Butternut squash cupcakes with vanilla and orange icing

I WAS intrigued by this recipe, which came from the food festival in Abergavenny, from the LittlePod company (www.littlepod.com) and supplied by the Hills and Parkes Delicatessen.
And the picture did not disappoint. I loved the mixed spice in both the icing and the cake and was really pleased with the final look. They also tasted really good- quite rich with the amount of icing on top- and the physalis adds the final touch.

Ingredients:
235g unsalted butter at room temp
240g light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon LittlePod vanilla extract (you can just use a vanilla paste)
100g of pureed butternut squash
125g self raising flour
1 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
125ml soured cream
175g cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon LittlePod vanilla paste
450g icing sugar
Grated zest of two oranges
Physalis and a dusting of icing sugar

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 160c (fan), 180c, 350F, gas mark 4 and line a 12 hole muffin tray with tall cupcake cases.
2. Steam the squash over a pan of boiling water for 30 minutes. Once it is soft, place in a wide bowl and mash with a fork until it becomes a soft pulp. Pass through a sieve to remove lumps and form a lovely rich puree. Let it stand to get rid of excess water.
3. Cream 110g of butter and 240g of brown sugar until pale and smooth, then add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract then combine with the pureed squash using a folding technique. Combine the sieved flours, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice in a bowl. Slowly add the flour mix to the butter and sugar mix then add the soured cream until combined.
4. When thoroughly combined, carefully spoon the mixture into cup cakes, approx 2/3 full. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown. Check the cakes are done by inserting a skewer into the centre of a cake- the skewer should come out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

To make the cream cheese icing:

1. Warm the remaining butter until soft, add the cream cheese and whisk the two ingredients together thoroughly. Add the LittlePod vanilla paste and mix. Add the sieved icing sugar and mix until it is a smooth delicious cream; then slowly fold through 1tsp mixed spice and the orange zest.
2. Decorate the cakes with the creamed icing, either using a palate knife or piping bag, and top with an open Physalis and a light dusting of icing sugar.