 full. I baked them at 350 degrees about 25 minutes. Just make sure they cool all the way before putting a cheese-based frosting on them.

Praline Mixture

1/2 cup butter softened (I just melted it)
1/2 chopped pecans
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

Blend mixture until crumbly.

Frosting

1 container Mascarpone cheese
1 jar of pumpkin butter (I got this at Trader Joe's. I’m pretty sure it's seasonal, so stock up if you’re getting it!)

Blend it. (I'm going to try using only half the pumpkin butter jar next time to see if the frosting stays a little firmer).