Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

This Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting is a much bake during Fall Season. With only 22 minutes baking time, you won't even need a mixer to make these fall Cupcakes!

Try my Pumpkin Cake next and if you love moist pumpkin cupcakes, give these Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes a shot! Find all Fall Desserts on Greedy Eats right here!

Okay! As much as I am not over beach days, camping by the lake, smores, sunny desserts and neon orange nail-paint, I can't wait to carve pumpkins and sink my teeth into cream cheese frosting! ⇑ ⇑ ⇑

Cream cheese frosting that sits over homemade pumpkin cupcake. Then sitting on the frosting is a cute pumpkin that I carved by myself. So proud! Told ya, can't wait to carve pumpkins. 😉

Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe: Texture and Taste

1. MOIST: Oil √ Brown sugar √ Pumpkin √ = Super moist cupcakes
2. SOFT AND LIGHT: All thanks to that deliciously gloppy pumpkin puree, eggs and right amount of leaveners. 
3. FILLED WITH WARM SPICES: Now I love spices in my pumpkin cupcakes to a higher side. You will still taste pumpkin, promise!
   Try adding large pinch of black pepper and some cardamom in the pumpkin batter. And you will have this fall classic redefined.
4. SILKY AND SMOOTH FROSTING: Using four basic ingredients leads to a soft, silky and absolutely pipeable cream cheese frosting.
   Adding maple extract would be so good here, but it also makes the frosting a little thin. It will still hold some shape though! Or you can just top a dollop of maple cream cheese frosting on the cupcake and swirl it with the back of a spoon. Lovely rustic finish!

Loved how roly-poly these turned out! Though I have to admit, it was such a time consuming task. Specially, those small curly greens on pumpkin top. But looks like the prettiest thing on earth and tasted absurdly delicious!

Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes Ingredients:

• Flour: We are using All Purpose Flour as the base of this recipe.
• Spices: A combination of cinnamon, pumpkin spice and a hint of cloves and black pepper works best here. You can skip adding cloves and pepper if you prefer the cupcakes to be less spicy.
  Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice: If you prefer you can also make your own pumpkin spice and store it during the season for all your fall baking needs. Simple combine - 3 tbsps cinnamon, 2 tsps ground ginger, 1 ½ tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp ground all spice and 1/16 tsp of ground black pepper together and store it in an air tight container.
  Use 1 tsp of this spice mix to flavor your cupcakes.
• Leaveners: You will require both baking soda and baking powder here.
• Canned Pumpkin Puree: I am a fan of Libby's Pumpkin Puree for baking pumpkin desserts. This is not a sponsored post, I just like it a lot!
• Egg: For structure and lift in the cupcakes.
• Oil: Oil makes moist cupcakes that stay moist for days!
• Sugar: Adding a mix of both brown sugar and granulated sugar yields best textured cupcakes.

How do you make pumpkin spice cupcakes from scratch?

So how do you make homemade pumpkin cupcakes from scratch? Well these are the easiest homemade cupcakes that you will ever make.

One bowl to make the cupcake batter. No mixers required! All you will do is-

• Mix all wet ingredients (eggs, pumpkin puree, oil vanilla extract and both sugars) together with a hand whisk. Alternatively you can use a stand/hand mixer to make this batter if you prefer it that way.
• Now sift all dry ingredients over wet ingredients. I f you find sifting ingredients directly over wet to be a little tricky, sift them in a separate bowl and then fold them in your wet ingredients.
• Fold and combine till flour disappears into the batter
• Pour in a pre lined cupcake tin and bake till the cupcakes pass toothpick test. Can't get any easier!
• Allow the cupcakes to cool down in the pan for a few minutes. Then set them to cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.

How to make Cream Cheese Frosting:

Frosting Ingredients: 

1. Butter: Make sure to use unsalted butter and the butter must be at room temperature before beginning to whip up the frosting.
2. Cream Cheese: You will require full fat cream cheese block (at room temperature) for this frosting recipe and not cream cheese spread.
3. Confectioners' Sugar: Sift sugar to get rid of any lumps in it. Begin by adding 2 cups of sugar and then add one more cup. If you find the frosting is too thin add ¼-1/2 cup more and beat till you get a silky smooth frosting.
4. Vanilla: Use good quality pure vanilla extract for best results.
5. Salt: Adding a pinch of salt will take your frosting to next level. Don't skip it.

This recipe yields around 2 ½ to 3 cups of frosting. It is so creamy and just the right amount of sweet. To make it-

• Beat butter for a few minutes and then add and beat in cream cheese (both at room temp). Now add vanilla and salt and give it a quick whirl too.
• Then add sugar, 2 cups at a time and continue to beat until desired consistency is obtained.

I baked 12 cupcakes. We polished them off in two flat days. If I had made 24, pumpkin swear, they wouldn't have lasted any longer!

They are this G-O-O-D!

Will cupcakes stay fresh overnight?

Bake the cupcakes, cool them down and keep them in air tight container at room temperature till you are ready to frost them. Baked cupcakes will stay fresh at room temperature for about 2 days.

Do I have to refrigerate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting?

Yes, if you are not serving them in a matter of few hours or so after frosting. Keep Cupcakes in fridge until ready to serve and take them out about ½ - 1 hour before serving to allow them to come to room temp.

