Now that I’m single and being thrown into the dating world like a helpless rag doll, I am seeking advice high and low from anywhere I can get it. I haven’t really had the chance to be in the adult dating world yet, and I’m finding that honestly, it’s not all that it’s cracked out to be thus far.
Who knew there were so many rules?! Not I.
And knowing me, rule-breaker extraordinaire, I don’t take well to people telling me what I can and can’t do in fear I’ll scare someone away.
Um, if just looking at me doesn’t scare them away, I’m pretty sure texting them immediately afterwards won’t. Right? Please say yes.
Cause this whole “feigning disinterest” thing is really not my jam. If I like someone, I want to show them and tell them. That doesn’t mean I start decorating their car with stuffed animals and call them names like ‘pookie’, but it just means that yeah, I’m enthusiastic to text them back and yeah, I do want to hang out this Saturday. What’s the big deeeeeeeal?
And the whole “you can’t text them immediately back” thing is totally not cool. You mean to tell me that I can’t text someone immediately after they text me? What kind of sadist came up with these lame-ass rules? Clearly it was not a woman, as I am all about the immediate response. And also, they must have had the patience of a friggin’ angel, because I am basically punching the keyboard on my phone because I can’t get my reply sent fast enough. Psycho? Maybe. But I’m deffffff not going to wait three hours to respond because no one in real life does that. Do they? Plus, I don’t want him to think whatever he last said to me wasn’t interesting or cool enough for me to reply to, because other people worry about that don’t they? DON”T THEY?
I don’t know, I guess I’m a straight-shootin’ kinda girl who tells it like it is and doesn’t hide who she is. I’ve never been one to conform to the rules of dating or the rules of well, anything, so it’s no surprise that these ‘dating secrets’ are kind of troubling me. Why can’t we all just get coffee tonight at six and talk about our favorite pizza toppings? People still do that, right? Crap, the elementary school game M*A*S*H clearly taught me nothing.
Anywho, straight-shooters don’t like to sugarcoat anything (except actual sugary-coated food-related items), so I’m gonna tell you like it is. These are your normal pumpkin spice cupcakes with a not-so-normal frosting. And they break pleeeeenty of rules, y’all. Pie inside of frosting? Shut up. So fetch.
I don’t know about you, but these cupcakes want a date tonight.
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch nutmeg
- FOR FROSTING:
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream or milk
- 1 (32 oz) bag powdered sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of pumpkin pie spice
- About ⅓ of a prepared pumpkin pie (likewise, you could also use those pumpkin hand pies that are like a dollar at the store, or the Lil Debbie pumpkin "cookies" which are basically pumpkin pies, or miniature pumpkin pies at Trader Joe's), roughly chopped into smallish pieces -- you want around a cup total
- Caramel sauce
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners; set aside. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, oil, eggs, pumpkin & spices with an electric mixer and beat until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes.
- Evenly portion the batter among the muffin cups, filling about ¾ths full. Bake for approx. 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, vanilla and heavy cream until light. Gradually add the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, until frosting is light and fluffy. If frosting becomes too thick, add a little more milk at a time.
- Beat in the chopped pie pieces and the spices, just barely folding them in. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag attached either with a very large tip, or just frost by hand (otherwise, the pie pieces will clog your cake tip).
- Top the frosted cupcakes with a drizzle of caramel sauce, and serve.
Immediately after sacrificing a cupcake for this shoot (and obvi eating the results), I was shocked & amazed that my pumpkin-iffy self was SOINLOVE with these incredible cupcakes! The cake itself is springy and moist, packed with all that hearty pumpkin goodness and those pinches of spices flecked within the airy layers. But the frosting is the real star here, boasting all that creamy, spiced pumpkin gooey goodness swirled into that thick, luscious buttercream. And the bits of pie crust add that nice saltiness and texture that complements the sweet, unique frosting so well. My coworkers devoured these cupcakes and are still talking about them weeks later. A true favorite and a fun way to put a spin on traditional pumpkin pie (or use up leftovers!)
Have a delicious day!!
xo, Hayley
Red @ Adventures of a Hungry Redhead says
And point to the lady rebel for use of the word “fetch” in combination with pumpkin pie laden frosting. I don’t care what Regina George says, it’s happening.
