Description
Soft, fluffy, and moist pumpkin cupcakes filled with warm fall spices and topped with creamy cream cheese frosting. These easy cupcakes are perfect for Thanksgiving, Halloween, fall parties, and cozy baking days.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 can pumpkin purée, 15 ounces
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, for frosting
- 1/8 teaspoon salt, for frosting
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper cupcake liners.
- 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 purée, vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir gently just until no streaks of flour remain.
- Fill each paper liner three-quarters full with batter, using about 1/4 cup batter per cupcake.
- 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 racks after 12 minutes.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Beat the softened butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the vanilla and salt until combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sifted powdered sugar. Increase to medium speed and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip. Pipe frosting over the cooled cupcakes and decorate as desired.
Notes
- Measure flour carefully to avoid dry, dense cupcakes.
- Use pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting so the frosting does not melt.
- Use room-temperature eggs and cream cheese for smoother mixing.
- Do not overmix the batter after adding the wet ingredients.
- Sift the dry ingredients to remove clumps and help create a lighter cupcake texture.
- For a brown butter variation, brown the butter first, cool it until soft, and then beat it with the cream cheese.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 343
- Sugar: 34
- Sodium: 211
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 13
- Unsaturated Fat: 4
- Trans Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 43
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 51