Pumpkin Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

I knew I had to make these cupcakes after seeing them on Cake, Batter, and Bowl recently. I love pumpkin and I love nutella. A few weeks ago I made pumpkin nutella quickbread and the combination was delicious! As I usually do, I halved the recipe and brought the cupcakes to work to share with my co-workers. I think they liked them!

Here's my adapted recipe:

For the cupcakes:
7.5 ounces pumpkin puree
3/4 cup + 2 table spoons flour
2 table spoons cornstarch
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk

For the frosting:
2 ounces softened cream cheese
2 tablespoons Nutella
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Simmer the pumpkin puree in a small nonstick pan over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until reduced to 1/2 cup. Let pumpkin cool while you mix together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until creamed. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth. Slowly mix in half the flour mixture then the buttermilk and then the rest of the flour mixture. Line cupcake pans with liners and use an ice cream scoop to fill the liners with the batter. Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack. Cool for 20 minutes or until cupcakes are room temperature.

To make the frosting, mix together the cream cheese, nutella and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl until smooth. Frost the cooled cupcakes. This made 9 cupcakes for me.