Pumpkin Pie Buttercream Icing Recipe

I know real buttercream involves eggs and a double boiler, but this is an easy way to make a cheater buttercream icing or frosting that is a fun topping for pumpkin cake or cupcakes.  If you have pumpkin pie spice you can substitute for the cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon as that is what the combination creates.  Add more spices to taste if you want a zippier icing.

Oh and speaking of things with zip? I don’t own a pastry bag, I use ziploc bags, put your icing in, cut a hole in the bottom and start squeezing. Works very well in a pinch.

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Pumpkin Pie Icing

(ices 12 cupcakes)

1 cup soft butter

3 cups icing sugar

1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

red and yellow food colouring (optional)

~1 tablespoon milk (optional)

In your stand mixer or using a hand mixer whip the butter until soft and even. Add the spices and icing sugar on low. When combined turn up the speed to medium and mix for 2 mins.  Add in vanilla and milk if necessary to get the consistency you are looking for. Add in food colouring to get a sight orange-y colour.  (For me the ratio was ~5:1 yellow to red.)