With pumpkin puree and a dash of pumpkin pie spice, these Pumpkin cupcakes are so soft, moist, flavorful, and pair perfectly with the delicious Cinnamon cream cheese frosting!
When fall rolls around and you start making pumpkin pie and pumpkin cookies, don’t forget about these pumpkin cupcakes!! They’re the only type of cupcake you’ll want to make this season. 😉
easy fall cupcakes
Are you sick of the pumpkin recipes yet? I hope NOT!! Fall is just starting so I’m hoping you’re prepared for the bombardment of pumpkin recipes the next month (pumpkin bread, pumpkin brownies, pumpkin cake – we’ve got it all!).
This next recipe is one that I’ve been wanting to make for years!! I’ve seen recipes for Pumpkin Cupcakes but most required a TON of ingredients and time, and I just wasn’t up for it.
We went to the kitchen and created the perfect easy pumpkin cupcake that we think you will LOVE! We decided that if we’re going to make Pumpkin Cupcakes, we HAVE to make a Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting to go with them, which is exactly what I did.
The family all agreed the frosting was their favorite part of the dessert!
Simple with the help of a box mix
Because these cupcakes are made with the help of a cake mix, they are very simple!
MIX. To make these pumpkin spice cupcakes, combine the cake mix (PLUS ingredients on back, minus the water), pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree. Add vanilla and cinnamon and mix well.
BAKE. Pour the pumpkin cupcake batter into liners in muffin tins and bake for 17-20 minutes. Tip: We like to use our large cookie scoop to put them in the liners the easiest way. Once they come out of the oven, let cool before adding your frosting.
What if I don’t have yellow cake mix? No worries! You can make your own! Just whisk together 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt plus 4 tbsp butter (½ stick). Use a pastry butter to blend in the butter, and you’re set!
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
I think the cinnamon cream cheese frosting could pair well with other types of cakes and cupcakes, but I assure you… It was the PERFECT match for these pumpkin spice cupcakes. Total match made in heaven.
And it’s nothing too fancy, in fact it only takes 5 ingredients!
- cream cheese
- butter
- vanilla
- powdered sugar
- cinnamon
All you have to do is combine the ingredients and beat until smooth. Make sure you start with room temperature butter for best results! Otherwise the frosting can look clumpy.
I used a frosting tip to make these pretty swirls, but you can even put the frosting in a Ziploc bag, cut the tip off with scissors (less for fine swirls, more for thick swirls) and pipe the frosting on like that.
How to Decorate + Store
Decorations: We added a mallow pumpkin on top, be you can leave those off or even add sprinkles.
Storing: They can stay at room temp for a few hours but need to be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days to last longer. If they have cream cheese frosting on top, they definitely need to be in the fridge!
My kids have never really been BIG fans of pumpkin recipes, but they absolutely loved these cupcakes. They, too, were slightly obsessed with the frosting and may have licked the bowl clean when it was made.
Glad to have found another “TWO THUMBS UP” pumpkin recipe for the blog.
For more pumpkin recipes, check out:
- Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Delight Dessert
- Mini Pumpkin Pies
- Pumpkin Waffles
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box Yellow Cake Mix (plus ingredients listed on back minus the water)
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 15 oz can pumpkin puree
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4 c butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 c powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- candy pumpkins (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Prepare cake mix as directed on box, but add pumpkin pie spice and substitute pumpkin puree for the water. Add vanilla and cinnamon.
- Pour batter into cupcake liners in muffin tins.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes.
- Let cool completely.
- Combine ingredients for frosting in a medium bowl and beat until smooth.
- Pipe or spread frosting on and top with a Candy Pumpkin if desired. ENJOY!
I made this a few years ago for a Halloween church event, and they went over so well! I have made them around Halloween every year since. I don’t consider myself a baker at all, and has never made homemade frosting, but they turn out great every time. My kids love helping me make them too!