Moist and sweet pumpkin cupcakes with an easy cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes are perfect for pumpkin lovers!
Ever since I met my husband nearly ten years ago, I’ve always told him I wanted to own a bakery. You know how some kids dream of becoming a lawyer, doctor, or even a vet when they grow up? I’ve always wanted to have my own bakery and bake sweets all day long. Just the idea sounds fun, right?
In fact, cupcakes are one of my favorite things to bake. I bake them for coworkers, family, sometimes just because I feel like baking. So this past weekend I felt like it was time to start working on some of my own cupcake recipes for the blog. I figured the perfect place to start would be with one of my favorite things ever – PUMPKIN!
I worked on several batches of pumpkin cupcakes and after some tweaking, I finally found the winning recipe. The cupcakes themselves are slightly sweet, but not too sweet since we’re topping them with some frosting too. These cupcakes are extra moist thanks to the oil, brown sugar, and of course, the pumpkin.
I used a full cup of pumpkin in this recipe because I wanted to make sure the pumpkin flavor stood out. Since you won’t be using an entire can of pumpkin, you can use the rest to make these baked pumpkin donuts (one of my favorites!).
And then these cupcakes are topped an easy cream cheese frosting with just four ingredients – cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. I always make sure to set my cream cheese and butter out ahead of time so that they have time to come to room temperature once the cupcakes have cooled.
If you don’t have a piping bag and tip you can use a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off or even a knife to frost these cupcakes. I took a batch of these to a family get together this past week and everyone loved them. I guarantee anyone else who loves pumpkin will love these too!
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cupcakes:
- 1 and 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (250 grams) pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 (8-ounce) package brick- style cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (240 grams) confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
To make the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12 count muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fully combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way full, you should get 12 cupcakes, and smooth out the tops of each one.
- Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
To make the cream cheese frosting:
- Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until fully combined.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired.
Recipe Notes
Prepared cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
I've also tested this recipe using 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon in place of all of the spices listed in the recipe. Both options taste great!
Best. Cupcake. Recipe. Ever. Fast and easy — The only change I made was using half almond flour and half all-purpose; they came out perfectly. My whole family scarfed them up and I had to bake a second batch by request. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you liked the cupcakes, Jenna! Thanks for sharing about the almond flour too!
I am completely a beginner, but even I seemed like a pro when I served this for a group! Perfect pumpkin cupcakes simple enough for even me to make. BONUS: These cakes are DAIRY-FREE without the icing (or substituting with a different icing). Husband does not eat food cooked by anyone other than himself or me due to severe food allergies. Beyond grateful when I find recipes that: 1) are easy enough for me to make; 2) taste delicious; 3) are dairy-free. Thanks for making my day with this recipe that fulfilled all 3 requirements for us!
I’m so happy to hear that, Heather! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and comment 🙂
These cupcakes are now my go-to! I’ve made them a couple times, and I’m planning on making another batch for Friendsgiving dinner. I have one question though: why is it that we must use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling? I messed up at the store today and bought pumpkin pie filling as I couldn’t locate Libby’s pure pumpkin. I’m pretty broke, so I feel plenty of guilt over this.
So glad to hear this is your go-to cupcake recipe, Jack! As for the pumpkin, pumpkin purée is just pumpkin that’s been cooked and puréed. Pumpkin pie filling contains pumpkin purée, spices, and it’s already sweetened.
If you use pumpkin pie filling in this recipe, it will affect the overall taste and sweetness of the cupcakes. If you try to adjust the sugar/spices in the recipe and use the pumpkin pie filling it will probably affect the taste and texture as well. Pumpkin pie filling is best for making pumpkin pie though, you could always use it for that too. I hope that helps!
Can I use this recipe and bake or as a whole cake instead of cupcakes? If so how long should they bake in he oven?
I think that should be fine. I would use a 9 inch cake pan and bake at the same oven temperature. I’m unsure of the baking time though, maybe check it around 30 minutes? You’ll know it’s done when the top is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Excellent! Easy. Moist. Delicouis!
Glad you enjoyed the cupcakes, Mary!
It’s a great recipe and I like the fact you use pumpkin puree. I have lots leftover from halloween.
So glad you like the recipe, Wayne!
