Pumpkin Cupcakes | Life, Love & Sugar

These ultra-moist and fluffy Pumpkin Cupcakes are loaded with warming spices and topped with a beneficiant serving to of melt-in-your-mouth cream cheese frosting. Garnished with pumpkin candies, they’re the right dessert in your subsequent fall gathering or Thanksgiving bash.

A pumpkin cupcake with a bite taken out of it.

Simple Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Fall is within the air and I’ve been craving every little thing pumpkin. These pumpkin spice cupcakes hit the spot. Made with vegetable oil, they’re splendidly moist, completely fluffy, and simply overflowing with fall taste. The refined sweetness of the pumpkin is paired fantastically with heat notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. To prime them off, they’ve a beneficiant dollop of wealthy cream cheese frosting that simply melts in your mouth.

To make issues even higher, these pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are really easy to make! You gained’t want any fancy mixing strategies and also you’ll have them within the oven very quickly. It’s the right fast and simple recipe to whip up for any event. Heck, I’ve even made them in the course of summer season simply because I felt prefer it.

Closeup of pumpkin cupcakes on a cake stand.

Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

These cupcakes are a success each time. They fly off the serving plate that quick. Right here’s what makes them so extremely crave-able.

Tremendous moist. These cupcakes are made with vegetable oil as a substitute of butter which provides them a splendidly moist, tender texture that’s simply not possible to not daydream about.
Simple to make. The batter for these cupcakes is as simple because it will get. No fancy mixing strategies required. Simply mix the moist components, mix the dry components, and put all of it collectively.
Fall flavors. Every cupcake is full of a comfy mixture of floor cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, which completely enhances the refined sweetness of the pumpkin puree. If that doesn’t scream “autumn”, what does?
Nice for any event. Make these scrumptious cupcakes in your subsequent Halloween get together, serve them on the finish of Thanksgiving dinner, or make them simply since you’re within the temper for a fall deal with! Mouths will likely be watering irrespective of the place you are taking them.

What You’ll Want

Right here’s what you’ll must make these wonderful pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Don’t neglect to scroll to the recipe card under for exact measurements.

For the Pumpkin Cupcakes

Mild brown sugar – This deepens the flavour, bringing out the style of pumpkin and the autumn spices that all of us love a lot.
Vegetable oil – I favor utilizing oil versus butter in these – it helps hold the cupcakes moister for longer. It’s additionally why these cupcake have such a straightforward mixing technique.
Vanilla extract – I recommend utilizing pure vanilla extract. It gives the very best taste.
Eggs – Make sure you use massive eggs, not medium or additional massive.
Pumpkin puree – Use canned pumpkin puree reasonably than going the do-it-yourself route. Selfmade pumpkin puree incorporates much more moisture, which may mess with the best way these cupcakes bake up.
All-purpose flour – I favor utilizing a food scale, to ensure that I don’t over measure. However you may also use the spoon and stage technique. The vital factor right here is to accurately measure your flour.
Leavenings – A mix of baking soda and baking powder provide the finest texture.
Spices – Floor cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves provide the excellent mixture of pumpkin spice.
Salt – Don’t underestimate the salt. It amplifies all of the flavors within the cupcakes. With out it, they’d be a bit bland.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese – The cream cheese ought to be softened at room temperature earlier than utilizing. In any other case, it won’t combine easily with the butter and also you’ll end up with a lumpy frosting.
Butter – Enable the butter to melt at room temperature earlier than you employ it. Chilly butter won’t combine easily and evenly with the cream cheese and can probably offer you a lumpy frosting.
Powdered sugar – This provides quantity and impacts the consistency of the frosting. For those who use too little, your frosting will likely be very skinny and never maintain it’s form.
Vanilla extract – Once more, I recommend pure vanilla extract for the very best taste.

How To Make Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Able to discover ways to make your new favourite fall dessert? Right here’s a fast overview of methods to do it. Make sure you scroll to the recipe card under for extra detailed directions.

Make the Cupcakes

Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
Mix the moist components. Whisk collectively the oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and pumpkin puree.
Mix the dry components. Whisk collectively the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt.
Put all of it collectively. Combine the dry components with the moist components till clean.

Whisking together dry ingredients for cupcake batter.