Sarah @ Miss CandiQuik says
Haha – Oh, Hayley!! You are so right….GAMES – not cool. Hopefully you can be out of that soon and find someone who isn’t into that either. Because really, after that “initial” dating stage the hard-to-get face comes off anyways.
Okay, now please send me a cupcake! Not even fair to just look at these through the computer screen.
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
Well since you are asking for them I would love to show your pumpkin cupcakes a good time. 😉
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
Dating rules are dumb-esp. feigning disinterest. You just gotta find the right guy who likes you being real. Most guys found my clingy and annoying-Michael enjoyed/enjoys how excited I was to talk to him and spend time with him and how open I was with my feelings because he’s the same way.
So yeah, be you girl. Cuz you awesome. You’ve just got to find an equally awesome fella.
A fella who is probably like almost as awesome as these droolworthy cupcakes. And hey…if he’s droolworthy…all the better 😛
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet says
I say skip the dating and have friends over and eat these cupcakes all night long!! Oh and add a glass of wine!
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry says
Thank god you feel the same way! I hate waiting three hours to text somebody back. When I like a guy, it means I want to talk to him..sheesh. Dating rules are stupid. Keeping being yourself Haley because you are awesome. Case in point, these cupcakes rock my face off.
Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen says
Haha “dating rules” are king of hysterical! Duh you have to wait at least 30 minutes to text him back, you can’t seem to interested, don’t hangout with him too much at first…etc I just laugh!! I do however not laugh at serious things, like me stuffing my face in this frosting.. it sounds spectacular- love that there are chunks of pie crust in it!!
Manhattan Image and Style says
Yummy!! They look amazing!! 😉
Feel free to visit my blog as well if you wish! <3
Diana
http://www.ManhattanImageandStyle.com
New Blog Post: 7 Ways to Spice Up Your Look
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
Oh my goodness, this frosting is genius! Never would have thought to do this.
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
You know I love a good frosting and this one rocks it! Alsooooo- if you wait 3 hours to respond to a text message, he going to be all “I can see on my iphone that she read that text, why isn’t she responding?” technology make dating more difficult, I say be true to who you are, you don’t want to play stupid dating game!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
This pumpkin pie frosting is brilliant! Such a great idea to use actual chunks of pumpkin pie in it!
Kelly @ Hidden Fruits And Veggies says
You put pie… into frosting? what!? I neeeeed these in my life! and I’m pretty certain it’s okay to text back immediately, but I also demand my boyfriend listen to the songs I’ve written about my cats. So. Grain of salt and everything.
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
Lame-ass rules be damned! Stick to being yourself and a straight-shooter as well as being a wicked baker…men love wicked homemade treats. As for these cupcakes…I. DIE. Fabulous idea to whip some pumpkin pie into the buttercream frosting. (Did I see Cupcake Project do this once, maybe with just the filling not the crust? I think so, not sure.) Brilliant! Love the salty-sweet combo in the frosting with the pie crust. Looove TJ’s Salted Caramel Sauce. My kitchen and pantry are lonely when I’m not stocked. Thanks for sharing, girl!
Heather @ French Press says
I am So happy to not be n the dating game – I am NOT one for games and the “rules” really are lame ass – what’s not lame – those cupcakes
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
I don’t deal well with rules. I’m forever breaking them or doing something unconventional and having strangers stare at me. Honestly, it’s easier to break the rules than it is to follow them. I say be a rebel (sorry for the pun) and do what makes you happy. These pumpkin cupcakes sure do look delicious. Pinned.
Renee @ Awesome on $20 says
Do what you want. Anybody who doesn’t like it doesn’t deserve your time and attention. And don’t share your cuppakes with them.
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
I do not envy you dating. I was never good at it!!!
Jennifer @ Not Your Momma's Cookie says
Ugh, I don’t miss dating. AT ALL. I feel for you, Hayley! I hope you meet someone awesome soon 🙂
And, these cupcakes? AMAZING.
Linda McKenney says
Hayley, your recipes are very creative and I’m looking forward to trying some of them. Regarding the whole dating thing – if you want to attract a kindred spirit, you have to be yourself. Don’t play games. And don’t keep texting. You need to speak on the phone or meet in person to really get to know someone. There’s too much “I wonder what he/she meant by that” with the written word.
Annie @ AMLC says
Good luck with the new “scene”. Wonderful cupcakes to celebrate fall! (or aka Pumpkin Everything Season)