Pumpkin Passion

To all the many small privately-owed cupcake store owners who are out there making a pumpkin-flavored cupcake this holiday season, I have a few words for you:

“PUMPKIN CUPCAKES ARE NOT CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES WITHOUT THE CARROTS, RAISINS AND WALNUTS!” Seriously people!

I just don’t get why it is so freakin’ difficult to make a decent pumpkin cupcake? There are some excellent pumpkin cakes, loafs, and muffins that cupcake store owners could find inspiration from and improve their mediocre ode to the fall holiday season.

I think the biggest problem is the cream cheese frosting they insist on using. Pumpkin does not have a strong flavor, even with the pumpkin spices it’s a fairly delicate flavor. The cream cheese frosting has that sour/tangy flavor that is just too overpowering for pumpkin cupcakes. Carrot cake can take a tangy frosting like cream cheese because of the chunks of nuts, raisins, and pieces of carrot. Cream cheese doesn’t overpower carrot cake but it certainly does to pumpkin.

Keep it simple people. Why not put a light whipped cream frosting, which would improve the taste and be somewhat more reminiscent of pumpkin pie. Give it a try cupcake store owners!

Since no pumpkin cupcakes have been particularly noteworthy, they’ve gone unblogged until now. Here are your 3 reviews in 1 blog posting–quick and dirty:

Name: Pumpkin Cupcake
Purchased At: Cake & Art
on Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood
Price: $3.25
Availability: Seasonal

I found this place by accident on a search for some pumpkin frozen yogurt that was never found. At first I ordered their pumpkin cream cheese cookie but they were out and when I asked if they had anything else pumpkin he said that there were some pumpkin cupcakes in the back just waiting to be decorated. We continued the search for pumpkin frozen yogurt and then came back a few minutes later to find the pumpkin cupcake all freshly decorated.

The picture of the cupcake is not so great but then again the cupcake was not so great. The cake didn’t taste like pumpkin. I kept expecting to bite into a raisin or walnut. Yes, they played into the whole “let them eat carrot cake but without the carrots, raisins or walnuts,” which included the cream cheese frosting. Even without the frosting, the cake didn’t taste much like pumpkin.

The best thing about this cupcake was that it had a whipped cream filling…kinda like a dingdong does. If only they had used that filling for the frosting it might have saved this mediocre cupcake.

Rating: 2 out of 5

Name: Pumpkin Cupcake
Purchased At: Bristol Farms
Price: I forget
Availability: Seasonal

While buying deli-sliced chicken at Bristol Farms, I overheard a couple of women talking about the pumpkin cupcakes. The woman behind the counter said the frosting was SOO AMAZING. The woman at the cash register said that the frosting was SOOO AMAZING. I started to get worried that no one was commenting on the cake.

This was one of the best pumpkin cupcakes I’ve ever had…but that’s not saying much. The cake was too light on any pumpkin flavor but it was a moist and yummy cake. The frosting was really good. It was a cream cheese frosting but it wasn’t too strong. I love the chocolate leaf on top, very fall festive.

This is the only one I would purchase again.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Name: Pumpkin Cupcake/ Pumpkin Seed Cupcake
Purchased At: Yummy Cupcakes in Santa Monica
Price: $2.50
Availability: Year Round…I think

Ugh! I didn’t like it. When I first checked out their website I could swear they called it a “pumpkin cupcake” but when I got to the store they were calling it a “pumpkin seed” cupcake.

The only difference between this pumpkin seed cupcake and a plain vanilla cupcake was a little bit of nutmeg and some pumpkin seeds mixed into the cake. The frosting was really sour because of the cream cheese, so much so that it upset my stomach. Having the seeds in the cake was a little disconcerting when you bit down on one…it was chew smooth, smooth, chew, smooth , smooth, crunch.

Their other cupcakes were so great that I’m not sure why this one was so off. During November they have a pumpkin pie cupcake described as “pumpkin cupcake centered with fresh whipped cream, topped with pumpkin cream cheese.” It sounds good…maybe I can get there before they go out of season.

Rating: 1 out of 5

Don’t forget the pumpkin cupcake at Sprinkles reviewed here.

***If anyone has had a really good pumpkin cupcake PLEASE let me know where, especially if it’s in California.