Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These pumpkin spice cupcakes are truly the ultimate fall dessert! They have a super moist and sweet pumpkin base with a tangy cream cheese frosting on top, and are filled with pumpkin pie spices for that warm & cozy autumn flavor.

I’m not usually a pumpkin spice girl, but these cupcakes may have converted me. They’re filled with the quintessential autumn flavor–pumpkin, of course–plus a warm and cozy pumpkin pie spice blend, and topped with a silky, tangy cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes are super simple yet so delicious, and they bake up in just about half an hour so you can have a bakery-worthy fall treat in no time! Plus, they’re pretty customizable–you can add a fun filling or garnish with more than just frosting, or keep them looking classic as ever.

Here are some more cake and cupcake recipes you’ll love: Small Batch Red Velvet Cupcakes, Lemon Meringue Cupcakes, and Honey Rum Cupcakes with Brown Butter Buttercream.

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Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

These pumpkin spice cupcakes are truly the ultimate fall dessert! They have a super moist and sweet pumpkin base with a tangy cream cheese frosting on top, and are filled with pumpkin pie spices for that warm & cozy autumn flavor.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Author: Abigail Bingham

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• ½ cup unsalted butter room temp
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ½ tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup milk

For the frosting:

• ½ cup unsalted butter room temp
• 6 oz cream cheese room temp
• 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare a cupcake tin with 12 paper liners.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until fluffy.
• Add in the eggs and mix together fully, then add the pumpkin puree and the vanilla, beating until fully combined. The mixture might look grainy at this stage, but that's okay!
• In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together, then add the milk and mix on low speed until combined.
• Use a cookie scoop to portion your cupcake batter evenly into each paper liner. Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth with as few lumps as possible.
• Sift in 1 cup of the powdered sugar and mix until combined, then add the vanilla extract.
• Sift in the rest of the sugar and mix until fully combined, then chill the frosting slightly before piping onto cupcakes when they have cooled completely.

Notes

• Utilize mise en place! Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready before you begin making this recipe – it will help save you time and keep you organized.
• Chill the frosting. It shouldn’t be fully solid, but if you chill the frosting slightly before piping it onto your cupcakes, it will help the frosting hold its shape better!
• Add a garnish. I love the classic look of these cupcakes with just frosting, but you can add a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg on top, or even put a cinnamon stick in the frosting!
• Add a filling. If you want a fun surprise center for these cupcakes, you could add a cozy spiced jam, or fill them with a bit of the cream cheese frosting and then frost them a bit lighter on top – both are delicious options!

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