Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe with Pumpkin Whipped Frosting

We have the only pumpkin cupcake recipe you need, right here! Moist chocolate cupcakes with creamy buttercream whipped frosting chock-full of pumpkin pie spice flavor. This will be your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe come this Fall, and your favorite pumpkin cupcake recipe, period. We promise!

Baking with Pumpkin

Every time I bake with pumpkin, it surprises me how subtle the pumpkin flavor is. One of my favorite things about baking with pumpkin is that it’s a unique flavor that isn’t overpowering. A little goes a long way!

Another thing I love about baking with pumpkin is pairing it with chocolate. That’s why I paired the best chocolate cupcakes with my favorite pumpkin buttercream whipped frosting. Total BFFs.

There are few things I love more than a good chocolate cupcake recipe. Homemade chocolate cupcakes are my favorite, and they’re the perfect base for pumpkin frosting!

Homemade Frosting and Cupcake Ingredients

You will need a handful of common baking ingredients to make both the delicious homemade chocolate cupcakes and the pumpkin whipped frosting. For the cupcakes, we actually mix in pumpkin puree for a marbled pumpkin-chocolate effect. It’s delicious!

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons cocoa

For Pumpkin Buttercream Whipped Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes

Making homemade chocolate cupcakes is really much more simple than it sounds, and well worth the effort. Even if you’re not much of a baker, you should find this pumpkin chocolate cupcake recipe especially easy. Here are the steps to make the best chocolate cupcakes:

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix together with a fork, then set aside.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the pumpkin puree and vanilla.
   
4. Next, we add the flour mixture and the buttermilk.
5. Beat until the cupcake batter is light and fluffy.
   
6. Split the batter into 2 bowls and gently whisk the cocoa powder through one of them.
7. Last but not least, gently mix the two batters together.
8. Give it a couple of turns to marble it. It will marble more as you scoop it into your cupcake liners and bake it.
9. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners.
10. Add the batter to the muffin tin and make sure they are all the same height.
    
11. You can just use a large spoon or even use an ice cream scoop or a freezer bag and pipe the batter into the cupcake liners.
12. Bake the pumpkin cupcakes for approximately 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out fairly clean.
13. Remove the chocolate pumpkin cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool before adding the icing. 

Homemade Cupcake Recipe Tips

• Make sure not to over-mix the two batters, as you want there to be a good amount of marbling.
• Make sure all the cupcakes are filled to the same height so they all cook to the same doneness. 
• It’s important to note, I always use dutch processed cocoa. I just love the intense color and great flavor.

How to Make Frosting

We transform your everyday simple frosting recipe by adding pumpkin puree! Make sure to use real pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. You can also make homemade pumpkin puree; however, store-bought will work just as well for this easy pumpkin cupcake recipe!

1. Beat the butter well for about 5 minutes until light and creamy.
2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.
3. Add the pumpkin puree and mix through well.
4. With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar 1 spoonful at a time until it is all incorporated.
5. Add the spices and the heavy cream then beat for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Our pumpkin buttercream whipped frosting should be illegal, it’s so delicious! Especially when you pair it with our easy pumpkin cupcake recipe. Creamy and light, but sweet, with the perfect texture to top marbled pumpkin chocolate cupcakes. Yum!

How to Frost Cupcakes

Everyone has their own method that works for them when it comes to frosting cupcakes, but we have a few tips for you that may help! Here are our tips on how to frost cupcakes:

1. Make sure your chocolate pumpkin cupcakes are completely cool before you start frosting. If you don’t, your frosting will melt into the cupcake and you will have a huge mess.
2. Using a piping bag is a great way to get a great design without making a mess. A spatula or even a plastic bag with a tip cut out of one of the corners will also do the trick.
3. Getting the perfect swirl: If you want your cupcakes to look just like our pictures, you will need a piping bag (you can use a plastic bag fitted with a tip) with a large star tip. Start by piping a little bit of icing in the center of the cupcake, and then carefully swirl around it. This will help you fill in the center so you have something to build off of when creating your swirl.

Our chocolate pumpkin cupcake recipe with pumpkin buttercream whipped frosting should definitely be on your Fall treats menu! Don’t forget to grab a nice latte to have on the side and a comfy chair, and let’s bring on that cooler weather!

Want more easy pumpkin recipes?

After all, pumpkin is good for you, right? Check out all the Pumpkin Health Benefits and our Facts About Pumpkins article to learn how to pick the best pumpkin and more fun facts!

Enjoy more of our favorite pumpkin recipes:

• Pumpkin Empanadas
• Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pumpkin Crunch Recipe
• Easy Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls
• Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
• Simple Pumpkin Recipes
• Pumpkin Cobbler with Spiced Butter Toffee 
• Sweet Pumpkin Recipes
• Savory Pumpkin Recipes
• Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice Recipe

We also recommend giving these Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes and Loaded Rocky Road Cupcakes a try, if you’re a cupcake fan like us!

📌 Pin our Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe to save for later!

Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe with Pumpkin Whipped Frosting

The only PUMPKIN CUPCAKE RECIPE you need! Moist and fluffy marbled cupcakes topped off with a delectable, creamy Spiced Pumpkin Frosting. So good!

4.5 from 8 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes, Pumpkin cupcake recipes, Spiced Pumpkin Frosting

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 522kcal

Author: Marie Roffey

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons cocoa

For the Spiced Pumpkin Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
• 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

For the Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.

  Line 12 holes of a muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix together with a fork, then set aside.
• Beat the butter and sugar together until lightened and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl every now and then.
• Add the vanilla and pumpkin and mix through to combine.
• Add 1/3 of the flour mix and stir through until just combined. Follow with half the buttermilk and mix through. Repeat this process until all the flour and buttermilk. Make sure not to overmix at this point or the cupcakes may turn out dense.
• Split the batter into 2 bowls. Add the cocoa to one of them and gently stir through to combine.
• Now add the plain pumpkin batter back to the chocolate batter and just turn it over once or twice with the spoon to start to marble it.
• Divide the batter up amongst the 12 cupcake liners.
• Bake for around 20 minutes, turning the trays half way through so they bake evenly. A toothpick should come out with just a crumb or two clinging to it when they are done.
• Pour half batter into a separate bowl, add cocoa and mix through

For the Spiced Pumpkin Frosting

• Beat the butter well for about 5 minutes until light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.
• Add the pumpkin puree and mix through well.
• With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar 1 spoonful at a time until it is all incorporated. Add the spices and the cream then beat for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Notes

Tips: Do not over mix the two batters, they will marble more as you scoop them into the cupcake pan and as they bake.

Make sure all the cupcakes are filling to the same height so they all cook to the same doneness. 

It’s important to note, I always use dutch processed cocoa. I love the intense color and taste. 

Make sure to use real pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. 

Nutrition

Calories: 522kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 154mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 63g | Vitamin A: 6355IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1.3mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @familyfoodie or tag #SundaySupper!

This post was updated on September 19, 2019.