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PUMPKIN CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING are so moist and loaded with pumpkin spice! I topped them off with a big scoop of cream cheese frosting for the perfect fall touch.
Hiiiii there.
I’m back. With the pumpkin. Because of course.
I mean, I KNOW you’re not mad about it. Unless you’re one of those sad souls that dislikes pumpkin, in which case you probably already know to avoid this site for the duration of August, September, and October anyway. 😉
I just can’t help myself with all the pumpkin goodness. I love pumpkin and these pumpkin spice cupcakes are so unbelievably moist. That big thick dollop of cream cheese frosting is the literal icing on the cake.
How to make pumpkin spice cupcakes:
Pumpkin cupcakes are quite simple to make from scratch!
Whisk together your dry ingredients: flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a larger bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and a couple of eggs until smooth.
Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Spoon your batter evenly between 12 lined muffin wells. They should be about 2/3 of the way full.
Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.
These pumpkin cupcakes are LOADED with pumpkin puree, which makes them extra moist and gives them a more dense texture than a traditional cupcake. We love the dense crumb and texture of these cupcakes, but if you are not into that, these may not be the cupcakes for you.
What frosting for pumpkin cupcakes:
Cream cheese frosting is the perfect balance of tangy goodness for those sweet pumpkin spice cupcakes.
My cream cheese frosting is very simple to make.
Just add cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
You can pipe the frosting over your cupcakes if you like, but I’m a big sucker for the simple approach.
I used a cookie scoop (affiliate link) to drop big dollops of frosting right over the top of the cooled cupcakes. Simple and adorable!
Do pumpkin cupcakes need to be refrigerated?
These cupcakes should be stored in the refrigerator.
Tightly cover the container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More pumpkin recipes:
White Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies: Super soft and loaded with white chocolate chips.
Pumpkin Pie Dip: Perfect for dipping graham crackers or Nilla wafers!
Pumpkin Dream Cake: Love the technique for achieving super moist cake here!
Pumpkin Bundt Cake: We love bundt cakes!
Pumpkin Muffins: These have a surprise cream cheese filling.
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
Cream cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar plus more, as needed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners.
- Add the flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add the pumpkin, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs to a large mixing bowl and whisk well to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined.
- Fill the muffin wells ? full with the batter.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched and a tester comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting, add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat well with the whisk attachment until smooth and creamy.
- Pipe or spoon the frosting over the cupcakes.
- Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Janet Tauyan says
Can I substitute pumpkin pie spice extract for the powder kind? Is it the same?
Karly says
I’ve never used a pumpkin extract before. Not sure how it would work.
Janet Tauyan says
Thank for your quick response. I didn’t want to mess the recipe so I didn’t use the extract. I’m not good at baking, but the cupcakes turned out really good!
Rosie says
These look like such great cupcakes. I’m definitely ready for all the pumpkin for a couple of months!
sandhya says
Cup cake easily attract everyone. In my childhood I ask my mother to prepare the cake everyday. Now I prepare the cake for my children.
Lisa says
These look yummy! Why is there a question mark after the 1 (cup of flour). Should it be one cup, or is it more?
Karly says
Oh, thank you for asking! That should 1 1/3 cups of flour. For some reason, my recipe card always eats the 1/3 when I type it in and I forgot correct this one. It’s there now. 🙂