Vanilla Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

Add a dash of delicious whimsy to your kitchen this fall with these Vanilla Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes! These little delights are not only incredibly scrumptious but also bring a dash of playfulness to your dessert table with their adorable pumpkin patch decoration made with our Almond Modeling Marzipan. Perfect for everyone because who doesn't love a vanilla cupcake!? Our Natural Vanilla Bean Artisan Flavor adds the perfect touch to these fluffy cupcakes! Get ready to wow your family and friends because though these look complicated to decorate, I promise it's as easy as a pumpkin's journey from patch to pie!

Ingredients

Pumpkins

• Amoretti® Almond Modeling Marzipan to taste
• Orange airbrush food coloring
• Brown airbrush food coloring

Cupcakes

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tbsp. Amoretti® Natural Vanilla Bean Artisan Flavor
• 1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil

Frosting

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. Amoretti® Vanilla Madagascar Bourbon Extract
• 2 tbsp. whole milk
• 1/2 tsp. green powdered color pigment 

Directions

Pumpkins

1. It is best to make your marzipan pumpkins at least 24-48 hours in advance so the color has time to dry completely.
2. Scoop out some Almond Modeling Marzipan with a spoon, warm it up in your hands and roll it out into a tube shape. 
3. Cut pieces into the sizes you would like your pumpkin to be, it is best to use varying sizes, just like you would see at a pumpkin patch.
4. Roll them into balls and gently flatten the tops and bottoms, then using a toothpick or skewer, gently press into the sides of your pumpkins creating the ridges (they don't need to be symmetrical, most pumpkins you see at a pumpkin patch aren't).
5. To make your pumpkin stems, scoop out a small amount of Almond Modeling Marzipan, roll it into a skinny tube shape and cut into varying sizes, keeping them on the smaller size.
6. Then roll in-between your fingers to create a small stem shape.
7. Using an airbrush, color the stems brown and the pumpkins orange and set aside in a cool dry place to dry for at least 24-48 hours. 

Cupcakes

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In a bowl, whisk your flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
3. Heat up your milk and butter in the microwave in bursts of 30 seconds until the butter has melted (do not let the milk boil) then cover and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat your eggs for for about 30 seconds with a hand or stand mixer on a medium high speed.
5. With the mixer still going, slowly pour in the sugar and continue beating at a high speed until the eggs have tripled in volume and have turned almost white (about 5-6 minutes).
6. Pour in your dry ingredients 1/3 at a time and stop as soon as you can't see the flour anymore (be careful not to over mix).
7. Pour your warm milk and butter into the empty flour bowl, then add the Vanilla Bean Artisan, vegetable oil, and about 3/4 of a cup of the egg batter mixture and mix until smooth. 
8. Slowly add the milk mixture into your egg batter mixture and mix on a low setting until just combined (about 20-30 seconds).
9. Pour into your muffin tin filling about 2/3-3/4 of the way full and bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden or a toothpick comes out clean then set aside to cool.

Frosting

1. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix together your butter with one cup of powdered sugar at a time. 
2. Add in the Vanilla Madagascar Bourbon Extract, milk and food color and mix until completely combined and there are no lumps. 
3. Place the frosting into a piping bag with your preferred grass piping tip.

Assembly

1. Once your cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe on your grass by holding the piping bag about 1/8th of an inch away from the cupcake and pulling straight up. Repeat this step starting from the outside of your cupcake working in a circle towards the center.
2. Once you have covered your cupcakes in the buttercream grass, place your dried marzipan pumpkins on top however you please. 
3. Now serve and enjoy!