By Lauren Kapeluck, The Cake Blog
Easy pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting, made from scratch. A favorite fall cupcake recipe from our contributor, Lauren Kapeluck of EllenJay Events.
This holiday season, why not branch out from the standard pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread and mix up a batch of Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. During the fall my pantry is always stocked full of pumpkin as my go to ingredient. Pumpkin is such a great ingredient that can be used in a variety of dessert recipes, like a pumpkin spice cake or pumpkin tiramisu. But these pumpkin cupcakes are the best and by far a reader favorite!
WHAT MAKES THESE PUMPKIN CUPCAKES SO GOOD?
These pumpkin cupcakes are smacked full of fall flavors featuring cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. The cupcakes are paired with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting which is the perfect compliment to the cinnamon flavor in the cakes. I guarantee you won’t just be eating one of these at a time. I love how you can see the specs of cinnamon throughout the icing, not to mention the taste is amazing!COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can this recipe be made into a cake? Yes it can! This recipe was used as the base for this Pumpkin Spice Cake.Can the canned pumpkin be substituted with fresh pumpkin puree? Yes, you could certainly use homemade pumpkin puree. Here is a great recipe for making it at home.
Can these be made in advance? Yes. You can bake the cupcakes in advance and freeze them stored in a ziplock bag. Defrost completely before frosting. Alternatively, you can bake and frost these cupcakes a day in advance, storing the finished cupcake in the refrigerator.
How should I store these cupcakes? It’s always best to store any cupcake with cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator. Bring the cupcakes out a 30 minutes before serving – they will taste the best at room temperature.
My icing turned out a little bit runny. What should I do? Your icing could have been runny due to the butter and cream cheese being too soft. Simply pop your bowl into the refrigerator to let it chill and set up some before piping onto the cupcakes. Another solution is to add a little bit more confectioners sugar to thicken it to your liking.
Can I use a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer? Yes, this recipe will work with a hand mixer.
What piping tip did you use for the frosting? A large round tip like a Wilton 1A.
How do I convert this recipe to grams? Here is a great resource to help you convert from cups to grams.
I don’t like pumpkin. Will I like these cupcakes? Yes, you will! Many people who are not fans of pumpkin still enjoy these pumpkin cupcakes. They offer a great alternative to pumpkin pie and other pumpkin desserts.
Easy pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting, made from scratch.
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Yield: 30 Cupcakes
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Yield: 30 Cupcakes
Ingredients
- For the Pumpkin Cupcakes:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Make the Pumpkin Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
- In large bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
- In bowl of stand mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add dry ingredients and milk, alternating until well combined. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
- Mix in pumpkin puree.
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.
- Bake for 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to finish cooling.
- Once cupcakes are completely cool frost with Cinnamon Cream Cheese icing.
Make the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In bowl of stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well combined.
- Gradually add in confectioners’ sugar one cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
- Add vanilla and cinnamon and mix until combined.
- Place icing in piping bag fitted with a large round tip and frost cupcakes.
Notes
Store cupcakes in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.
See more at: The Cake Blog
