Pumpkin Cupcakes

These Pumpkin Cupcakes are perfectly spiced and made with fresh Pumpkin Puree. Topped with fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting. This pumpkin treat is a great way to celebrate the flavors of fall.

Try my Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls or these easy Cinnamon Rolls next. You need to check all the Fall Desserts on my website. I've got so many of them!

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED:

• Light brown sugar - Adds the sweetness to these cupcakes and also makes them very moist and flavorful. If you too are a fan of brown sugar flavor in your bakes, try my Pecan Bars Recipe next and thank me later!
• Vegetable oil - Any flavorless oil such as canola or even avocado oil works. You can also use coconut oil here.
• Vanilla extract - Vanilla adds that warm and comforting taste we all love.
• Eggs - These should be at room temperature. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, immerse them in hot water for a few minutes. Pat them dry and you are good to go.
• Flour - All purpose flour gives the cupcakes their structure and texture.
• Leaveners - Both baking powder and baking soda are required for that perfect lift.
• Ground cinnamon - You will love the cinnamon flavor here. Don't skip it!
• Spices - Along with spices like nutmeg, cloves and ginger, I also like to add a pinch of black pepper that's totally optional. But again you will love it!
• Pumpkin Puree: I use Libby's store bought pumpkin puree to make these cupcakes. This is not a sponsored post, but I just prefer Libby's over other brands. It has thick concentrated puree with deep orange color that is perfect for Pumpkin Desserts.

HOW TO MAKE THESE CUPCAKES?

• STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350 deg F. Add cupcake liners to your pan and set it aside.

• STEP 2: Add wet ingredients. Mix together the brown sugar, oil, canned pumpkin, vanilla, and eggs. Use a whisk and mix them all together until smooth.

• STEP 3: Combine wet and dry ingredients together. Add sifted dry ingredients- baking powder, baking soda  flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black pepper (if using) and salt over wet mixture and fold to form lump free batter.

• STEP 4: Pour into cupcake liners. Take cupcake mixture and fill the cupcake liners about ¾ full.

• STEP 5: Bake. Place cupcake pan in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes of time. Or until the cupcakes pass toothpick test.

• STEP 6: Remove and cool. Take cupcakes out of the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack. Once they are cool, you can add the frosting.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

Its super easy to whip this frosting up!

• Begin by whisking room temperature butter in a medium bowl for a few minutes. Then add room temp. cream cheese. Whisk them both well. Then add in vanilla and salt.
• Now with mixer running on low speed, add sifted confectioners' sugar slowly. When it is all mixed in, increase the speed of mixer to medium and beat until the frosting turns light and fluffy.
• Place the frosting in a piping bag and decorate on cooled cupcakes as desired. 

How to make Moist Cupcakes?

• Using oil and brown sugar as opposed to butter and granulated sugar makes them super moist.
• Also take care not to over-mix the batter or over-bake the cupcakes. These both both will lead to moisture loss in the finished cupcakes.
• To keep cupcakes moist and fresh, you need to store them in an airtight container at all times. This will keep them wonderful to enjoy for 2-3 days after baking.

QUICK TIPS FOR MAKING PERFECT CUPCAKES:

1. Always Sift Dry Ingredients: Never skip to sift flour and all dry ingredients together before adding them to wet ones. It doesn't only removes lumps of the flour, but also aerates it. Sifting dry ingredients results in fluffy bakes.
2. Toothpick Test: Make sure that cupcakes are done baking by testing the middle of a cupcake with a toothpick. Once the timer goes off for them, insert a toothpick into the middle of the cupcakes. If it comes out clean, they're done and ready to be taken out of the oven.
3. Mix the frosting well: Since the last thing that anyone wants is to eat a chunk of cream cheese that wasn't mixed well!
4. Top your frosted cupcakes with more cinnamon by sifting it on the frosting. There you have got Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. It tastes wonderful and looks so pretty!

Make ahead tip: Bake your cupcakes one day before and store them in an air tight container at room temperature.