Can I use coconut oil as a vegetable oil sub?
I haven’t tried it yet, but I think it would work. I would measure 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil.
I work in a bakery and I’ve been itching to make a Halloween inspired dessert at home even though we’re not into October yet, I’ve also been itching to make buttercream icing (I’ve never made it from scratch before). I followed your recipe exactly, for both the cupcakes and the buttercream icing (I opted for chocolate, I would’ve tried the cream cheese icing but I had to work with what I had in the kitchen). The cupcakes turned out beautifully, as did the icing, I wish I could include a photo of the finished product. Absolutely scrumptious, I am so thankful for your tips and your perfect recipes & instructions, I think I see myseld trying many of your recipes in the future. Thank you!!
So glad to hear that the cupcakes and icing turned out great for you, Ariel! These pumpkin cupcakes are one of my favorite recipes that I make all of the time. I’d love to hear if you try out any other recipes on my site too 🙂
Just made these for a wedding tomorrow
Should they be more muffin like than light cupcake ? They seem
Somewhat dinse? Taste is good though
Glad you liked the taste of the cupcakes! They tend to be a little more dense than a chocolate/vanilla cupcake, but they shouldn’t be super dense. Did you make sure to spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife?
Loved this recipe!! Made them today and followed the recipe exactly as written. Everyone raved!! The cupcake was moist and excellent. A little hint I have always followed, if I am not using cake flour and using regular flour (King Arthur unbleached), I remove 2 tbs of the flour from each cup as per the recipe. They were light as can be not dense at all. Thank you for sharing!!
So glad to hear that everyone loved the cupcakes, Christina!
I made a mini version of this recipe for an event at my sons’ school. I was super-happy with the flavor and texture! I followed the recipe exactly, except the baking time was closer to 17min. for mini cupcakes in my oven. I took a cue from one comment above, adding a halved pumpkin candy corn to decorate. They were adorable and tasty! Thank you for the recipe!
So glad you liked the cupcakes, Jennifer! Thanks for sharing about the baking time for the mini cupcakes too, that will be helpful for others 🙂
I made these for a dinner party and became a bug hit. My friends husband who does not like pumpkin had three!
I also took some caramel soft chews and mealted them down with heavy cream. Once it was thin enough took it off the heat and added a splash or three of bourbon and drizzled over the top.
That’s wonderful to hear, Anthony! The caramel drizzle sounds like a wonderful idea too!
What if you don’t use purée what would be the difference?
It would affect the texture of the cupcakes. Are you looking for just a plain vanilla cupcake recipe? If so, I have one here: http://www.livewellbakeoften.com/vanilla-cupcakes/.
If I were to double all the ingredients to make 24 cupcakes will there be any issues? Should I just stick to 2 batches?
I think it should be fine to double it. I also have a pumpkin cake recipe here: https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/pumpkin-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/. It uses a little less flour and is just a bit lighter, I think it would make about 2 dozen cupcakes.
Ah-mazing. I’ve only made these once, but I think this will be my go-to pumpkin cupcake recipe from now on. HOWEVER, the top of my cupcakes cracked and split after baking for 22 minutes. What did I do wrong? Suggestions appreciated.
So glad you liked the cupcakes, Clarissa! If the top of the cupcakes cracked, it’s likely that your oven was too hot and the tops of the cupcakes set before they were finished rising (which causes them to crack). You may want to check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer to make sure it doesn’t run too hot or slightly lower your oven temperature and see if that helps.
I know this is an older thread, but I was wondering if I could replace the spices with Pumpkim Pie spice? I have all except the ginger. The ingredients in the Pumpkin pie spice are cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. If so, how much would I replace it with? If not, would it taste ok without the ginger?
Hi, Mary. I have a note in the recipe for using pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
Hi!
When you say you used the pumpkin spice and cinnamon in lieu of the other spices does that include the salt?
That doesn’t include the salt.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I make them every fall and they are just delicious. The combination of sweet pumpkin taste with sour cream is heavenly.
So glad you liked the cupcakes!
These look great! I love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate. If I added some mini chocolate chips to this, do you think that would be good?
I think that would taste fine, Shelby! You could try a different frosting on the cupcakes if you like too.