Pumpkin spice cupcakes are the perfect fall dessert! They’ve got a rich pumpkin flavour with a spicy kick, but the cream cheese frosting is light and fluffy and oh so creamy. If you like anything pumpkin spice, you’re going to love this easy cupcakes recipe.
*I originally posted this recipe in September 2015. I’m re-sharing it today with updated photos, but this delicious recipe has not changed. Fall is officially here where we live. The days are warm and sunny but the evenings and mornings are cool, and I can’t seem to walk anywhere anymore without hearing the crunch of leaves under my feet. The change from summer to winter has us saying goodbye to warm-weather foods like ice cream and hello to many delicious fall flavours, like pumpkin and spice!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Starbucks addict (even though I love making my own versions of their recipes, like these Pumpkin Scones and this Slow Cooker Pumpkin Spice Latte) but I absolutely LOVE the flavours of pumpkin and spice at this time of year – these Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes are the perfect introduction to fall! My absolute favourite kitchen tool for making cupcakes like these Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes is a traditional KitchenAid mixer. I have THIS ONE (Amazon affiliate link), and it is by far my favourite kitchen appliance of all time. I don’t have a kitchen bursting with kitchen tools, but I’m not sure I could live without my stand mixer since I use it almost daily! If a stand mixer is way out of your league then this hand mixer (Amazon affiliate link) is the next best thing. They really do a great job and though they do require a little more work on your part, they definitely get the job done in style! And if you’re looking for a cake stand just like mine, check out THIS ONE or THIS ONE (Amazon affiliate links). There’s really no better way to display gorgeous cakes or cupcakes like these ones than on a beautifully simple cake stand that’s also affordable!
Do you love pumpkin desserts, too? Check out these recipes for Best Ever Starbucks Pumpkin Scones and Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice
If you’re the curious type, you may be wondering, “what are the spices in pumpkin spice?” The little spice containers at the grocery store are just a simple blend of a few basic fall spices:- cinnamon
- ginger
- cloves
- nutmeg
- allspice
Ingredients in Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
This pumpkin spice cupcakes recipe is inspired by Anna Olson’s Pumpkin Cupcakes, but her recipe is no longer available online. You can find many of her other recipes here. To make this easy cupcakes recipe, you’ll need: For the pumpkin spice cupcakes:- pumpkin puree
- eggs
- granulated sugar
- vegetable oil
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- cinnamon
- fresh ginger
- ground cloves
- sea salt
- low fat cream cheese
- unsalted butter
- icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- whole milk
- turbinado sugar for garnish (optional)
- 12-cup muffin tin
- paper liners
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How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
Mix the room temperature cream cheese and the room temperature butter on high speed in the bowl of your stand mixer (a hand-held mixer works just fine for this job too!). Add the icing sugar one cup at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition to make sure it’s incorporated evenly. Once all the icing sugar is added add the milk one teaspoon at a time, making sure to watch the texture of the frosting carefully. If your frosting is quite soft you may only need to add 2 tsp of milk. Once the milk is added, continue to mix on high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy (about 2 more minutes). Once the cupcakes have cooled completely to room temperature, pipe the cream cheese frosting in a circular motion on top of each of the pumpkin spice cupcakes, using whatever tip you wish (or simply spread it, if that’s more your style). Don’t these pumpkin spice cupcakes look absolutely delicious?? The frosting is as fluffy as a cloud and it’s the perfect match for the deep, rich flavours of the pumpkin spice cupcakes. I just love the look of these cupcakes…they’re so beautiful and simple!
Want to try some other pumpkin spice treats? Check out these recipes for Best Ever Pumpkin Spice Bread and Pumpkin Spice Pancakes.
KITCHEN TOOLS I RECOMMEND:
Looking for more delicious desserts? You’ll LOVE these!
- Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Mascarpone Buttercream
- Double Chocolate Cupcakes
- Black Forest Icebox Cake
- Chocolate Mocha Tiramisu Icebox Cake
- Strawberry Cheesecake Fruit Dip
- Easy No Bake Oreo Cheesecake
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Recipe Video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I make this fall dessert. You can find more delicious recipe videos on my YouTube channelIf you made this, share a photo!
Are you trying this recipe? Use the comment form below to share your take; now with support for image uploads and comment voting!
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
This easy cupcakes recipe makes the perfect introduction to fall! With warm spices and deep pumpkin flavour, these pumpkin spice cupcakes are delicious served with a warm cup of cider!
Recipe: Ingredients
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
For the frosting:
- 6 oz low fat cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 2-3 tsp whole milk
- turbinado sugar for garnish optional
Recipe: Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare one 12-cup muffin tin with some paper liners.
- Combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar and oil in a large bowl and whisk everything together until combined.
- In a separate bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients (the flour, baking soda, spices and salt) and then dump the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, combine the wet and dry ingredients until they're just combined and the flour just disappears.
- Spoon the mixture evenly into the 12 muffin cups lined with paper liners until all the batter is distributed evenly.
- Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- When they're done, the pumpkin spice cupcakes will be nice and puffy, with a gorgeous brown colour.
- Remove the cupcakes from the tin and place them on a wire rack to cool completely while you prepare the frosting.
For the Frosting:
- Mix the room temperature cream cheese and the room temperature butter on high speed in the bowl of your stand mixer (a hand-held mixer works just fine for this job too!).
- Add the icing sugar, one cup at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition to make sure it's incorporated evenly. Add the milk one teaspoon at a time, making sure to watch the texture of the frosting carefully. If your frosting is quite soft you may only need to add 2 tsp of milk. Once the milk is added, continue to mix on high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy (about 2 more minutes).
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely to room temperature, pipe the frosting in a circular motion on top of each cupcake using whatever tip you wish (or simply spread it, if that's more your style).
- Sprinkle some turbinado sugar over each cupcake to garnish, and serve!
Recipe: Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 446
Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Cholesterol 49mg16%
Sodium 268mg12%
Potassium 93mg3%
Carbohydrates 71g24%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 57g63%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 2659IU53%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 37mg4%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
My coworkers are crazy for pumpkin so I might have to give these a shot! 🙂
Hope you enjoy them!!
On Yummly, the calories per serving was 1,350. Does this really mean that each cupcake is 1,350 calories?
Hi! Thanks for taking the time to comment! They are most certainly not 1350 calories each! There's a mistake on the Yummly site that accounts for the error (they list 12 cups of powdered sugar instead of 4). I've contacted them and asked them to change it. They're 13 Weight Watchers PointsPlus each, which puts them in somewhere around the 500 calorie mark. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi, if I don't have fresh ginger can I use ground ginger?