Pumpkin Cranberry Cupcakes with Pomegranate Frosting

Autumn ingredients lend themselves so well to cupcakes, especially when your ingredients come from the amazing inspiring Trader Joe's collection. These cakes, baked in honor of Jenn's 32d birthday -- 10000 in binary! -- were inspired by three Trader Joe's products: their yummy pomegranate syrup (which also appears in this cake), their orange-flavored dried cranberries, and their pumpkin butter, a confection similar to apple butter only made with the squash instead.

Cupcakes:

1 cup dried cranberries (I used the orange-flavored ones from Trader Joe's --ed.)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons white vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons cream or half-and-half

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with paper cupcake cups.

The fruit: Cover cranberries in water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let sit while you assemble the rest of the batter. When you're ready to use the fruit, drain it, reserving the liquid. You can thin the batter with some of this cranberry tea if you're so inclined.

The drys: In a small mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices; set aside.

The wets: In your stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then pumpkin butter and vanilla.

The curds: Combine milk and cream or half-and-half in a measuring cup. Stir in vinegar or lemon juice. Mixture will curdle into a funky grainy texture.

The assembly: Add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to pumpkin butter mixture, beating on low to medium speed after each addition just until combined. Add cranberries last. Fill cupcake cups two-thirds full, then bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool and frost.

Frosting:

4 oz (half a brick) cream cheese (plus any leftover cream cheese frosting from previous recipes that you've got in your fridge --ed.)
1 cup powdered sugar, plus more to taste
1/2 cup pomegranate syrup
1 small pomegranate, seeded

Combine cream cheese, sugar and syrup in stand mixer; beat until smooth and spreadable. Test for sweetness/tartness; add more sugar or pomegranate syrup to taste, keeping an eye on the texture. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Garnish with handfuls of fresh pomegranate seeds.