Description
These pumpkin cupcakes are quick and easy to make, perfectly moist and fluffy and flavorful, and topped with the most heavenly cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Scale
Pumpkin Cupcake Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt*
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 1/2 cup canola oil or vegetable oil*
- 1/3 cup granulated (white) sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
- Prep the oven and baking pan. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners, or lightly grease with cooking spray; set aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until combined.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate large mixing bowl, stir together the pumpkin purée, oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and eggs until evenly combined.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently stir until the mixture is just evenly combined and no dry streaks remain. (Try to avoid over-mixing.)
- Bake. Portion the batter evenly into the 12 baking cups. (I like to do this using a large 3-tablespoon cookie scoop.) Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire cooling rack and let the cupcakes cool completely to room temperature.
- Make the frosting. Meanwhile as the cupcakes bake and cool, make your frosting by combining the cream cheese, butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt in a clean mixing bowl. Use a rubber spatula (or you can use an electric mixer) to stir the frosting until it is completely combined and smooth. If the frosting is too thin, continue adding in more powdered sugar until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Frost the cupcakes. Once the cupcakes are room temperature, use either a piping bag (I used a 1M tip) to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, or use a knife to spread it on generously. Feel free to sprinkle a bit of pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon on top of the cupcakes to finish.
- Serve. Then serve and enjoy! Leftover cupcakes can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 or 4 days.
Notes
Salt: If you only have iodized table salt on hand, use only 1/2 teaspoon.
Oil: Or feel free to use any other neutral-flavored cooking oil that you prefer.
Sifting the powdered sugar: If you would like your frosting to be free of powdered sugar clumps, I recommend sifting the powdered sugar before you add it to the mixing bowl. Or if you use an electric mixer (either a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer), that will also make it easier to reduce the clumps.
Recipe updates and source: Recipe updated in 2020 and slightly adapted from Sweetopia.
