Look no further for the perfect pumpkin cupcake! These from scratch Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are moist and spiced and topped with the perfect cream cheese frosting.
Cupcakes tend to be my go-to dessert. You can go with the classics, or get a little creative. You can use a shortcut recipe or make them from scratch. They come in every flavor and many different sizes.
So it’s no surprise that I have my favorite pumpkin cupcake recipe.
Ok, so I actually have 2. I have one that’s super easy and starts with a cake mix, and I have this one (that is also quite easy) that is from scratch.
How to Make the Best Pumpkin Cupcakes from Scratch
Sometimes I love a good shortcut. Sometimes I need a good shortcut. But when it comes down to it, I prefer the taste and texture of a cupcake from scratch.
And if you are looking for the perfect, from scratch pumpkin cupcake, look no further.
This cupcake has everything you need. The perfect moist texture, the perfect amount of spice, the perfect cream cheese frosting.
But guess what? These are so super simple – almost as easy as a shortcut recipe!
Here’s how you make them:
- Start by lining a muffin tin with liners. This recipe makes 12 cupcakes, so you’ll just need one 12-cup muffin tin.
- You’ll need 2 bowls – one to mix the dry ingredients and one to mix the wet ingredients. Start with the dry ingredients and whisk them together with a whisk. The dry ingredients include the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg.
- In the second bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin, granulated and brown sugars, and the vegetable oil. You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer if you want, or you can even just mix it all together with a whisk.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir them together just until they are mixed. You don’t want to overmix, just until they are all combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Each cup will be about 2/3 full.
- Bake them in a preheated oven until a tester comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
- Cool the cupcakes completely before adding the frosting. I like to let them sit in the muffin tin for 5 minutes then remove them so that they will cool faster.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese frosting has to be one of my favorite frostings. This is an easy frosting with only a few ingredients that is so perfect for these pumpkin cupcakes.
- You’ll want to start with room temperature ingredients. You don’t want them warm at all, just softened enough so that if you were to press your finger in the side, there would be a little give.
- Combine the cream cheese and butter in a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. You’ll want to use some sort of mixer for this for smooth, fluffy frosting. A stand mixer will work, but I tend to prefer a hand mixer for this recipe.
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together until they are completely combined and smooth. Then continue to beat them until they are light and fluffy. I usually beat it for several minutes.
- Start adding in the powdered sugar, a little at a time. You’ll end up needing between 3 and 4 cups of powdered sugar. Add as much or as little as you like for your desired consistency and sweetness. I usually use closer to 4 cups because I like it sweet.
- If the frosting gets too thick or stiff, you can add a bit of milk or cream to thin it out. But be careful because you want to be able to pipe it onto the cupcakes.
- When the cupcakes are cool, use a piping bag to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Top with sprinkles, if desired!!
This does make enough frosting to generously frost each cupcake. So if you are like my husband and you only like a small smear of frosting, you can easily halve the recipe.
If you love pumpkin desserts, you’ll love these pumpkin recipes:
Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Pumpkin Pie Cake
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce
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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Look no further for the perfect pumpkin cupcake! These from scratch Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are moist and spiced and topped with the perfect cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (8 oz)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 3–4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 12 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vegetable oil.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Divide the mixture evenly between the 12 prepared cups.
- Bake for 20-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely on a cooling rack.
For the frosting:
- Cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency and sweetness. Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.
Recipe Notes:
This makes enough cream cheese frosting to generously frost each cupcake. If you don’t like a lot of frosting, you can easily halve the frosting recipe.
Slightly adapted from Ina Garten via House Beautiful
Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 440
- Sugar: 51 g
- Sodium: 263 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 62 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
Keywords: Pumpkin Cupcakes, Cream Cheese Frosting
grace says
like carrot cake and zucchini cake, pumpkin cake definitely requires some cream cheese frosting. great recipe, deborah!
Jennifer says
Super cute decor!!!! I love these cupcakes!
Creative Cupcake Recipes says
I love the wrappers. Very spooky looking. Pumpkin cupcakes are so good too.
Natalie says
i've made an abundance of pumpkin recipes the last few weeks but haven't yet tried cupcakes. yours look beautiful!
HoosierHomemade says
I love Ina! Love watching her on Food Network!
This recipe sounds delicious! And the cupcake liner is beautiful! Where did you find it?
Thanks so much for sharing on Cupcake Tuesday!
~Liz
blackbookkitchendiaries says
this would be so perfect for when i visit my family on thanksgiving:) thank you for sharing this and for stoppping by my website, you are so sweet. have a nice day.
Vivienne says
haha when it rains, it pours…! how everything just don't go according to plans hehe. but i am really looking forward to your tutorial…ive no idea how you can do those twirls!!!
Holly says
These look soooo yuuuummy-I love those wrappers too!;)
jen says
i love pumpkins. not sure if anyone already shared this tip, but you can make a piping bag out of parchment paper next time! I am sorry you had a bad baking day, I hate those kinds of days but then they help me refocus. c'est la vie.
Monet says
I adore pumpkin cupcakes, I could eat one every day of the year. And I think that the cream cheese frosting sounds perfect. Cream cheese and pumpkin are a match made in heaven. Thanks for sharing…the wrapper looks precious!
scrambledhenfruit says
So cute! I love your spiderwebs- the cupcake sounds delicious too.
Evan B says
There's nothing wrong with trying out new recipes 🙂 These look fab and I love the spider web liners!
Abby says
So cute! Love to see you getting crafty! Ina rocks.
Jennifurla says
OH the sleeves…so adorable put anythin in them and I would eat it
Maria says
Yay for pumpkin! I can't get enough!
Joanne says
I could absolutely never tire of pumpkin baked goods and these look fantastic! Bookmarked. I love the multi-colored swirl!
The Comfort of Cooking says
I am SO behind on my pumpking baking, and these cupcakes are tempting me to get started soon! They look as sweet and adorable as Halloween-inspired cupcakes can look… Great job, Deborah! (Btw, I will have those questions back to you very soon!)
Frieda says
Beautiful! Life gets in the way and I'm willing to wait for the tutorial ~ Love Ina and her recipes.
Susi says
Gorgeous! Love the recipe for the cupcakes and since I'm a big Ina fan I will have to bookmark this! I also love your great frosting and the cupcake holders are just darling!
Gina says
Yum, yum, yum. Pumpkin cupcakes have been on my to-do list for weeks. I love pumpkin recipes this time of year. I always use mascarpone instead of cream cheese in my frosting and it is amazing. You should try it!
keepitsweet says
these days i love anything with cream cheese icing, and especially if it involves pumpkin
Miss Meat and Potatoes says
Oh my goodness… I so, so wish I had one of these with my coffee right now. I've seen lots of cupcake recipes from Ina but not pumpkin. This looks like a gem. Thanks for sharing!
Kim says
Oh my do these look festive and delicious. You can always count on Ina.
Debbi Does Dinner Healthy says
I just made some pumpkin cupcakes too! These are decorated very creatively! Thanks!