Frosting can also be made a day or two ahead of time. You can store it in an airtight container in refrigerator. Before frosting, give it a quick swirl to make it nice and fluffy again, then frost your cupcakes. 

Substitutes that don't work in this recipe:

1. Cream Cheese Spread: Use cream cheese block and not cream cheese spread from the tub. Cream cheese spread is runny and will thin the frosting down.
2. Pumpkin Pie Filling: Pumpkin puree should be the only ingredient while selecting the puree. Pie filling has so many other ingredients added to it and you don't need any of them for this batter.

MORE CUPCAKE RECIPES FOR YOU:

• Caramel Apple Cupcakes
• Banana Cupcakes
• Easy Pumpkin Cupcake

If you liked this Cupcake Recipe, give it a star review. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did this turn out for you! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog And lets be friends on Pinterest and Facebook too! 🙂

Recipe

Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe

This soft, fluffy and easy Pumpkin Cupcakes recipe is perfect for sharing with family and friends.

5 from 14 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

US Customary - Metric

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings 12 cupcakes

1x2x3x

Calories: 277kcal

Author: Neha

Equipment

• 1 Hand/stand Mixer
• 1 Cupcake Pan

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
• ▢ 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (I use Libby's)
• ▢ ¾ cup light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tsp baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (*Check notes on how to sub. these spices with Pumpkin Pie Spice)
• ▢ ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt

Frosting Ingredients:

• ▢ 8 ounces room temperature cream cheese
• ▢ ½ cup room temperature butter (unsalted)
• ▢ 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• ▢ 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

• Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Place cupcake liners in your cupcake pan, set it aside.
• Add the wet ingredients. Mix together the brown sugar, oil, vanilla, canned pumpkin and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Use a mixer/hand whisk and mix them all together until the mixture gets smooth and everything is well combined.
• Combine all the mixes. Add sifted dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black pepper and salt over wet ingredients. Fold and mix with a spatula to combine until the streaks of flour disappear into the batter.
• Pour batter in prepared Cupcake Pan. Divide cupcake batter among pre-prepared cupcake liners. Each cupcake liner would be about ¾ full.
• Bake in preheated oven. Place cupcake pan in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. Or till they pass toothpick test. Take care not to over bake cupcakes here, else they will dry out!
• Cool the cupcakes. Take cupcakes out of the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack. Once they are completely cool, you can top them with frosting.

To make Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Add butter in the bowl of a hand/stand mixer and beat for about 2 minutes. Now add in the room temperature cream cheese and mix until its well combined, for about 2 more minutes. Add in salt and vanilla too. Now keeping the mixer on low, slowly add confectioners' sugar and beat till the frosting turns smooth and fluffy.
• Grab a piping bag fitted with your favorite piping tip and use it to frost the cupcakes. Once all the cupcakes are covered in frosting, top them with pumpkin toppers. Enjoy!

Notes

How to store Cupcakes:

1. Frosted cupcakes stay good for up to a day or two at room temperature. 
2. Unfrosted cupcakes freeze well for 2 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator or on the counter before frosting.

Pumpkin Puree: I strongly recommend using canned pumpkin puree in these cupcakes than homemade one. I use Libby's canned pumpkin and love it. 

Spices: You may skip cloves, nutmeg, ginger black pepper and add ¾ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to your cupcakes. Don't skip cinnamon in this case.

Oil: Instead of using vegetable oil, you may sub it with ½ cup coconut oil. ¼ cup of oil and ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce works too.

Make ahead tip: Bake your cupcakes one day before and store them in an air tight container at room temperature.

A note on Cream Cheese Frosting: Keep the frosting refrigerated until you are ready to frost your cupcakes, for those neat and perfect swirls. Frosting can also be made a day or two ahead of time. You can store it in an airtight container in refrigerator. Before frosting give it a quick swirl to make it nice and fluffy again, then frost your cupcakes. 

To make Mini Cupcakes: Pour the batter in mini liners and bake them at 350 deg F for 12-14 minutes. You will get about 24 mini cupcakes from this batter.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cupcake | Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 112mg | Sugar: 53g

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