Pumpkin Spice Orange Cheesecake Cupcakes

So here's another recipe I've bastardized beyond all recognition.  

This is the original recipe for  Pumpkin Spice Bread which makes two loaves.  I've halved the recipe to make 24 muffins.  I left out the nutmeg, because I despise it, and increased the cinnamon a tad, because I have nothing but love for cinnamon.   I used a mix of white and brown sugar instead of just sugar and a mix of vegetable oil (generally I use coconut) and butter instead of just oil. I substitute orange juice instead of water.  

In past years I've made this with an orange cream cheese frosting, as noted in this post about pumpkin truffles.  The pairing, while delicious is too sweet in my opinion.  With frosting I always feel like the amount of powdered sugar needed depends on the consistency desired rather than the taste. 

By substituting cheesecake instead of frosting, I still get all the flavors I love without the overwhelming sweetness and the family agreed these were better. Normally my making two dozen cupcakes implies a party, but this year sucks.  Instead I dropped off a little cupcake love with the neighbors.  

Pumpkin Spice Orange Cheesecake Cupcakes

cupcake ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup butter softened
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup solid pack pumpkin
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup orange juice 

cheesecake ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened 

1/3 cup white sugar

1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp orange extract

zest from one orange (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the sugar, egg, extracts and zest and beat until creamy and smooth. Refrigerate until needed.

In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil and butter. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to the pumpkin mixture alternately with the orange juice. Spoon batter into 24 prepared muffin cups. 

Spoon in cheesecake mixture. 

Bake for about 20 minutes.  The cheesecake should be set but not brown.  Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack; cool completely.

Pictures can be deceiving, I should have cut this in half to really see. The pumpkin mixture domed so it's not like that's all cheesecake sitting on top, but rather a modest layer coating it.  You could run a knife or toothpick through the batters before baking to marble it.