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 proper dessert in your subsequent fall gathering or Thanksgiving bash.

A pumpkin cupcake with a bite taken out of it.

Straightforward Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Fall is within the air and I’ve been craving every 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 proper fast and straightforward recipe to whip up for any event. Heck, I’ve even made them in the midst 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 successful 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 inconceivable to not daydream about.
Straightforward 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 crammed with a comfortable 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 social gathering, 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 regardless of the place you’re taking them.

What You’ll Want

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

For the Pumpkin Cupcakes

Gentle 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 desire utilizing oil versus butter in these – it helps maintain the cupcakes moister for longer. It’s additionally why these cupcake have such a simple mixing technique.
Vanilla extract – I counsel utilizing pure vanilla extract. It gives the perfect taste.
Eggs – You’ll want to use massive eggs, not medium or further massive.
Pumpkin puree – Use canned pumpkin puree somewhat than going the do-it-yourself route. Do-it-yourself pumpkin puree accommodates much more moisture, which might mess with the way in which these cupcakes bake up.
All-purpose flour – I desire utilizing a food scale, to ensure that I don’t over measure. However you may as well use the spoon and degree technique. The essential factor right here is to accurately measure your flour.
Leavenings – A mixture 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 needs to be softened at room temperature earlier than utilizing. In any other case, it is not going to combine easily with the butter and also you’ll end up with a lumpy frosting.
Butter – Permit the butter to melt at room temperature earlier than you employ it. Chilly butter is not going to combine easily and evenly with the cream cheese and can doubtless provide you with a lumpy frosting.
Powdered sugar – This provides quantity and impacts the consistency of the frosting. Should you use too little, your frosting will likely be very skinny and never maintain it’s form.
Vanilla extract – Once more, I counsel pure vanilla extract for the perfect 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 the right way to do it. You’ll want to 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 easy.

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 enhance 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 advantageous print if you need impeccable outcomes. Right here come just a few easy suggestions and tips to level you in the proper route.

Use canned pumpkin. Do-it-yourself pumpkin puree is nice for savory cooking, however not for baking. It’s simply too inconsistent on the subject of moisture content material and sweetness. So go for canned pumpkin right here. Belief me.
Measure with care. Particularly the flour. I counsel utilizing the spoon and degree technique. So, as a substitute of dipping your measuring cup immediately into the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup little by little, then degree it off with a butter knife. This can assist stop you from including an excessive amount of flour, which might result in overly dense cupcakes.
Don’t over-mix the batter. Solely combine the batter till it’s properly mixed and easy. Should you 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. Ensure 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 doubtless 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 manner, you’ll haven’t any hassle when it comes time to take away the liners and sink your enamel in.
Don’t overfill the liners. Do not forget that these cupcakes rise a superb bit within the oven so don’t fill the cupcake liners greater than 3/4 of the way in which.
Cool your cupcakes. Permit the cupcakes to chill utterly earlier than frosting them. In any other case, your frosting will soften and slide proper off.
Serve the cupcakes at room temperature. Should you’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 Recommendations

Need to add slightly one thing further 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 Straightforward Do-it-yourself Sizzling 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 Do-it-yourself Apple Cider for an additional cozy fall deal with.

The best way 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 the right way 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 permit them to sit down 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 as well depart the frosting off and whip up a contemporary batch when you find yourself able to serve). Retailer them within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Thaw the cupcakes within the fridge after which permit them to come back to room temperature earlier than serving. You too can flash freeze them and wrap every cupcake individually.

Pumpkin cupcakes on a cake stand near small pumpkins and pumpkin candies.

Extra Pumpkin Recipes To Attempt

Craving extra pumpkin desserts? ‘Tis the season. Listed below are a few of my favorites.

Watch How These Pumpkin Cupcakes are Made

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Pumpkin Cupcakes | Life, Love & Sugar

Straightforward Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes