Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup mashed, cooked or canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
3/4 cup milk
Vanilla Butter-Cream Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 �-inch muffin-pan cups, or line with paper liners.

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg on piece of waxed paper.

Beat together butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, then pumpkin.

At low speed, beat in flour mixture alternately with milk until smooth.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin-pan cups, filling each two-thirds full.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan or on a wire rack 5 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto rack to cool.

Tint frosting with food coloring. Frost cupcakes. Decorate as desired, using fondant (tinted, rolled out, cut into shapes), licorice, toasted coconut and other candies.

Makes 20 cupcakes.

Vanilla Butter-Cream Frosting:
Beat together 1/3 cup softened unsalted butter, 3 cups sifted 10X (confectioners�) sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt until blended. Gradually add 3 to 4 tablespoons milk, beating until desired consistency.