Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

I have gotten a lot of questions about the recipe for the pumpkin muffins.  Now I qualify them as muffins because I eat them for breakfast and they don't have frosting on them.  Really they are called pumpkin cupcakes.

What you Need:
1 pkg (2-layer size) cake -white,spice,yellow,whichever you have on hand
Ingredients listed on cake mix
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg)

Make It:
Heat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare cake batter as directed on package (I substitute applesauce for the butter or vegetable oil to make it healthier).  Add pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice.  Spoon into muffin tin.

Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy, blend in sugar and egg.  Spoon over batter, swirl gently with toothpick.

Bake 18 to 21 minutes.  Cool 5 min, remove to wire racks to cool completely.  Will make 24 muffins.

Enjoy!

P.S.  If you are not like me and don't stock up nf cake mixes when they are $0.79, then you can use this recipe from Ina on the food channel that I plan to try next, in place of the packaged cake mix use:

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil

Then follow the steps above.