I enjoy staying in contact with the many students who have worked at The Greenporter Hotel and our restaurant over the years. I watch them graduate from high school and move on to college or travels. I watch them navigate the bumps in the road of adulthood once they graduate and enter the workforce and remember exactly was that was like. The holidays are so wonderful because these great “kids” call and write and some come visit. It is wonderful to see that when they cook for Christmas or the New Year, they are nostalgic for the foods that represent the North Fork in their memories.
Pumpkin and spice cake, apple cider and snowy nights were on the mind of my contributing editor of SeasonedFork’s “baking corner”, as she dreams of her childhood home in New Suffolk from her current home on the sunny beaches of California during this holiday.
Recipe by Andrea Kevajian
These cupcakes are the perfect end to a cold winter night when served with a cup of hot spiced cider. They’re also wonderful as a breakfast treat when served with coffee (just call them muffins instead of cupcakes to ease the guilt).
Recipe
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup organic pumpkin purée
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
Maple Frosting (recipe follows)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place 12 muffin liners in a muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, sugars, and oil. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Scoop the batter into the prepared tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Maple Frosting
6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
pinch salt
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth. With the mixer on low, add confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth.
