Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

I have to admit, when I look at these cupcakes, all I can see is that cream cheese frosting.

It is just so very ???????? ???????? ????????.

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Back when I thought I wanted to own a cupcake bakery (have I told you about that short lived dream?? Have to say I’m sooooooo glad that didn’t work out!), I would cart cupcakes around to just about everywhere I went, including my full time retail/sales-y/corporate-ish job.

And I remember someone there once saying, “you know, it’s really all about the cake. Anyone can make good frosting, but the cake… you have to really know what you’re doing to make a good cake.”

7-ish years into the business of making A LOT of cakes, cupcakes, frostings, and other desserts nearly every day… I have to respectfully and adamantly disagree.

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Because here’s the thing. A doctored up cake mix makes about as good a cake as I’ve ever had. I’m a cake fiend, and I’m not ashamed to admit I prefer cake mix to from-scratch cakes a good 90% of the time.

This cake mix pumpkin cake recipe has been my go-to for years. It’s simple and easy to remember: cake mix + a can of pumpkin. You could really stop there, but I usually add a little milk, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice just to give it that “homemade” taste.

Now don’t get me wrong. From scratch cakes have their place. Like I don’t think that  good banana cake can be outdone by a cake mix. And I do actually like Red Velvet from scratch marginally better than a cake mix Red Velvet. But other than that… I hardly see a reason to deviate from my favorite mixes. And that’s the truth.

Classic, creamy, EASY Cream Cheese Frosting recipe

But frosting? I do like the store-bought stuff, and it has it’s place in my recipes for sure. But there are some from-scratch frostings that just cannot be beat by something from the store. Like my mom’s brownie frosting, Grandma’s 6-Layer Cake Frosting, and this soft sugar cookie frosting.

And maybe most especially– CREAM CHEESE FROSTING.

As much as I like store-bought frosting, I have to say that canned cream cheese frosting isn’t even in the same ball-park as homemade cream cheese frosting. It doesn’t even taste like cream cheese! WHAT?!

So when it comes to cream cheese frosting in my recipes, homemade is the only way to go. And it’s really pretty easy as far as frostings go– as long as your expectations are realistic. And what I mean by that is that you can’t treat it like a buttercream. This recipe won’t be as stiff or as sturdy as a decorating buttercream. So don’t plan to do any sharp piping work or anything with it.

But you CAN plan on falling in love with it. It spreads on nice and smooth and creamy. And the flavor is light and dreamy with just a little tang from the cream cheese and a whole lot of vanilla flavor. I love using vanilla paste or crushed vanilla in place of the extract. Can you see those little delicious flecks??

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

This recipe is such a keeper, ya’ll. It’s one of those no-fail, timeless classics that’s worth hanging on to and pulling out at least once every Fall.

Enjoy!!

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

Hummingbird Cupcakes Recipe

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

You already know that I’m obsessed with Southern food, thanks to my Carolina roots. And these Hummingbird Cupcakes are nothing if not good and Southern ????.

…because the fried chicken leg is the obvious official emoji of the South, right? ????

Anyway. The point is, if you are looking for a sweet Southern treat that is perfect for spring and summer, look no further! Banana bread and cupcake rolled into one, these pretty cups are packed with sweet summer flavors and topped with a rich cream cheese frosting.

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

Step one. You’ll need two overripe bananas, so that you get the maximum sweet banana flavor in your cupcakes. I’ve seen a lot of recipes that call for chopped bananas, but I can’t stand the texture of banana chunks in a cupcake. So in my recipe, we’re mashing the bananas and mixing them into a smooth batter.

Some other ingredients you’ll need:

  • crushed pineapple, with the juice
  • coconut
  • pecans

And, of course, make sure you have cream cheese for the frosting. It’s heavenly. ????

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

Each tender bite is bursting with the sunny flavors of banana, pineapple, and coconut. Cinnamon adds a bit of warmth to the mix, and the pecans add a perfect touch of crunch.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll feel like these ingredients shout SPRING ☀️ and SUMMER ???? and the arrival of beautiful warm days filled with blue skies.

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

The thick layer of cream cheese frosting is what elevates these from glorified muffins to glorious cupcakes! It’s my very favorite frosting recipe, because even though it’s rich and creamy, it’s somehow light and fluffy too. And it’s so easy to whip up, which is always a plus.

And if WHEN you make a batch for yourself, don’t forget to tag me on Intagram! I can’t wait to see what you bake up ????!

Snickerdoodle Gooey Cake Bars

Snickerdoodle Gooey Cake Recipe

If you love snickerdoodles, then you will love these gooey cake bars! Even better? All you’ll need is one bowl to make them.
Snickerdoodle Gooey Cake Bars

Gooey cake bars are seriously life changing. Have you made them before? It’s like a layer of cheesecake sitting on top of a dense cookie-like cake bar.

These bars combine the cinnamon sugar of a snickerdoodle with the grand yumminess that is a gooey cake bar– it’s genius! Annnnnnnnnnd it’s another dairy-filled recipe that I accidentally face planted into. I know. #nursingmomprobs

Snickerdoodle Gooey Cake Bars

I could make these bars over and over again. They taste amazing, and they are SO easy to make (even though they look super fancy and labor intensive, they’re really not). All you’ll need is your one stand mixer bowl, and you can make both the cake layer and they gooey layer in that same bowl with no need to wash in between! Yay for less dish-washing! Can I get an AMEN?!

I hate dishes. Like, hate hate dishes.

But back to the point: these bars.

So good. Make them. Love them. The end.

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Actually, not quite “the end.” What I really should have said was: make them. Love them. Buy this cookbook!

This Snickerdoodle Gooey Cake Bar recipe comes from this amazing cookbook written by my sweet friend, Jocelyn, who blogs over at Grandbaby Cakes. It is a beautiful, beautiful book written by an obviously beautiful and food-loving soul. It’s brimming with gorgeous and mouth watering cakes, like these…

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It’s also full of sweet family photos that I just couldn’t get enough of. Like this precious one…

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And my favorite page of the whole book?

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Just inside the front cover. Isn’t that the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen in a cookbook? A place to write the first generation to own this book! Jocelyn’s book is full of love and great recipes, and I loved it cover to cover.

So until you get your hands on Grandbaby Cakes, the cookbook (as you must!)– here’s a recipe to tide you over 🙂

❤️