Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe from Scratch
For extra flavor, we add lots of spices to the cupcake batter. You can use homemade pumpkin puree for this or buy it from the store. When you look for pumpkin puree, don’t use “pumpkin pie mix” (usually a larger can) and instead buy the can that is “pure pumpkin puree”. The frosting recipe below makes enough for piping the frosting onto the cupcakes (this usually requires a little more frosting). If you do what we did, which was to spread frosting on top of the cupcakes with a knife, you may have some frosting left over.
For extra flavor, we add lots of spices to the cupcake batter. You can use homemade pumpkin puree for this or buy it from the store. When you look for pumpkin puree, don’t use “pumpkin pie mix” (usually a larger can) and instead buy the can that is “pure pumpkin puree”. The frosting recipe below makes enough for piping the frosting onto the cupcakes (this usually requires a little more frosting). If you do what we did, which was to spread frosting on top of the cupcakes with a knife, you may have some frosting left over.
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
- 8 tablespoons (115 grams or 1 stick) unsalted butter at room te
- 1 cup (200 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup packed canned pumpkin puree
- 6 ounces (170 grams) cream cheese at room temperature
- 8 tablespoons (115 grams or 1 stick) unsalted butter at room te
- 2 cups (130 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk or orange juice to thin frosting
- Carbohydrate 0.931574155321532 g
- Cholesterol 91.1076388883366 mg
- Fat 9.43684372851097 g
- Fiber 0.21290207803555 g
- Protein 2.4286600743293 g
- Saturated Fat 5.43988526808673 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (48g)
- Sodium 121.536581716271 mg
- Sugar 0.718672077285982 g
- Trans Fat 0.829718527237376 g
- Calories 98 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 12 regular size muffin cups with paper or foil cupcake liners.
- In a small bowl, stir the cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger and nutmeg together.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 2 teaspoons of the spice mix into a medium bowl. Whisk until blended. (Leftover spice mix will be used later to decorate the frosted cupcakes.)
- In a large bowl, use a hand blender on medium speed to beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the side and bottom of the bowl then add the eggs, one at time, on medium-low speed until incorporated.
- Turn the mixer to low and beat in the vanilla and half of the pumpkin puree. With the mixer still on low, beat in half of the flour mixture until incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then beat in the rest of the pumpkin puree and finally the remaining flour mixture.
- Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full – the batter should be just enough for 12 cupcakes.
- Bake cupcakes until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle of a cupcake, 20 to 25 minutes. (Another test is to lightly tap the top of a cupcake. If the cupcake springs back, they are done, if an indent remains, they need a little more time.) Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.
- In a large bowl, use a hand blender to beat cream cheese and the butter until fluffy. Add a third of the powdered sugar, turn the hand blender to low and beat until incorporated. Repeat with another third of powdered sugar, scrap the bowl down then repeat with the final third.
- Add the vanilla extract, almond extract and the milk then use the hand blender on low until frosting is whipped and fluffy, adding more milk to thin out. Frost cooled cupcakes then sprinkle a little of the spice mix from earlier on top of each cupcake.
Standard ingredient lists rarely reveal how chemical leaveners react with moisture. Pure pumpkin puree introduces significant acidity into the batter, which immediately activates the baking soda alongside the baking powder to build initial lift. Ground cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg contain volatile aromatic oils that bind to the milk fats in the butter, distributing their warmth evenly throughout the crumb.
Creaming the unsalted butter and brown sugar at medium speed for three full minutes incorporates microscopic air cells. Overmixing the flour after adding the pumpkin puree, however, develops excess gluten networks, yielding a dense, rubbery texture instead of a tender cake. Adding eggs one at a time prevents the fat emulsion from breaking.
Baking at 325 degrees Fahrenheit ensures the exterior sets at the correct rate while the interior finishes cooking without scorching the delicate sugar molecules. Testing doneness requires inserting a toothpick into the center or pressing the top lightly to confirm it springs back cleanly.
Cream cheese frosting relies on properly softened dairy to prevent graininess during blending. Powdered sugar added in three separate increments ensures a smooth emulsion before piping or spreading the finished decoration onto completely cooled bases.
