Mini Pumpkin Cakes

Total Time: 1 hr 44 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 14 mins

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• caramel candy, for caramel stems, leaves, and vines (or caramel bits, instructions below) (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°. beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. stir in pumpkin and vanilla.
• 2 combine flour and next 4 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. spoon batter into 2 lightly greased pumpkin-shaped muffin pans (or mini-bundt pans), filling three-fourths full.
• 3 bake at 350° for 24 to 26 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes. remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).
• 4 cut rounded tops off muffins to make them flat. invert top muffins onto bottom muffins, forming pumpkins. drizzle caramel-rum glaze over pumpkins. decorate with caramel stems, leaves, and vines, if desired.
• 5 caramel stem: press 1 caramel between fingers, lengthening to 1 1/2 to 2 inches to form a stem. curl stem gently.
• 6 caramel leaves: roll caramels into 2-inch squares on a flat surface, using a rolling pin. cut into leaves, using a paring knife. gently press tips of leaves to flatten, if desired. score leaves, using a paring knife. pinch bottoms of leaves together.
• 7 caramel vines: cut 1 caramel into 3 equal pieces. squeeze each piece gently to flatten, and roll between hands or on a flat surface into a long thin rope. twist ends to curl.