Pumpkin Cupcakes

These Pumpkin Cupcakes are an amazing Fall dessert and with the flavors of pumpkin spice and a tasty yet tangy Cream Cheese Frosting, you will love these cupcakes all Fall long!

When Fall comes around and pumpkin is on everyone’s minds people are thinking about Pumpkin Pies, Pumpkin Bread, and Pumpkin Lattes I have a special surprise treat I’ve been working on.

I have been kicking up some amazing batches of cupcakes lately, like my Chocolate Cupcakes and my amazing Vanilla Cupcakes.

So, with Fall here I decided to make some cupcakes with my favorite ingredient, pumpkin! Enjoy these Pumpkin Cupcakes!

How to make Pumpkin Cupcakes:

Start with preparing your ingredients to make the batter. You start with mixing your wet ingredients together and the dry ingredients together, separately.

Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients to make the batter. Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners in the pan. Bake in the oven.

While the cupcakes bake prepare your frosting. Mix together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar, slowly mixing the until the frosting is smooth.

Cupcake Ingredient Notes:

• All Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder – helps the cupcakes be light and fluffy.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice – My favorite spice of all time!
• Cinnamon – Probably my second favorite spice.
• Salt
• Eggs – room temperature.
• Sugar
• Unsalted Butter – melted to mix in with the eggs and sugar.
• Vanilla Extract – use pure or imitation vanilla extract, whichever you have on hand.
• Pumpkin Puree – Make sure it’s not Pumpkin Pie Filling, there is a difference.

Directions:

Step One: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin by lining with cupcake liners.

Step Two: Sift flour, baking powder, spices, and salt together, then set aside.

Step Three: Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar for 1-2 minutes until eggs are light yellow.

While still mixing very slowly pour in the melted butter and vanilla.

Step Four: Mix in pumpkin puree till smooth.

Step Five: Slowly mix in the dry ingredients.

Adding in a little at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

Continue until all ingredients are well combined.

Step Six: Spoon cupcake batter into the prepared muffin tin.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cupcakes are cooked through and a toothpick can come out clean.

Cool completely on a rack before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:

• Cream Cheese: softened to room temperature.
• Salted Butter: softened to room temperature. If you don’t have salted you can add a pinch of salt.
• Vanilla Extract
• Confectioners Sugar: also know as powdered sugar.

Frosting Directions:

Step Seven: With an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and softened butter.

Once combined add the vanilla and powdered sugar a little at a time.

Mix until smooth.

Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

Step Eight: Sprinkle cupcakes with cinnamon and top with pumpkin candy.

Decorating cupcakes like a pro!

Frosting a cupcake or cake is so fun! I am a firm believer though that taste in some food, like a cupcake, starts at seeing it!

Yes, looking at a beautifully frosted and decorated cupcake really makes you want it more than you originally thought. Here are some tips for frosting your cupcake!

Use a piping bag with a decorative tip: I love using Wilton Cupcake Tips. Piping bags can be difficult to use, but they really do create an amazing end result once you get the hang of it.

If using a decorative tip you want to start perpendicular to the cupcake about a ½ inch above the cupcake.

Use two hands on the piping bag and leave the cupcake on a flat surface. Start on the outside edge of the cupcake and try your best to frost in one motion.

Squeeze your frosting while slowly rotating the bag in a circular motion, moving towards the center of the cupcake.

As you reach the center pull up, stop squeezing, and make a little “twist” with your wrist to cut the frosting off.

Practice does make perfect in this, and it has taken me a lot of trials to get very pretty looking frosting.

Use a frosting knife and rotating cake stand: If you do not have piping bags and frosting tips it is ok!

Wilton also makes a really helpful frosting knife, and you could also get this rotating cake stand. I used a frosting knife for the longest time. Hold a cupcake in your hand and get a nice dollop of frosting on the knife.

Place it right in the middle of the cupcake, and then make 2 rotations. Both going in half circles to spread the frosting on the cupcake.

I know a rotating cake stand may seem large, but it also works well in moving your cupcake if you do not want to hold it in your hand!

Do I need to refrigerate these cupcakes?

These cupcakes do not need to be refrigerated if they are not iced.

However, if they have the cream cheese icing on them you will want to refrigerate them.

Can I use Pumpkin Pie Filling in this recipe?

I do not recommend using pumpkin pie filling in this recipe. It is sweetened and spiced already so just stick with puree.

If you tried any of my recipes I would love to hear from you, leave me a comment below. You can also connect with me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I would love for you to follow along and discover more amazing recipes.

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