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Tender, moist pumpkin cupcakes bursting with fall flavor, topped with a luscious brown sugar cream cheese frosting. This easy, fuss-free recipe yields 12 cupcakes perfect for autumn.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 170 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice (homemade pumpkin spice: 2 tbsp ground cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 3/4 tsp ground cloves, 3/4 tsp ground allspice)
  • 225 g dark brown sugar (for cupcake batter)
  • 280 g pumpkin purée, room temperature
  • 75 g vegetable oil, room temperature
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for cupcake batter)
  • 200 g butter (for frosting)
  • 15 g dark brown sugar (for frosting)
  • 100 g full-fat cream cheese (for frosting)
  • 345 g powdered sugar, sifted (for frosting)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for frosting)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC/320ºF (conventional). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar (225 g), baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together pumpkin purée, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract (1 tsp) until smooth.
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold with a whisk or spatula until no flour pockets remain. Avoid overmixing.
  5. Spoon or scoop the batter evenly into the 12 cupcake liners.
  6. Bake for 23-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  7. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack; after 5 minutes remove them from the pan and cool completely before frosting.
  8. For frosting: If needed, place cream cheese between paper towels to remove excess moisture.
  9. Take butter and cream cheese out of the fridge about 10 minutes before starting; cut butter into cubes and sift powdered sugar.
  10. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 15 g dark brown sugar on high for 5 minutes; scrape down the bowl and beat 2 more minutes.
  11. Add vanilla extract (1/2 tsp) and cream cheese and mix for 1 minute until smooth and creamy.
  12. Lower mixer speed to low and add sifted powdered sugar in two additions, fully mixing each time; scrape the bowl and beat 2 more minutes until smooth.
  13. Fill a piping bag fitted with a round tip (e.g., Wilton 1A or 1M) and pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
  14. Optionally top with fondant pumpkins or a dusting of pumpkin spice or cinnamon.

Notes

Measure ingredients by weight using a kitchen scale for best results., Do not overmix the batter; gently fold to avoid tough cupcakes., Use aluminum baking pans for more gentle and even baking; adjust time if using dark pans., Pumpkin spice blend can be homemade using cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice as specified in the ingredients., To make homemade pumpkin purée: bake pumpkin halves at 200ºC/390ºF for 30-40 minutes, then blend until smooth and cool before use., Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge; allow to warm to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving for creamy frosting., Cupcakes can be baked a day ahead and stored unfrosted at room temperature for 1-2 days; frost when ready to serve.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://gingerbaking.com/the-best-pumpkin-cupcakes/