Sweet Potato Pie Mini Cupcakes with Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

My eldest daughter loves sweet potato pie. When we signed up to take cupcakes to Friendsgiving at my kids’ homeschool group, we debated which flavor to take. It’s no surprise that my eldest wanted to integrate the flavor of her favorite Thanksgiving dessert into the cupcakes. I’m so glad we did because these cupcakes were fantastic! 

These treats, with their seasonal flavor, aromatic scent, and festive appearance, stood out from the sea of generic vanilla and chocolate cupcakes that covered the dessert table. They were a hit and are something we will definitely make again.

Ingredients

(Inspired by this recipe.)

For the ginger snap crust

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 handfuls of ginger snap cookies
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

For the cupcakes

• 1 ⅓ cups loosely packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup mashed sweet potato
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ cup milk

For the frosting

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow cream
• 3-3 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons milk, if needed
• Festive fall sprinkles (optional)

Useful tools for this recipe

• Classic Food Processor – While you can crush the gingersnaps used in this recipe by hand, it is much easier to do using a food processor. When my old one stopped working about a year ago, I got a new one like this. It’s easy to use and has performed consistently.
• Piping Bag and Tips – Disposable piping bags make cleanup easy! 
• Fall Sprinkles Mix – Festive sprinkles are such a simple way to elevate a treat. Autumn ones like these are perfect for fall desserts.

Instructions 

Prepare the muffin pans

Preheat the oven to 350°F. This recipe will yield approximately 40 mini cupcakes. You will need to prepare your mini muffin pan or pans based on your equipment. A typical mini muffin pan contains 24 cups. If you have just one, then you will need to bake the cupcakes in batches (refrigerate the batter while the first batch bakes). If you have two, then you can bake them all at once. If you are using a single muffin pan, line it with cupcake liners. If you are using two pans, line 40 of the cups with liners. Once the liners are in place, mist the insides of the liners lightly with non-stick cooking spray.  

Prepare the crust

Place the butter, ginger snaps, and brown sugar in a food processor. Pulse 12-16 times or until the ginger snaps are crumbs. Spoon ½ teaspoon of the crumb mixture into each greased cupcake liner and press down with the back of a spoon or another blunt instrument.   

Prepare the cupcakes

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and brown sugar until no lumps remain. Add the vanilla extract and butter, then whisk in the sweet potato. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the larger bowl of wet ingredients; stir until just combined. Add the milk and stir until fully integrated and smooth.

Drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto the ginger snap crust within each cupcake liner. Bake for 9-13 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Prepare the frosting

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the marshmallow cream and beat for 2 minutes, then add in the vanilla extract. While mixing on low speed, add in the powdered sugar a little at a time until fully incorporated. Once you’ve added all the sugar, beat on medium-high for 2-3 minutes. If the frosting is thin and runny, add a little more powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add a bit of milk one teaspoon at a time. Once the correct consistency has been reached, frost the cooled cupcakes. If desired, top with festive sprinkles. Yield: 40 mini cupcakes.

Notes

I was so pleased with how these cupcakes turned out! Their flavor was wonderful. The sweet potato was subtle, and the cinnamon and nutmeg gave them a hint of spice reminiscent of spice cake. The ginger snap crumbs at the bottom of the cupcakes didn’t form a true crust (like in a pie) but created a thin layer that had a slightly heartier texture and provided a burst of flavor on the tongue. The marshmallow buttercream was rich and smooth. Its delicate marshmallow flavor complemented the cupcakes perfectly.

When I make these again, I will make them exactly as detailed here. This is a statement I rarely make! I almost always identify a little tweak I will make, or some twist I would like to put on a recipe. I don’t plan to do that here because these were perfect as is.

You can easily make these as regular cupcakes instead of mini cupcakes. Use a regular cupcake pan and liners. Place about 1 tablespoon of the gingersnap crumb mixture into each cup, then top with approximately ¼ cup batter and increase the bake time to 15-17 minutes. 

What delicious treats have you made this fall?

Shared at the following:

Weekend Potluck.