Description
Fall’s golden warmth shines through these delectable pumpkin cupcakes, blending seasonal spices with creamy richness. Crowned with silky cream cheese frosting, each bite delivers comfort straight from an autumn kitchen.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
Liquid and Additional Ingredients:
- ¼ cup milk (or buttermilk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces (226 grams) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional, for extra spice)
Instructions
- Warm your oven to 350F (175C) and prepare a muffin tin with cupcake liners, ensuring even spacing for perfect cupcake formation.
- Create a delicate dry ingredient mixture by whisking flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a medium bowl until thoroughly blended.
- In a separate large mixing vessel, vigorously combine oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, and milk, creating a smooth, harmonious liquid base.
- Gently fold the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients, stirring with a light touch until ingredients are just incorporated, avoiding overmixing which can result in dense cupcakes.
- Carefully distribute the batter into cupcake liners, filling each approximately three-quarters full to allow room for rising during baking.
- Place the filled muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 18-22 minutes, monitoring closely and testing doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of a cupcake – it should emerge clean and dry.
- Remove cupcakes from the oven and allow them to rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack, permitting them to reach room temperature before applying frosting.
Notes
- Customize spice levels by adjusting ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves according to personal taste preferences.
- Swap vegetable oil for unsweetened applesauce to reduce fat content and create a lighter, healthier version of the cupcakes.
- Ensure ingredients are at room temperature for smoother mixing and better cupcake texture, especially eggs and milk.
- For gluten-free option, replace all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend, adding xanthan gum for proper binding.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg