Enjoy a small batch of fresh baked fall goodness with this Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe. Topped with Cream Cheese Frosting, these are the perfect treat for harvest parties, fall celebrations, and tea parties.
You only need ¾ cup of pumpkin for this pumpkin cupcake recipe, meaning you will have some leftover to make Pumpkin Dinner Rolls or Spicy Pork Chili with Pumpkin. Time to enjoy all the pumpkin-y things!
Jump to:
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. Pumpkin Cupcakes sound good….
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 pumpkin cupcake 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.
This is that recipe.
Why Make This
It makes a dozen. 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. You can double the recipe easily if you need to. Just move the servings slider on the recipe card.
They’re easy to make. These spiced pumpkin cupcakes are super simple to pull together — from scratch — and just may disappear before you get them frosted.
Pumpkin cupcakes are uber-delicious. The cream cheese frosting takes them over the top, so be sure to take a few extra minutes to mix up the frosting. These pumpkin cupcakes are the perfect treat to enjoy after a day at the pumpkin patch or just any old fall day sitting at home.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make a small batch of pumpkin cupcakes:
butter – You’ll need butter for the cupcakes as well as for the frosting. You can use margarine or a plant-based butter if you prefer.
sugar – In the cakes, you can use granulated sugar, but for the frosting, you’ll need powdered sugar. Remember you can Make Powdered Sugar yourself if you run out.
an egg – Since we’re working towards a dozen pumpkin cupcakes, you can get away with just one egg. You can also use Flaxseed Meal Egg Substitute if you want to avoid eggs or don’t have one on hand.
vanilla extract – Vanilla adds flavor to both the cake and the frosting. You can use another extract like almond or maple if you prefer or even use a bit of rum as a substitute.
canned pureed pumpkin – Make sure not to use pumpkin pie filling; you want pureed pumpkin or Butternut Squash Puree. This recipe won’t use the whole can of pumpkin puree. You can freeze the excess or scroll down for more pumpkin recipes to use it up.
spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves) – These spices all add amazing flavor to this pumpkin cupcake recipe. You can substitute pumpkin pie spice if you like.
baking powder and salt – Both of these add lift and flavor to your pumpkin cupcakes. Do not omit them.
flour – I like to use unbleached, all-purpose flour in my recipes. You can also use whole wheat pastry flour if you like. It provides a whole grain without tasting too wheaty.
milk – I use regular dairy milk, but you can also use your favorite plant-based milk such as almond or coconut if you prefer.
cream cheese – Cream cheese makes the best frosting for these spiced pumpkin cupcakes. However, if you’re avoiding dairy, the maple glaze from my pumpkin bundt cake is a nice swap or for a fun buttery twist, try Orange Buttercream Frosting.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make Pumpkin Cupcakes:
Prep step – Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners. I love to use parchment liners because they never stick.
1. 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.
2. In another mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.
3. Add half the milk to the pumpkin mixture and stir.
4. Then beat in half the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Repeat.
5. Spoon the pumpkin cupcake batter into the prepared baking pan, about ¼ 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.
6. 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.
7. Frost the cooled pumpkin cupcakes with the frosting. Chill until ready to serve, up to 3 days.
FAQs
Pumpkin cupcakes are delicious with cream cheese frosting, but you can also top them with Homemade Buttercream Frosting, a maple glaze, or a chocolate ganache.
Pumpkin cupcakes do not need to be refrigerated unless they are filled or topped with a perishable dairy product, such as cream cheese or cream cheese frosting. If so, be sure to store your cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
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.
Recipe Costs
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
- butter – $0.92
- granulated sugar – $0.11
- egg – $0.15
- pumpkin puree $0.50
- vanilla extract $0.67
- flour – $0.23
- baking powder – $0.06
- spices – $0.10
- milk – $0.10
- cream cheese – $1.00
- powdered sugar – $0.12
While your prices may vary depending on where you shop, you can expect to pay somewhere around $3.96 per batch, just 33 cents per pumpkin cupcake. That’s a whole lot cheaper than what you’ll pay at the bakery!
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 in pumpkin cupcakes. Making your own puree can be a great way to save money, especially if you get the pumpkins or squash for free or cheap.
More Uses for Canned Pumpkin
Tell us what you think!
We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.
Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- ¼ cup butter ½ stick, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree can also use butternut squash puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup milk
For the frosting:
- ¼ cup butter ½ stick, softened
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
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 ¼ 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
Nutrition
This post was originally published in October 2011. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Heather :) :) :)
Oh, these look GOOD> I LOVE pumpkin and especially organic pumpkin. Thanks for the tip about waiting till after the holidays to stock up on this stuff,hopefully on sale 🙂 🙂 I was curious about the post title today. I’ve been away from blogging for awhile now, since Im ove…but the stuff in parantheses (URS: Pumpkin andSquash recipes)…is that part of your recipe filing system? Do you have a link that explains that a bit more? I think it’s interesting and am looking to organize my recipes at some point.
Love andhugs from the ocean shores, Heather 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Every week I post an Ultimate Recipe Swap (URS) that is themed. This week is Pumpkin and Squash. 😉
Kristen
Yummy! I had some cupcakes like these a while back and have been looking for a recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Kyrsten
I heart pumpkin.
Nikki
I wish I had some cream cheese so I could make these this afternoon. Since it only makes twelve, that’s a great number for our family of five. Thanks for the recipe!!
Hmmm. Maybe I could get my husband to pick up some cream cheese on the way home….
Ang
They look so yummy in the picture! Reminds me of all the pumpkin muffins I ate with my second pregnancy.
Angie @ Bigbearswife
mmmm love Cream Cheese Frosting! Thanks for the linky party!
melissa
Made these this morning! Yum! I doubled the batch (just used the whole can of pumpkin which was a little over 1.5 cups) and added mini chocolate chips. It made 2 dozen regular size and 1 dozen minis. My cooking time was quite a bit less though–just 16-17 for regular and 10 for mini.
Cathy
http://tipnut.com/egg-substitutes/
I used to bake without eggs, till my #1 outgrew her egg allergy so I was always looking for egg substitutes. You really cannot tell there are no eggs! This site is just one, I commonly used the vinegar/oil/baking powder. Another site said it was good for up to 3 eggs.
Carrie Phelps
I go to the local Farmers Market every Saturday for these! It will be closing shortly & I now of the recipe, thank you!
Carrie
Aimee @ ShugarySweets
Thanks for hosting. This may be my favorite topic yet! LOVE the pumpkin.
Kristia@Family Balance Sheet
How did your family of 8 handle only 12 pumpkin cupcakes? Hopefully no one got hurt during the mad dash for the last 4. 🙂
This is a great linkup. Pumpkin and squash season is one of my favorite times of the year.
Jill
Saw that you were revising recipes due to having just one egg. It made me remember that flaxseed meak can be used as an egg substitute, just read that in the last month. Guessing you already may know that, but wanted to mention in case you haven’t. I haven’t tried it yet, but thought it was interesting.
Sidetracked Sarah
Yum….you’re making me want to go and buy some pumpkin. I did share our favorite “cake” recipe above! I’m envious of your steal of organic pumpkin last year!! I don’t have a stock pile this year like I normally do!
Angie
These look delicious! They are going to my pinboard to make VERY soon!!!!
Kathy
Love that the cake part uses only 1/4 cup butter! Will make some frosting using reduced fat cream cheese, which is thinner, and then put in a pastry tube to make a little squiggle of frosting to further cut fat.