Pumpkin Cupcakes
Posted Oct 01, 2023, Updated Oct 20, 2024
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These pumpkin cupcakes are soft with a moist crumb and rich with cozy fall spices. Topped with cream cheese frosting, they are a classic fall dessert that’s easy to make from scratch!
These pumpkin cupcakes are a delicious fall dessert perfect to feed a crowd. I have made them for a handful of fall baby showers and they are always the hit of the party!
I adapted my pumpkin cake recipe (which is one of my favorite desserts) and created these pumpkin cupcakes. They are sweet and moist with lots of pumpkin and cozy fall spices.
You can easily make a batch ahead of time and freeze them before frosting and serving to guests!
Pumpkin Cupcakes: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pumpkin Puree. I use canned pumpkin puree, but homemade puree works well too.
- Salted Butter. unsalted butter and ghee are great choices.
- Sour cream. I recommend full-fat sour cream for the richest taste and texture. You can also use full-fat Greek or plain yogurt.
- Whole milk. half and half is a good substitute for whole milk.
- Granulated sugar. white sugar and organic cane sugar both work well.
- Light Brown Sugar. If you like a bolder, molasses taste then use dark brown sugar.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. If you’d like to make your own pumpkin pie spice, follow this recipe: homemade pumpkin pie spice. Then, use 2 tsp of the mixture (and use the rest in some of our other pumpkin recipes.
How to Make Pumpkin Cupcakes
Follow along as we walk through this recipe step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video!
Begin my lining 2 standard 12 cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and lightly grease.
Then, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl and set it aside.
Next, whisk the pumpkin, melted butter, sour cream, whole milk, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until mixture is smooth.
Then, add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and whisk until dissolved and there are no lumps.
Once the mixture is smooth, stir or whisk in the dry ingredients until the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout) and there are no lumps.
Then, pour ¼ cup batter into the each well in the prepared muffin tins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 25 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned and puffed and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
Let the cupcakes cool in the muffin tins for at least 15 minutes before removing them and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
While the cake is cooling, make the cream cheese frosting by following this recipe: Best Cream Cheese Frosting.
Frost & Serve
Once cool, frost the pumpkin cupcakes with your favorite frosting and serve. Here are some suggestions:
- Homemade cream cheese – the best!
- Vanilla frosting
- Chocolate buttercream frosting (because pumpkin and chocolate really do go well together)!
Once frosted, transfer the pumpkin cupcakes to a serving plate and chill them in the refrigerator until ready to serve. They are best served slightly chilled.
How to Store Pumpkin Cupcakes
Store these cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
To Freeze
To freeze, follow the recipe and let the pumpkin cupcakes cool completely. Then transfer the unfrosted cupcakes to an airtight container and freeze in a single layer until you’re ready to frost and serve.
Thaw them at room temperature or in the refrigerator (do not microwave or heat in the oven).
Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe FAQs
Yes, double the ingredients and the recipe will make 48 cupcakes (perfect for fall parties like baby showers). You will need at least 4 muffin tins to bake a double batch, or you can bake them one batch at a time in one muffin tin, just make sure it is fully cooled before filling the wells for each subsequent batch.
For the fluffiest cupcakes, do not over-mix the batter. Also, check and make sure your leavening agents are fresh.
Use a small tip, or cut a small hole in the bottom of a piping bag and make the outline of a pumpkin. Then carefully fill the pumpkin in with strokes from the top to the bottom of the pumpkin outline.
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Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup salted butter melted
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
- ¾ cup whole milk room temperature
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Line 2 standard 12 cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and lightly grease.
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, melted butter, sour cream, whole milk, eggs and vanilla until mixture is smooth.
- Add granulated sugar and brown sugar and whisk until dissolved and there are no lumps.
- Add dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout) and there are no lumps.
- Pour ¼ cup batter into the each well in the prepared muffin tins.
- Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 25 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned and puffed and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the muffin tins for at least 15 minutes before removing them and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting:
- While the cake is cooling, make the cream cheese frosting by following this recipe.
- Frost the Cupcakes
- When the cupcakes are cooled, pipe or spread the frosting over the top of each one.
- Once frosted, transfer the cupcakes to a serving plate and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Video
Notes
- Pumpkin Puree. I use canned pumpkin puree, but homemade puree works well too.
- Salted Butter. unsalted butter and ghee are great choices.
- Sour cream. I recommend full-fat sour cream for the richest taste and texture. You can also use full-fat Greek or plain yogurt.
- Whole milk. half and half is a good substitute for whole milk.
- Granulated sugar. white sugar and organic cane sugar both work well.
- Light Brown Sugar. If you like a bolder, molasses taste then use dark brown sugar.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. If you’d like to make your own pumpkin pie spice, follow this recipe: homemade pumpkin pie spice. Then, use 2 tsp of the mixture (and use the rest in some of our other pumpkin recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
