Espresso and Lime

Chai Spiced Butternut Squash Cupcakes
1 Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2 Puree about 2 cups of roasted butternut squash to get 1 1/3 cups of puree
3 In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/3 cups of butternut squash puree with 1/3 cup of whole milk, 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
4 Whisk in 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of brown sugar until combined
5 Add 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of chai spice and whisk until fully incorporated
6 Line a 12 muffin tin and divide the batter evenly between the 12 cups (each should be about 2/3 of the way full)
7 Bake on the center rack of a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center of a cupcake clean
8 Transfer the cupcakes directly onto a cooling rack to cool fully
Maple Cream Frosting
1 To prepare the frosting, cream together 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese with 3 tablespoons of room temperature butter, using either a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer
2 Mix in 1/8 cup of maple syrup and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 Gradually add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of confectioners sugar (depending on how sweet you want your frosting)
4 Transfer the frosting into a piping bag (optional)
5 Chill the frosting until the cupcakes are completely cooled
6 Top each cupcake with frosting and a sprinkle of chai spice
7 Enjoy with some coffee  :)