Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
September is right around the corner and that means all the fall flavors and all things pumpkin recipes like this fluffy Pumpkin Cupcakes recipe.
- 1 package spice cake mix
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 package, softened to room temperature)
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons sour cream
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a muffin tins with paper liners.
- Mix together cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil and eggs until well combined.
- Pour batter into prepared cups, filling ⅔ full.
- Bake for 18-23 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool completely.
- In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, vanilla and sour cream until fluffy.
- Beat in powdered sugar until smooth.
- Spread it on top of the cupcakes by hand or with a piping bag and sprinkle a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg or your favorite warm spices.
This is an easy pumpkin cupcakes recipe since you are using cake mix you won’t even need to measure out any white sugar or all purpose flour and you will still get the best pumpkin cupcakes.
These turn out to be wonderfully moist pumpkin cupcakes because we use vegetable oil in the recipe with cake mix. So if you are a pumpkin lover, save this for the pumpkin season of baking for one of the best pumpkin cake and cupcake recipes.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our pumpkin cupcakes, you need the following ingredients:
Spice cake mix
Canned pumpkin puree
Water
Vegetable oil (canola oil can work as well)
Eggs
To make our cream cheese frosting, you need the following ingredients:
Cream cheese softened to room temperature.
Butter
Vanilla extract
Sour cream (or plain greek yogurt)
Powdered sugar
Cinnamon (option for cinnamon cream cheese frosting)
For this cupcake recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
Cupcake Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line muffin tins with paper liners.
Mix together dry ingredients of the cake mix with the wet ingredients, pumpkin, water, oil, and eggs until well combined with an electric mixer on medium speed.
Pour batter into prepared cups, filling 2/3 full — using a large cookie scoop can help portioning.
Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Frosting Instructions
In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sour cream until fluffy for the best results.
Decorative Options
Add your own little twist to these cupcakes with the following topping options: candy corn, sprinkles, or cinnamon. Drizzle on some caramel sauce. You can also impress your guests by topping with Edible Fall Leaves. Halloween cupcake liners are very popular in our family, and great for parties.
Storage Suggestions
Container: Always store cupcakes in an airtight container to prevent the air from drying them out and contamination.
Counter: Unfrosted cupcakes can be store at room temperature (and out of sunlight) for one day.
Refrigerator: You can keep cupcakes in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Before eating, allow them time to come back to room temperature before serving. If you ice them with the cream cheese frosting, we recommend refrigerating them.
Enjoy More Delicious Pumpkin Cakes and Cupcakes
We absolutely love pumpkin recipes, especially in the fall and winter. Check out our comprehensive collection of pumpkin recipes here.
