Description
Delight in these moist and flavorful Pumpkin Cupcakes topped with a rich Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting. Perfectly spiced with homemade pumpkin pie spices, these cupcakes offer a cozy autumn treat that’s both easy to bake and irresistibly delicious.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pumpkin Cupcakes
- 170 g all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice (see notes below to make your own)
- 225 g dark brown sugar
- 280 g pumpkin purée, room temperature
- 75 g vegetable oil, room temperature
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- 200 g butter, softened
- 15 g dark brown sugar
- 100 g full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 345 g powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 160ºC (320ºF) using the conventional setting and line a 12-cup cupcake tray with cupcake liners to prepare for baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt. Stir these dry ingredients together thoroughly to evenly distribute the spices and leavening agents.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients. Gently fold together using a whisk or rubber spatula until there is no dry flour visible and the batter is smooth.
- Fill Cupcake Liners and Bake: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cupcake liners. Bake in the preheated oven for 23-24 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool Cupcakes: Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before carefully removing them. Transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare Frosting: If in Europe, wrap cream cheese in paper towels to remove excess water. Allow butter and cream cheese to come to room temperature, then cut the butter into cubes. Sift the powdered sugar.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and dark brown sugar together on high speed for 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl sides and continue mixing for another 2 minutes.
- Add Vanilla and Cream Cheese: Add vanilla extract and cream cheese to the mixture and beat for 1 minute until smooth and combined.
- Incorporate Powdered Sugar: On low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar in two parts, scraping the bowl between additions. Once all powdered sugar is incorporated, mix on medium speed for 2 more minutes until the frosting is fluffy.
- Frost Cupcakes: Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a round tip such as Wilton 1A and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Optionally decorate with fondant pumpkins or a light dusting of pumpkin spice or cinnamon.
Notes
- Make your own pumpkin spice by mixing: 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1 ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg, 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger, ¾ teaspoon ground cloves, and ¾ teaspoon ground allspice. Store in an airtight container in a cupboard.
- For homemade pumpkin purée, roast pumpkin flesh until soft and blend until smooth.
- Removing excess moisture from cream cheese improves frosting texture.
- Ensure eggs and wet ingredients are at room temperature for better batter consistency.
- Use conventional oven setting (not fan/air convection) for best baking results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
