Usually I like to promote the making of things from scratch around here, but sometimes it’s fun to take a few shortcuts and whip something up easily which gives you that home-baked appeal with shop bought ease. I first saw this idea on Simply Made Kitchen and Crafts, and have since seen it in a couple of other places too.
WHAT YOU NEED:
– 1 can of pumpkin (for my fellow UK peeps – you can buy canned pumpkin in Tesco at the moment)
– 1 box cake mix (whatever cake mix you think would go well with pumpkin, you could just go for a simple vanilla cake, but I fancied the look of this Apple & Cinnamon Tray Bake Mix).
Optional extra ingredients:
– A little extra flour (I’ve made these twice with that particular box mix, the first time they were a little TOO moist perhaps, and then I spotted that this mix is only 420g, whereas the other Betty Crocker cake mixes were mainly 450g, so I added some extra flour the second time and they were better).
– Some brown sugar or oats to sprinkle on top.
WHAT YOU DO:
1. Mix the pumpkin into the cake mix.
2. Divide into muffin cases (I divided into 10 cases).
3. If you’re using brown sugar or oats, then sprinkle that on top.
4. Bake at the temperature recommended on the cake box for 15-20 mins until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
And voila!
Sugarness...recipes from me to you 
Love the super quick prep with this one. No one else in my house likes pumpkin. I, on the other hand, love it. But I haven’t had much time to bake lately. This recipe would solve the time factor. 🙂
LikeLike
Yep, you could make them just for you! And I bet you could probably freeze them and just take one or two out to defrost on the counter when the pumpkin urge takes you 🙂
LikeLike
Perfect idea.
LikeLike
Now that is a handy tip! I may have to try that. Thanks Vanessa. 🙂
LikeLike
Next time I might add some chopped nuts on top too 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love this recipe. Saw it on Facebook about a year ago. You can use the same recipe and add a whole package of chocolate chips and drop by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet and you get these soft cookies. Yum. They sure smelled good and my grand kids gobbled them up.
LikeLike
Ooh that sounds good!
LikeLike
The cookies are soft and not too flat until I forced them with a fork like peanut butter cookies. I added a cup of chopped walnuts too, to both the muffins and the cookies.
LikeLike
I used to make pumpkin bread. If I had time, I’d look for the recipe for you, but I’m kind of bogged down right now. Wish I had one of your muffins! (Btw, canned pumpkin is around all year here in the States.)
LikeLike
Wish I could post you some muffins, but don’t think they’d survive the trip! Yes, in the UK however canned pumpkin is quite a new ingredient, it’s not something that most people over here will have used, so I wonder if it’s only available seasonally for now.
LikeLike
I’m fanatical over pumpkin. This looks awesome!
LikeLike
Yes, my childhood and early adulthood was pumpkin-deprived, it wasn’t till I lived in the states that I really discovered it, so now I’m making up for it!
LikeLike
Hi Vanessa,
I work for Twin Pines Landscaping, and we are putting together a bunch of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes featuring fruits and veggies to share on our social media accounts! With your permission, we’d love to share your picture and link to the recipe here on your blog! Let us know what you think!
Thanks, and Happy Almost Thanksgiving!
Ashley DiFranza and The Twin Pines Landscaping Team
LikeLike
Hi Ashley – yes, very happy for you to share it! And Happy Almost Thanksgiving to you too!
LikeLike
Thank you so much for your contribution! You can see the final post on our Facebook page here http://on.fb.me/1teOexS. Remember to “Like” Twin Pines on Facebook, and share the post/album with your friends! Then check back next week to see how we can tie all these recipes in with landscaping! Thanks again!
Twin Pines Landscaping
http://twinpineslandscaping.wordpress.com/
LikeLike
Will do, thanks!
LikeLike
Sometimes, you just can’t beat ease of preparation, especially at busy times of the year. 🙂 My husband’s the big pumpkin fan in our family, and I bet he’d love these!
LikeLike
Yes, even these short-cut methods still often taste better than bought stuff, and you get the lovely aromas as they cook!
LikeLike
Wow, canned pumpkin!!??? I’ve not heard of it before, Vanessa-Jane. 😮 😮 😮
LikeLike
It’s a common thing in the states, but only just appearing over here! It’s quite a useful ingredient 🙂
LikeLike
i didn’t even know you could eat pumpkins until recently – I thought they were just halloween decorations. What a waste to use them at halloween and then not eat them! … bah humbug ….!
LikeLike
Well now you know, you can eat them! 🙂
LikeLike