High altitudes make cookies spread in the pan, cakes fall, and few baked goods turn out as they do at sea level. This twice-monthly column presents recipes and tips that make baking in the mountains successful. 

Pumpkin tucked into sweet, moist vanilla cupcakes enhanced by fall’s favorite flavors make these miniatures a seasonal treat. They’re as pleasing to adults as they are to kids, travel well and are a welcome addition almost anywhere. That’s not all they have going for them, as preparation is fast and easy as well. You simply combine the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ones in another, and then blend the two. No creaming, no multiple steps or difficult-to-follow directions. They’re perfect for busy times or novice bakers. I pair them with a maple frosting, but brown sugar, vanilla or cinnamon frostings also work well.

Unfamiliar with the dark maple syrup called for in the frosting recipe? It has a more robust flavor than the one we use on pancakes and is, by far, the best choice when baking. Many groceries carry it and it’s available from several sources online. 

Pumpkin mini-cupcakes

Make in a shiny metal mini-cupcake pan with 2-inch cups. Yields 12 two-inch mini cupcakes. Adjusted for altitudes of 7,000 feet and above.

Cupcakes

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons bleached all-purpose flour, spoon and level 

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder 

1/8 scant teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon table salt

3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice                   

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon                                 

1 large egg, room temperature                    

3 tablespoons cream or whole milk, room temperature           

2 tablespoons canola oil                               

2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste

1/2 cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting, optional 

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 pinches table salt

2-3 cups confectioners’ sugar

1-plus tablespoons dark maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste

1-2 teaspoons cream, optional 

Get ready: Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position. Line a mini-muffin pan with 12 paper liners and grease them with a baking spray that contains flour. This is needed at high altitudes where cakes stick more frequently than at sea level.

Prepare the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, one-half teaspoon salt, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Whisk or stir to blend thoroughly so there are no lumps of brown sugar and set aside. 

Prepare the wet ingredients: In another bowl combine the egg, cream, oil, vanilla extract, and pumpkin and mix with a spatula until smooth.

Make batter: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently only until the batter forms. Don’t overmix.

Bake and cool: Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter into the lined muffin cups, filling them three-quarters of the way to the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cakes comes out clean, this usually takes 15-20 minutes. Move the pan to a rack. When the cupcakes have cooled completely, remove them from the pan.

Frosting, optional: Cut the cream cheese and butter into small pieces. Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth. Don’t over-beat or the cream cheese will get runny. Then, blend in the butter and salt. On a low speed, stir in about one-half cup of the sugar, then 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup and the vanilla. Add more sugar, a little at a time, until the mixture thickens into a frosting. Taste, add more syrup and/or more sugar to your liking. If the mixture gets too thick, stir in a little cream to thin it.  This is enough frosting to pipe tall swirls on 12 mini-cakes with a large star tip. You may have some left over if you spread the frosting rather than pipe it.

Store and serve: Store one day covered at room temperature. Refrigerate for 3 days and bring to room temperature before serving. 

Vera Dawson’s column “High Country Baking” publishes biweekly in the Summit Daily News. Dawson is a high-elevation baking instructor and author of three high-altitude cookbooks. Her recipes have been tested in her kitchen in Frisco, where she’s lived since 1991, and altered until they work at elevation. Contact her at veradawson1@gmail.com.