Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes:

1 box German Chocolate Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup pumpkin puree
1-1/4 cups milk
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
5 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3 TBS milk  (I use evaporated)
green or brown and orange food coloring if desired

1.  To make cupcakes: preheat oven to 325℉. Line two cupcake pans with cupcake liners.  Set aside.   In the bowl of a stand mixer add cake mix, butter, eggs, milk, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice.  Mix on medium speed for two minutes, scraping down sides as needed.

2.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Fill lined cupcake pans with batter (About 3 Tablespoons batter each).  Bake at 325℉ for about 20 minutes.  Let cool completely.

3.  To make frosting:  Beat cream cheese and butter together.  Add powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice and milk and mix until fluffy, smooth, and fully incorporated.

4.  If desired remove 4 Tablespoons of frosting and tint green or brown for pumpkin stem.  To remaining frosting tint orange if desired.

5.  If desired place the orange frosting in a piping bag with a 2D tip and pipe stripes on the cupcakes.  Start at top and pipe about four lines down each cupcake. (2 stripes around the edges and 2 in center).
Apply the stem with tip #66 if desired or just pipe a little stem at top.

From Created by Diane