Whisking together wet ingredients for cupcake batter.

Bake. Fill every cupcake liner ¾ full with the batter and bake for 18-20 minutes.
Cool. Take away the cupcakes from the oven and place them on a cooling rack to chill.

Cupcake liners filled 3/4 with pumpkin batter in a cupcake pan.

Pumpkin cupcakes cooling in a muffin pan.

Make the Frosting & Assemble

Make the frosting. Combine collectively the cream cheese and butter. Combine in half of the powdered sugar adopted by the vanilla extract after which the remaining powdered sugar.
Frost and embellish the cupcakes. Pipe the frosting onto the tops of the cupcakes and garnish with sweet pumpkin.

Stirring cream cheese frosting with a rubber spatula.

Piping cream cheese frosting onto a pumpkin cupcake.

Ideas for Success

This recipe for pumpkin spice cupcakes is about as simple because it will get however that doesn’t imply you don’t have to concentrate to the tremendous print if you need impeccable outcomes. Right here come a number of easy ideas and methods to level you in the precise route.

Use canned pumpkin. Selfmade pumpkin puree is nice for savory cooking, however not for baking. It’s simply too inconsistent with regards to moisture content material and sweetness. So go for canned pumpkin right here. Belief me.
Measure with care. Particularly the flour. I recommend utilizing the spoon and stage technique. So, as a substitute of dipping your measuring cup instantly into the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup little by little, then stage it off with a butter knife. It will assist stop you from including an excessive amount of flour, which may result in overly dense cupcakes.
Don’t over-mix the batter. Solely combine the batter till it’s properly mixed and clean. For those who combine it a lot past that, the glutens within the flour will overdevelop and your cupcakes will come out powerful and dense.
Room temperature components. Make sure that the butter and the cream cheese within the frosting are at room temperature. In any other case, they gained’t combine collectively easily and you’ll probably end up with a lumpy frosting.
Use good cupcake liners. I at all times suggest utilizing high-quality cupcake liners with some type of non-stick coating. This fashion, you’ll haven’t any hassle when it comes time to take away the liners and sink your tooth in.
Don’t overfill the liners. Keep in mind that these cupcakes rise bit within the oven so don’t fill the cupcake liners greater than 3/4 of the best way.
Cool your cupcakes. Enable the cupcakes to chill fully earlier than frosting them. In any other case, your frosting will soften and slide proper off.
Serve the cupcakes at room temperature. For those who’ve saved your cupcakes within the fridge, convey them to about room temperature earlier than chowing down. This softens the frosting to the correct consistency.

Serving Solutions

Wish to add somewhat one thing additional to your pumpkin cupcake expertise? Listed below are some enjoyable methods to serve these tasty treats. Let me know which is your favourite.

Enjoyable toppings. Garnish the tops of the cupcakes with sweet corn or pumpkin candies. Alternatively, chop up your favourite sweet bar, or cookies and sprinkle the items on prime.
Ice cream. Serve these festive cupcakes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a few of my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream.
Sauce. I’ve been loving including a drizzle of Simple Selfmade Scorching Fudge Sauce and/or Salted Caramel Sauce to the highest of the frosting.
With apple cider. Serve these pumpkin cupcakes with a steaming mug of my Selfmade Apple Cider for an additional cozy fall deal with.

Easy methods to Retailer Leftovers

As a result of these pumpkin spice cupcakes are made with cream cheese frosting, they can’t be saved at room temperature. If you don’t anticipate devouring inside a pair hours of frosting them, retailer them correctly within the fridge or freezer. Right here’s methods to do it.

Fridge. Seal the cupcakes in an hermetic container (ensure that it’s tall sufficient to accommodate the frosting) and retailer them within the fridge for as much as 4 days. These little pumpkin desserts are finest loved at room temperature, so enable them to take a seat on the countertop for 20 minutes or so earlier than diving in.
Freezer. Seal the cupcakes in an hermetic container that’s tall sufficient to accommodate the frosting (you may also depart the frosting off and whip up a contemporary batch when you’re able to serve). Retailer them within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Thaw the cupcakes within the fridge after which enable them to come back to room temperature earlier than serving. You can too flash freeze them and wrap every cupcake individually.