Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Fresh baked Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are the perfect treat for harvest parties and fall celebrations. Bake up a dozen today!

Some days you just want a little treat. Nothing big. Just a few bites of sweet to top off a meal or to go with a mid-afternoon coffee break.

Homemade is best, of course, but do you really want a big batch of yummy baked goods to tempt you all week long?

One of the best treats recipe makes just enough to satisfy that sweet craving but not too much to have you eating and eating and regretting that you baked in the first place.

These Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are that kind of treat.

Enriched with flavorful pumpkin and spiced with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, this pumpkin cupcake recipe makes just a dozen. Enough to tide you over until your next baking session without tempting you to eat too many.

As you know, I am a big fan of clearance sales at the grocery store, particularly post-holiday clearance sales. I find all kinds of great deals to stretch my grocery dollar.

Organic canned pumpkin for 50 cents a can? I’m all over that.

In fact, I once bought several cases of organic pumpkin. It lasted me quite awhile, even while others were plagued by season pumpkin shortages. As a result, I developed all kinds of pumpkin baked goods. Like my My Favorite Pumpkin Spice Bread Recipe and Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Maple Glaze

I had a great time experimenting. One day, I wanted to do some baking and found myself with only one egg. While I know how to bake without eggs, I didn’t have flax seed meal on hand.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Instead, a few tweaks to a number of different recipes and I came up with this recipe for Pumpkin Cupcakes. The recipe only makes 12, so you won’t have too many.

I find that’s the perfect number of cupcakes, even while I’m currently cooking and baking for 7. Each of us gets one and the kids get to have seconds. 😉

If you’ve got fewer folks to feed, consider an even smaller batch of cupcakes. My friend Christina has a bunch of small batch cupcakes recipes here.

These pumpkin cupcakes are super simple to pull together — from scratch — and just may disappear before you get them frosted.

But, the cream cheese frosting takes them over the top, so be sure to take a few extra minutes to mix up the frosting.

These cupcakes are the perfect treat to enjoy after a day at the pumpkin patch.

What do you need for pumpkin cupcakes?

The ingredients list for pumpkin cupcakes is pretty simple:

• butter
• sugar
• an egg
• vanilla extract
• canned pureed pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves)
• baking powder
• salt
• flour
• milk
• cream cheese
• powdered sugar

How many cupcakes does this make?

This recipe makes an even dozen cupcakes. It can easily be doubled if you’d like to make cupcakes for a crowd.

Can I freeze these cupcakes?

Cupcakes freeze beautifully. The trick is to be sure not to overbake them. Then be sure to cool them completely on a rack before storing them in an airtight container or tiptop freezer bag.

Store them in the freezer for up to six months in a deep freeze, 6 weeks in a refrigerator freezer. To serve: thaw the cupcakes on the counter before frosting.

You can freeze frosted cupcakes as well. Just be sure to enclose them in a container where the frosting won’t get smushed or smashed.

How do you make pumpkin cupcakes?

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners. I love to use parchment liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
3. In another mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the addition of the milk. Stir to combine.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan, about 1/4 cup of batter per cup.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a tester comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool on a rack.
7. To prepare the frosting, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and continue to beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until well combined.
8. Frost the cooled cupcakes with the frosting. Chill until ready to serve, up to 3 days.

How can I make this recipe economically?

This recipe isn’t expensive to make, even from scratch. However, there are things that you can do to make your sweet treat even better.

• Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When you see a good price on butter, sugar, and canned pumpkin, buy a few extra to stash for later. You know you’ll use them. Stocking up can save you money.
• Stock up on groceries during post-holiday clearance sales. The clearance aisle is a great place to snatch up baking ingredients, especially canned pumpkin.
• Use homemade pumpkin or squash puree. Making your own puree can be a great way to save money, especially if you get the pumpkins or squash for free or cheap.

How I make this recipe easily:

This cupcakes recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.

Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:

• stainless steel mixing bowl – I’m not sure you have too many of these.
• hand mixer – My Hamilton Beach version is going on a decade and still kicking.
• stand mixer – You can also use a stand mixer if you prefer.
• silicone spatula/spoon – I have two or three of these – so convenient!
• USA muffin pans – best pans ever. No need to spray and they easily wash up.
• parchment muffin papers – I love these. They never stick!
• wire whisk – be sure to get one with a sealed barrel so that dish water won’t get stuck in the crevises.

If you prepare this recipe, be sure to share a picture on social media and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!

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5 from 1 vote

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Fresh baked Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are the perfect treat for harvest parties and fall celebrations. Bake up a dozen today!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12

Calories: 280.32kcal

Author: Jessica Fisher

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• ▢ 1/4 cup butter 1/2 stick, softened
• ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 3/4 cup pumpkin puree can also use butternut squash puree
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• ▢ 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• ▢ 1/4 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• ▢ 1/2 cup milk

For the frosting:

• ▢ 1/4 cup butter 1/2 stick, softened
• ▢ 1 8-ounce package cream cheese softened
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To bake the cupcakes:

• Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.
• In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
• In another mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the addition of the milk. Stir to combine.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan, about 1/4 cup of batter per cup.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a tester comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool on a rack.

To prepare the frosting:

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and continue to beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until well combined.
• Frost the cooled cupcakes with the frosting. Chill until ready to serve.

Notes

• Freezing: Cupcakes freeze beautifully. The trick is to be sure not to overbake them. Then be sure to cool them completely on a rack before storing them in an airtight container or tiptop freezer bag. Store them in the freezer for up to six months in a deep freeze, 6 weeks in a refrigerator freezer. To serve: thaw the cupcakes on the counter before frosting.
• You can freeze frosted cupcakes as well. Just be sure to enclose them in a container where the frosting won't get smushed or smashed.

Nutrition

Calories: 280.32kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.29g | Protein: 3.77g | Fat: 15.04g | Saturated Fat: 8.87g | Cholesterol: 55.78mg | Sodium: 188.33mg | Potassium: 160.16mg | Fiber: 0.91g | Sugar: 19.88g | Vitamin A: 2909.54IU | Vitamin C: 0.64mg | Calcium: 69.54mg | Iron: 1.13mg

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This post was originally published in October 2011. It has been updated for clarity and relevance.