How many calories are in a pumpkin cupcake?

This cupcake with frosting has 439 Calories. Though this calculation is just an estimate. Accuracy of this calculation is not guaranteed. Since it will fluctuate on the basis of how much you fill each cupcake liner and how much frosting you top those with.

Pumpkin Cupcakes Variations:

1. Try adding ½ cup of mini/regular chocolate chips to your batter to make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cupcakes.
2. Alternatively, you can add ½ cup of chopped pecans to make Pumpkin Pecan Cupcakes.
3. For a cool frosting variation try this Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting by adding a tsp of cinnamon to your cream cheese frosting.

Tips to make perfect Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe:

1. Over measuring your flour is the number one reason for your cupcakes to be dense and hard. Make sure to measure it correctly by weighing and sifting it for lighter textured cupcakes.
2. I like Libby's brand canned pumpkin to make pumpkin desserts. I noticed some other brands puree to be way more watery. Blot them if necessary when you opt for other canned pumpkins.
3. Always use room temperature egg and pumpkin puree in the batter. Same goes for butter and cream cheese used in the frosting. 
4. After mixing dry ingredients to wet, take care not to over beat the batter as it can develop gluten. At this point, I like to switch to a spatula for folding my batter. Chances are very low that you will end up over beating batter with a spatula. 😉
5. Allow the cupcakes to cool down completely before attempting to frost them. If you are in a rush, try sticking the cupcakes for a few minutes in the refrigerator or even freezer to get them to cool faster. 

Skip lighting cinnamon flavored candles, those fall hayrides, Jack-o'-lantern but don't miss out on these easy pumpkin cupcakes this season. And if you have any leftovers convert them into Pumpkin Cake Balls!

More Fall Desserts:

Easy Pumpkin Bars

Best Pumpkin Tart Recipe

Tall and Moist Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mini Pumpkin Cakes

Follow me on Instagram for more such drool-worthy dessert recipes! And tag #Greedyeatsblog if you make these cupcakes. Seeing your creations makes my day! Also follow me on Pinterest and Facebook! 

Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe

This Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe is a must bake during chilly fall days, piled high with a soft and light cream cheese frosting.

4.94 from 16 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

US Customary - Metric

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Total Time: 37 minutes

Servings 12 Cupcakes

1x2x3x

Calories: 439kcal

Author: Neha

Ingredients

• ▢ 1⅓ Cup (166 gms) All purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tsp Baking powder
• ▢ 1 tsp Baking soda
• ▢ ¼ tsp salt
• ▢ ¼ tsp Ground Cloves
• ▢ 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 tsp Pumpkin Spice
• ▢ ¾ Cup Pumpkin puree
• ▢ ½ Cup Brown sugar
• ▢ ½ Cup Granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ Cup Flavorless oil
• ▢ 2 Large Eggs (at room temperature)
• ▢ 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Cream cheese frosting:

• ▢ ½ Cup Unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• ▢ 8 oz Full Fat Cream cheese block (at Room temperature, not cream cheese spread)
• ▢ 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• ▢ 4 Cups Confectioners' sugar
• ▢ Pinch Salt (less that ⅛ of a tsp)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 deg F and line a Cupcake pan with 12 paper liners. Set aside.
• Whisk together egg, pumpkin puree, oil, vanilla and both the sugars in a medium bowl. Combine them all really well.
• Sift all the dry ingredients-flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices over wet ingredients and gently fold to combine with a spatula. Do not over-mix.
• Pour batter in the pre-prepared liners and bake for about 20-22 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

For cream cheese frosting:

• Beat butter until light and fluffy for about 2 minutes using an hand/stand mixer. Add cream cheese, vanilla and salt next. Continue to beat for another 2 minutes.
• Gradually add confectioners' sugar and keep beating till a smooth frosting like consistency is reached. Frost on completely cooled cupcakes (I used Ateco #827 tip) as desired.

Notes

Spices:

I like a lot of spices in my pumpkin cupcakes, you may adjust the spices to suit your taste. If you don't like a lot of spice in your cupcakes, just skip cloves.

How to store Pumpkin Cupcakes:

1. Frosted cupcakes stay good for few hours at room temperature. For a longer storage, keep them in refrigerator. They will last for 3-4 days there.
2. Unfrosted cupcakes freeze well for 2 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator or on the counter before frosting.

Tips to make Best Pumpkin Cupcakes:

1. Over measuring your flour is the number one reason for your cupcakes to be dense and hard. Make sure to measure it correctly by weighing and sifting it for lighter textured cupcakes.
2. I like Libby's brand canned pumpkin to make pumpkin desserts. I noticed some other brands puree to be way more watery. Blot them if necessary when you opt for other canned pumpkins.
3. Always use room temperature egg and pumpkin puree in the batter. Same goes for butter and cream cheese used in the frosting. 
4. After mixing dry ingredients to wet, take care not to over beat the batter as it can develop gluten. At this point, I like to switch to a spatula for folding my batter. Chances are very low that you will end up over beating batter with a spatula. 😉
5. Allow the cupcakes to cool down completely before attempting to frost them. If you are in a rush, try sticking the cupcakes for a few minutes in the refrigerator or even freezer to get them to cool faster. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cupcake | Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 23g | Sodium: 233mg | Sugar: 58g

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