Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes
- PREP 15min
- COOK 25min
- TOTAL 40min
My family’s favorite pumpkin cupcake recipe is packed with flavor thanks to pumpkin, brown sugar, and lots of spices. These pumpkin spice cupcakes are really easy to make. Before frosting them, make sure your cupcakes are completely cool (otherwise the frosting will melt).
You Will Need
For Cupcakes
1 ½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup (200g) brown sugar, lightly packed
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup (227g) pure pumpkin puree, try homemade pumpkin puree
For Cream Cheese Frosting
3/4 cup (170g) cream cheese at room temperature
8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups (227g) powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon milk or orange juice to thin frosting
Directions
Make Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 325°F (162°C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper or foil cupcake liners.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
In a small bowl, stir the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
Add 2 teaspoons of the spice mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until blended. Set the leftover spice mix aside to decorate the cupcakes later on.
Add the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer at medium speed to beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, for about 3 minutes.
Scrape the side and bottom of the bowl, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium-low speed until incorporated.
Turn the mixer to low. Add half the pumpkin puree, mixing on low speed until mostly incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then mix in half of the flour mixture. Repeat with the remaining pumpkin and flour mixture.
Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full. You should have enough for 12 cupcakes.
Bake the pumpkin cupcakes until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle, 20 to 25 minutes. (You can also lightly tap the top of a cupcake. If the cupcake springs back, they are done, if an indent remains, they need a little more time.) Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.
Frost Cupcakes
In a large bowl, use a hand blender to beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add a third of the powdered sugar, turn the hand blender to low, and beat until incorporated. Repeat with another third of powdered sugar, scraping the bowl down, then repeating with the final third.
Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and milk, then use the hand blender on low until the frosting is whipped and fluffy, adding more milk to thin it out.
Frost cooled cupcakes, then sprinkle a little spice mix from earlier on top of each cupcake.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Spice mix: You can substitute store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice. You will need 2 teaspoons for the cupcake batter and another teaspoon for decorating the cupcakes.
- Amount of frosting: This recipe makes enough to generously pipe on your cream cheese frosting. If you use a knife to spread it on (like we did in our photos), you will have some leftovers.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.