Giant Cupcake Pumpkin

This idea came out of the Simple & Delicious magazine that I just got in the mail.  I made it, with a lot of help from my bestie B-Dog, last night for home fellowship.  Autumn/Fall desserts are my fave (I have another bestie named Autumn so I would like to clarify here that I mean the season, and not the person).  This seemed like something the kids would all like and be fun to make, too. 

The original recipe had a Jack-o-Lantern face, but we don't do those, so we tried to make it like a regular pumpkin.  This was, sadly, not obvious to everyone.  Various guesses included, but were not limited to, a fallen leaf, a flower, and a butterfly.  But Barbie & I knew it was a pumpkin, and so did everyone else once we pointed it out...I think it clearly looks like a pumpkin.

Giant Cupcake Pumpkin
1 pkg spice cake mix
1 cup solid-pack pumpkin
1 cup water
2 eggs
1 cup miniature chocolate chips
2 cans (16 oz each) vanilla frosting
1 tsp maple flavoring
Orange food coloring
Reese's pieces candy

Preheat oven to 350.  Line 26 muffin cups with paper liners (we made 28, because of course as quality bakers we knew we would have to taste-test this product before delivery).  In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pumpkin, water, and eggs; beat on low speed for 30 seconds.  Beat on medium speed 2 minutes.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Fill prepared cups 2/3 full.

Bake 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes back clean.  Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat frosting and flavoring.  Tint frosting orange.

On a large platter, arrange four cupcakes in a row.  Continue with a row of 5, a row of 6, another row of 5, and ending with a row of 4 cupcakes to form a pumpkin.  Place 2 cupcakes at the top in the shape of a stem.  Spread frosting over cupcakes.  Decorate with Reese's pieces candies as desired.

These were really good.  Really good.  Maple frosting was new to me.  But I liked it.  It let out a nice maple-y aroma while it was on the counter at Lisa's house, too.  Easy and fun.