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 all the pieces 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 superbly 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 received’t want any fancy mixing methods and also you’ll have them within the oven very quickly. It’s the right fast and straightforward recipe to whip up for any event. Heck, I’ve even made them in the course of summer time 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 unattainable to not daydream about.
Simple to make. The batter for these cupcakes is as straightforward because it will get. No fancy mixing strategies required. Simply mix the moist substances, mix the dry substances, 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 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 might be watering regardless of the place you’re taking them.

What You’ll Want

Right here’s what you’ll must make these superb pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Don’t neglect to scroll to the recipe card beneath 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 want 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 counsel utilizing pure vanilla extract. It offers the perfect taste.
Eggs – You’ll want to use giant eggs, not medium or additional giant.
Pumpkin puree – Use canned pumpkin puree moderately than going the do-it-yourself route. Do-it-yourself pumpkin puree incorporates much more moisture, which may mess with the way in which these cupcakes bake up.
All-purpose flour – I want utilizing a food scale, to ensure that I don’t over measure. However it’s also possible to use the spoon and degree technique. The necessary 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 good 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 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 possible provide you with a lumpy frosting.
Powdered sugar – This provides quantity and impacts the consistency of the frosting. When you use too little, your frosting might 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 best way to do it. You’ll want to scroll to the recipe card beneath 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 substances. Whisk collectively the oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and pumpkin puree.
Mix the dry substances. Whisk collectively the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt.
Put all of it collectively. Combine the dry substances with the moist substances 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 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 straightforward because it will get however that doesn’t imply you don’t have to concentrate to the tremendous print if you would like impeccable outcomes. Right here come just a few easy ideas and methods to level you in the proper course.

Use canned pumpkin. Do-it-yourself pumpkin puree is nice for savory cooking, however not for baking. It’s simply too inconsistent in terms 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 instantly into the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup little by little, then degree it off with a butter knife. This may 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 effectively mixed and easy. When 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 substances. Make sure that the butter and the cream cheese within the frosting are at room temperature. In any other case, they received’t combine collectively easily and you’ll possible end up with a lumpy frosting.
Use good cupcake liners. I all the time suggest utilizing high-quality cupcake liners with some type of non-stick coating. This manner, you’ll don’t have 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 an excellent 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. When you’ve saved your cupcakes within the fridge, deliver them to about room temperature earlier than chowing down. This softens the frosting to the correct consistency.

Serving Recommendations

Wish to add a bit of one thing additional to your pumpkin cupcake expertise? Listed here 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 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.

Learn how 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 best 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 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 (it’s also possible to depart the frosting off and whip up a recent batch if 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 enable them to come back to room temperature earlier than serving. It’s also possible to flash freeze them and wrap every cupcake individually.