Chocolate Muffins with Pumpkin Frosting

Chocolate Muffins with Pumpkin Frosting
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A rich chocolate muffin with a light pumpkin frosting, perfect for fall. And the cake recipe makes for one yummy chocolate pound cake.

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Ingredients
Muffin Ingredients:
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 cup Cocoa (I Recommend A Dark Cocoa, I Used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2 sticks (1 Cup) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
3 cups Sugar
5 whole Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 cup Buttermilk
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Pumpkin Frosting Ingredients:
1 stick Butter, Softened
8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
3-½ cups Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1-½ teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoons Ginger
½ teaspoons Nutmeg
½ cups Pumpkin Puree
Preparation Instructions
Directions for muffins/cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease muffin pans or line with paper liners.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter, then add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
On medium speed, add one egg at a time to the butter sugar mixture. Don’t over-beat, just mix enough to blend well.
Add vanilla and mix.
Alternate adding flour/cocoa mixture and buttermilk until combined. Mix well on medium speed for about 30 seconds until smooth.
Fill muffin tins halfway.
Bake at 325° F for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Be careful not to over-bake these.
Let muffins cool in the muffin pan for about 2 minutes and carefully remove to cool on a rack. (Go ahead and eat one while they’re hot. You need to test it anyway.)
(Note: This cake recipe also works well for 2 loaf pans. Split batter between 2 greased loaf pans and cook for approximately 65 minutes at 325° F or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.)
Pumpkin frosting directions:
In a bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
Add all other frosting ingredients and mix together on medium speed. Add more powdered sugar or cream cheese for a thicker consistency if desired.
(I refrigerated the frosting for about 10 to 15 minutes before icing the muffins, which I think helped the frosting to thicken up a tad.)
These muffins warmed slightly in the microwave are yum yum!
I hope you enjoy! Yea fall!