Pumpkin - Ginger Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Pair with Cream Cheese Frosting.

1 1/2 unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
3 large eggs
1/4 cup (about 1 1/2 oz) crystallized ginger cut into 1/8- to 1/4-inch pieces

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger into medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low-medium speed, beat the melted butter, sugar and pumpkin until smoothly blended. Mix in the eggs and crystallized ginger. On low speed, mix in the flour mixture until it is incorporated. The batter will be thick.

Fill each paper liner with a generous 1/4 cup of batter, to about 1/2 inch below the top of the liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack.

Carefully place the wire rack on top of the cupcakes in their pan. Protecting your hands with pot holders and holding the pan and rack together, invert them to release the cupcakes onto the wire rack. Turn the cupcakes top side up to cool completely.

From Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivan, also available at Crate & Barrel.