Pumpkin Cupcakes

If you stocked up on pumpkin purée, then you must make these pumpkin-flavored cupcakes. Light, fluffy, and full of pumpkin flavors, these pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are super easy to make. They come together quickly, use pantry staples, and are perfect if you’re a fan of pumpkin spice lattes. I love how soft the crumb of these cupcakes is as each bite practically melts in your mouth.

If you’ve got more pumpkin purée to use, then you should also make my Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls and Pumpkin Donuts next! This way, you can have a pumpkin treat with every meal of the day.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

Leavening agents — the baking soda and baking powder need to be fresh. If they have expired, your cupcakes will be dense and not rise properly.

Pumpkin pie spice — as a shortcut, I use pumpkin pie spice, but you can make your own spice blend if you do not have any on hand. Mix the following and store in an airtight jar: 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, ½ teaspoon each ground allspice and ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon each ground cloves, and freshly grated nutmeg.

Pumpkin purée — be sure to purchase 100% pure pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling. The two are similar, but pumpkin pie filling comes flavored and pre-sweetened. I highly recommend using Libby’s.

Oil — use a flavorless oil such as vegetable or canola oil for best results. The oil helps moisten the pumpkin cupcakes.

Butter — when selecting butter, be sure to use unsalted butter. Salted butter does not have a consistent amount of salt across brands, so you should add your own, or you might have an overly salty cream cheese frosting. Make sure the butter is soft enough so when you press into it, your finger leaves a dent. If it’s cold, it’ll be challenging to beat it into a smooth consistency.

Cream cheese — be sure to use full-fat cream cheese and not the spreadable type from a tub. The cream cheese will give the frosting an ultra-creamy consistency that’s slightly tangy. If the cream cheese is not at room temperature, you’ll end up with lumpy frosting.

HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN CUPCAKES

1. Sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

2. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

3. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture, and stir just until no streaks of flour remain.

4. Fill the paper liners three-quarters full with batter (about ¼ cup). If baking with one pan, cover the remaining batter in the bowl and set aside. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the cream cheese. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and salt just until combined.

6. Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl.

7. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar.

8. When fully combined, increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy. Place frosting in a piping bag and pipe over cooled pumpkin cupcakes and decorate as desired.

PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE

• If you don’t have powdered sugar, you can see my post here on how to make powdered sugar.
• Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake that will yield dry and dense cupcakes. The best and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
• Not all canned pumpkin is the same. Libby’s is my preferred brand as it is thick with a rich color. Different brands may be lighter in color and more watery in their consistency. You might have to blot the pumpkin if you use another brand of pumpkin purée.
• Make sure you let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting, or the frosting will just melt.
• The egg should be at room temperature to ensure they incorporate into your batter evenly. If you forgot to take your egg out of the fridge ahead of time, you could quickly bring it to room temperature by placing it in a large bowl and covering it with warm tap water for 5 minutes.
• Avoid overmixing as you risk over-developing the gluten in the batter leading to tough cupcakes.
• Don’t skip sifting the dry ingredients. Doing so will remove any clumps and aerates the ingredients to yield lighter pumpkin cupcakes.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I use this batter for a cake?

Try my Pumpkin Cake recipe if you’d like to make a pumpkin cake instead of cupcakes! This way, you don’t have to make too many adjustments to adapt the recipe.

Do these cupcakes need to be refrigerated?

The cupcakes themselves can stay at room temperature but once frosted, the pumpkin cupcakes need to go into the fridge due to the cream cheese in the frosting.

Can I make these cupcakes in advance?

Yes, you can bake the pumpkin cupcakes and keep them stored in a sealed container, unfrosted, for up to 4 days. You can prepare the frosting in advance and store it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days separately.

Can I freeze these cupcakes?

The pumpkin spiced cupcakes are best frozen without the frosting as the cream cheese can split. For best results, freeze the cupcakes on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. Store for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight, bring to room temperature, then frost before serving.

If you’ve tried this Pumpkin Cupcakes recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

4.97 from 204 votes

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Fluffy, soft, and moist, these pumpkin cupcakes come together quickly and easily. Topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes are perfect for fall!

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cupcakes

Calories 343kcal

Author John Kanell

Video

Equipment

• ▢
  Mixer

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Cupcakes:

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 can pureed pumpkin (425g/15-ounce)
• ▢ 1 cup vegetable oil (240mL)
• ▢ 1 cup packed light brown sugar (220g)
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• ▢ ⅔ cup unsalted butter softened, (151g)
• ▢ 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (225g)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 cups powdered sugar sifted (480g)

Instructions

For the Pumpkin Cupcakes:

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with paper cupcake liners. (If you only have 1 muffin pan, instructions will follow for how to bake in batches.)
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and cinnamon.
• In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture, and stir just until no streaks of flour remain.
• Fill the paper liners three-quarters full with batter (about ¼ cup). If baking with one pan, cover the remaining batter in the bowl and set aside.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If baking two pans at once, rotate the pans and swap oven racks after 12 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove and finish cooling on a wire rack. (If baking a second batch, let the pan cool for a few minutes once the baked cupcakes are removed, then line the pan again, fill, and bake as before.)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the cream cheese. Beat on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.
• Beat in the vanilla and salt just until combined.
• Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar. When fully combined, increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Place frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip. Pipe over cooled cupcakes and decorate as desired.

Notes

• If you don’t have powdered sugar, you can see my post here on how to make powdered sugar.
• Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake that will yield dry and dense cupcakes. The best and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
• Not all canned pumpkin is the same. Libby is my preferred brand as it is thick with a rich color. Different brands may be lighter in color and more watery in their consistency. You might have to blot the pumpkin if you use another brand of pumpkin purée.
• Make sure you let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting, or the frosting will just melt.
• The egg should be at room temperature to ensure they incorporate into your batter evenly. If you forgot to take your egg out of the fridge ahead of time, you could quickly bring it to room temperature by placing it in a large bowl and covering it with warm tap water for 5 minutes.
• Avoid overmixing as you risk over-developing the gluten in the batter leading to tough cupcakes.
• Don’t skip sifting the dry ingredients. Doing so will remove any clumps and aerates the ingredients to yield lighter pumpkin cupcakes.

Nutrition

Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 211mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 3081IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1mg

*Nutrition Disclaimer

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