Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

When my kids were growing up, one of our favorite activities was spending time together in the kitchen. They always enjoyed it more when we made something sweet, like cookies or cupcakes! I remember their little works of art: cupcakes that often had more frosting than cake.

Now, with my two grandchildren old enough to help in the kitchen, I’m enjoying experimenting with recipes we can make together, including this one for Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes with homemade frosting. We recently whipped up a batch of these pumpkin cupcakes, and the boys were incredibly excited when they realized what we were making!

If you get the chance, involve a family member when you make this pumpkin cupcake recipe. Baking together is a special experience, with many steps that even little hands can manage. Decorating the cupcakes together afterwards is the best part!

Pumpkin Cupcake Ingredients

Pumpkin Cupcakes

All-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Baking soda
Baking powder
Ground Cinnamon
Salt
Ground Nutmeg
Eggs, room temperature
Pumpkin puree; make sure to grab canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
Canola oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil
Water

According to your taste, you can instead use my pumpkin pie spice recipe in similar amounts for the spice mix. It's full of that pumpkin flavor we all love, adding ground ginger and ground cloves, so it's perfect for all of your favorite pumpkin recipes!

Cream Cheese Frosting

Butter, softened
Cream cheese, softened
Vanilla extract
Powdered sugar
Orange food coloring (optional)
Brown food coloring (optional)
Yellow food coloring (optional)
Cinnamon for sprinkling

For tips and video instructions, see my Cream Cheese Icing recipe.

ingredients to make pumpkin spice cupcakes with labels

How to Make Pumpkin Cupcakes

Baking the Cupcakes

Preheat your oven to 350°F. As it preheats, prepare a 12-count cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners.
Add flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg to a large bowl. Whisk dry ingredients until combined.
Carefully crack eggs into the flour mixture. Add pumpkin puree, canola oil, and water. Using a hand mixer, mix on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary, until completely mixed.
Fill each cupcake liner about ⅔ of the way with batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Once ready, transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely as you prepare the cream cheese frosting.

Mixing the Cream Cheese Frosting

Add softened butter and cream cheese to a medium-sized bowl.
Using a hand mixer, beat together for 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl down as necessary about halfway through the mixing process so the frosting mixes together smoothly.
Add vanilla extract and half of your powdered sugar. Beat for another 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides halfway through.
Add the remaining powdered sugar, and beat well until combined completely.

Decorating the Cupcakes

Divide the frosting into 2 separate bowls, leaving a small amount of plain cream cheese icing to the side. The white frosting is used in only a small amount, so you won't need much. See below these instructions if you don't want to use food coloring.
To one bowl, add a couple of drops of orange food coloring at a time until it reaches the desired pumpkin pie color. For a richer color closer to pumpkin pie, you can add a couple drops of brown food coloring.
To the other bowl, add a couple drops of both brown and yellow food coloring at a time until the desired crust color is reached.
Add the pumpkin-colored frosting to a piping bag with a round tip, and the crust-colored frosting to a piping bag with a small star tip. Add the white frosting to a third piping bag with a small star tip.
Pipe a large dollop of orange frosting onto the center of each cupcake. Use a flat icing knife to smooth out the frosting, creating a flat surface. Ideally, it should look like the top of a pumpkin pie!
Pipe a border around the orange frosting using the crust-colored frosting.
Pipe a small dollop of white frosting into the center of each cupcake.
Finally, top off the cupcakes with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Note: If you don't have piping bags, you can instead use plastic bags with the corners cut out. However, for a true pumpkin pie appearance, you'll want to make sure you at least have two star tips to work with.

If you are not using food coloring, simply decorate the cupcakes with plain cream cheese frosting as desired. A sprinkle of cinnamon at the end makes all the difference; there's nothing like cinnamon cream cheese frosting for pumpkin pie cupcakes!

Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe Tips

You can also use a stand mixer instead of an electric hand mixer if you prefer. Just make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl of a stand mixer as you mix, just as you would with a hand mixer.
Make sure your butter and cream cheese are softened before you try to mix them. Leave them at room temperature for about 30 minutes or so before mixing the frosting to let them soften.

pumpkin spice cupcakes, one has a bite taken out of it

Spiced Buttercream Frosting (Alternative)

If you prefer buttercream frosting, you can make buttercream to use with these cupcakes instead of cream cheese frosting. You will need the following ingredients to make buttercream:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1½ to 2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Follow these instructions to make spiced buttercream frosting:

Beat butter well for 5 minutes or so, until light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.
With the mixer on low, add powdered sugar 1 spoonful at a time, until entirely mixed through.
Add the spices and heavy cream, then beat for another 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Frost your cupcakes, and enjoy!

Finally, if you're more of a whipped topping person, you can follow my recipe for whipped cream instead.

How to Store Leftover Cupcakes

Frosted Cupcakes

Store leftover decorated cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. If you have them, you can also use special storage containers made for cupcakes, such as a cupcake carrier, but it's not necessary. This is great for parties where you're traveling with the cupcakes, however.
To freeze frosted cupcakes, first add them to a baking sheet or plate, then place in the freezer, uncovered, for about 1 hour until the frosting is frozen. When they're ready, individually wrap each cupcake in plastic wrap and store for up to 3 months.

Unfrosted Cupcakes

You can also store unfrosted cupcakes the refrigerator in an airtight container after allowing them to cool completely, or on the counter at room temperature for up to 1 week, as long as they aren't frosted. Unfrosted cupcakes can also be wrapped individually and frozen for up to 3 months.
Store the icing separately for up to 3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Keep in mind you should avoid mixing in any food coloring until ready to serve, and allow it to reach room temperature and soften again before attempting to mix in the food coloring or ice the cupcakes.

pumpkin cupcakes on a cooling rack with frosting

Pumpkin Cupcake Recipes FAQ

Do I have to use cream cheese frosting for pumpkin cupcakes?

No, you can also use whipped topping or buttercream frosting according to preference. See my whipped cream recipe. For buttercream frosting, see the above header for buttercream icing.

What's the secret to fluffy cupcakes?

Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. Room temperature eggs fluff up more than eggs straight out of the refrigerator, which will help keep your cupcakes fluffy.

Can I make these cupcakes into a cake, instead?

Absolutely. Use an 11 by 7 inch rectangular cake pan, or two 9 by 2 inch round cake pans. Grease the pan(s) and bake the batter at 350°F for approximately 30 to 35 minutes. Check at the 30 minute mark to be sure. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean when it's ready. If the top is browning too much, cover it with foil. Let it cool before you frost it with your cream cheese icing.

Pumpkin Recipes

Try my Air Fryer S’mores Recipe, too! They're perfect for Fall!

If you enjoyed the recipe, leave a comment and a rating below!