Sunday Kitchen: The Lucky Taco’s Sarah and Otis Frizzell + Spiced pumpkin cupcake recipe

Sarah Frizzell and Otis Frizzell. Photo / Jason Oxenham

If you’re a Mexican food fan, you’ve probably sought out the The Lucky Taco food truck, brainchild of husband-and-wife team Sarah & Otis Frizzell - a venture inspired by the pair’s honeymoon to LA and Mexico. The couple have also recently released The Lucky Taco Cookbook, filled with more than 60 Mexican-inspired and other delicious recipes from their repertoire. Here they share a cupcake recipe, perfectly suited to spice up your Halloween festivities.

Photo / Jason Oxenham

What does Sunday look like in your kitchen?

Sunday feels like such a nourishing day. We always start the day with our bonanza bowl. It’s become a ritualistic breakfast for us. A mindful breakfast, packed with goodies, and your day starts off on the right foot. It’s always a bowl of muesli, with a combo of fresh pineapple, green kiwifruit, banana, orange, strawberries (if available) and blueberries, topped with natural yogurt, goji berries and digestive powder. And then a generous glug of oat milk.

For lunch we often have huevos rancheros, which is a great way to use up any leftover salsa, avocado and opened packets of tortillas. It’s so easy and delicious. The recipe is in our new cookbook. In the summer, this dish goes down heavenly with an ice-cold glass of horchata (cinnamon-infused rice milk). We always have a jug of this on the go in our casa. So unique and refreshing. I’d be lying if I didn’t say there would be a few gingernuts dunked into a perfectly brewed cuppa in the arvo…

Then for dinner…mmmm. Dinner! If I’m not getting creative sampling a new recipe, I would politely ask Otis to make one of his signature dishes. He makes a mean carbonara, with guanciale, pronounced; ‘’gwaan-chaa-lee’' (cured pork cheek or jowl). It’s divine. I love it. If we’re going all out, we’ll even make fresh pasta.

And there’s always gotta be something sweet to finish (every day)… and Sunday is a great day for baking something scrumptious.

Why did you choose this dish?

That joy of Sunday baking is why we’ve chosen our Spiced pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. They are so easy to make and to die for - plus, it’s Halloween soon. What better way to celebrate?

Spiced pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

Makes 12

Cupcakes

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed/linseed

5 Tbsp water

1 pumpkin

1 cup rice bran oil

1½ cups sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 Tbsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2½ tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground allspice

½ tsp chilli salt

¼ tsp table salt

Cinnamon cream cheese frosting

115g softened butter

230g cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla extract/essence

500g icing sugar, plus extra to thicken if needed

1. For the cupcakes, preheat oven to 180C. Place 12 cupcake cases in a muffin tin.

2. Mix ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl and set aside for a few minutes, to thicken.

3. To make pumpkin puree, chop pumpkin and remove skin. Weigh out 450g. Microwave in a covered bowl for about 10 minutes, until soft enough that you can mash it easily with a fork.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, rice bran oil, sugar and flaxseed mixture until smooth. Then add sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and both salts to the wet ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are combined and mixture is smooth.

5. Divide mixture among the cupcake cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer/toothpick poked in comes out clean.

6. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.

7. For the cream cheese frosting, combine softened butter and cream cheese in a mixer. Beat until creamy and well combined. Add vanilla extract/essence and stir to combine.

8. With mixer on low, gradually add icing sugar until completely combined. If it’s still a little loose, add a bit of extra icing sugar to stiffen to piping consistency.

9. Voila! You’re ready to frost, baby! Apply frosting to cupcakes with a piping bag. Lightly dust some cinnamon over the top of the frosting to decorate.