These easy pumpkin cupcakes and made with a box cake mix for the base and then topped with a spiced cream cheese frosting. Every bite is full of flavors that are perfect for Fall. You're going to love every last bite of these sweet treats.
Recipe: $7.68 | Per Serving: $0.32 | Yields: 24 cupcakes
Get ready to savor the perfect blend of flavors and textures with these pumpkin spice cupcakes. Picture a moist and fluffy cupcake base teaming up with tangy sweet frosting, delivering pure indulgence.
They'll remind you of my Leftover Mashed Sweet Potato Muffins, but with a charming seasonal twist. Brace yourself because you'll want to enjoy these all season long.
These pumpkin cupcakes are all about that incredible flavor, thanks to the magic of pureed pumpkin and aromatic spices like cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.
For more of our favorite pumpkin cream cheese recipes be sure to try our Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake and No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake.
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- It's easy. Making pumpkin cupcakes with cake mix helps to give a wonderful flavor and texture with very little work, and that's just one more reason to love this simple recipe.
- Basic ingredients. We will need a handful of different ingredients to make this recipe, but they're all very simple and easy to find. Some (if not most) may already be in your home. They're almost as easy to make as our Dinosaur Cupcakes!
- It's like pumpkin pie as a cupcake. If pumpkin pie were to be turned into a cupcake, I imagine it'd taste a lot like these- but with frosting. While the cupcakes taste great without the frosting, it's the tangy spiced topping that really helps to set them apart.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Yellow cake mix- A box of cake mix will be the base of this recipe. You only need the dry mix, do not prepare the batter. (We use boxed cake mix in a lot of recipes, including our Cake Mix Carrot Muffins and Easy Peanut Butter Cookies.
Pumpkin puree- This will give us great flavor and nice color, as well as moisture.
Spiced cream cheese frosting- We're going to make our own frosting using cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
🧾 Substitutions
Pumpkin pie spice. You can DIY your own pumpkin pie spice by mixing together 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (or 5 teaspoons) along with 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves or allspice. Mix together and then use as much as directed. Save the rest for future recipes for up to 3 months.
🔪 Instructions for Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl, combine all of the pumpkin cupcake ingredients until well blended.
Step 3: Fill each muffin cup with batter until it's about ⅔rds of the way full.
Step 4: Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean.
Step 5: Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 6: Once all of the cupcakes have cooled, you can prepare the frosting.
Step 7: Make the frosting by blending together the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy.
Step 8: Slowly add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth.
Step 9: Frost the cupcakes and enjoy.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Pumpkin Puree vs. Pie Filling: Ensure you're using pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Using pie filling can alter the texture and flavor of your cupcakes.
- Sugar Options: While granulated sugar is standard, you can experiment with brown sugar for a richer flavor profile. Darker brown sugars impart a deeper, more robust taste due to their higher molasses content. Adjust according to your preference.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Here's how to store your pumpkin spice cupcakes based on their frosting status:
- Room Temperature: If unfrosted, store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Refrigeration: For cupcakes frosted with cream cheese frosting, refrigerate them to maintain food safety. They'll stay fresh for 3-5 days in the fridge.
- Freezing: Whether frosted or plain, you can freeze the cupcakes. Place them on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw before enjoying.
Note: While you can freeze frosted cupcakes, it's easier to handle them unfrosted. Consider frosting them after thawing for the best texture and presentation.
💭 Recipe FAQs
If you overmix the cupcake batter, you will overwork the gluten in the flour (cake mix), and that will cause your cupcakes to turn out dense and rubbery in texture. Only mix until just combined.
Yes, these are the same things. Canned pumpkin is canned pumpkin puree. The only exception is canned pumpkin pie filling which is (as the name states) canned pumpkin pie filling. It usually consists of more than just pumpkin, which is why it's important not to accidentally use that instead.
Canned pumpkin puree is what we use in all sorts of baked goods and recipes icluding Pumpkin Banana Bread, Edible No Cook Pumpkin Playdough, and Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies. Pumpkin pie filling is pretty much only good for making, well, pumpkin pies.
You should only allow your cupcakes to rest in the muffin pan for a few minutes (up to 5 minutes) before removing the cupcakes. Only wait until you can safely remove them without hurting yourself or the cupcakes. Leaving them in too long will continue to cook them and cause the bottoms to overcook or become dry.
❤️ More Delicious Cake Recipes
If you tried these Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cupcakes
- 1 box (15.25oz) yellow cake mix ($1.00)
- 4 large eggs ($0.60)
- 1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree ($1.47)
- ½ cup vegetable oil ($0.35)
- ¼ cup milk ($0.05)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar ($0.09)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ($0.04)
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ($0.08)
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup butter, room temp ($0.99)
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened ($1.86)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ($0.03)
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ($0.04)
- 3 cups powdered sugar ($1.08)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all of the pumpkin cupcake ingredients until well blended.
- Fill each muffin cup with batter until it's about ⅔rds of the way full.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean.
- Let cool 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
- Once all of the cupcakes have cooled you can prepare the frosting.
- Make the frosting by blending together the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy.
- Slowly add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Frost the cupcakes and enjoy.
Notes
- Opt for pumpkin puree, not pie filling, for superior cupcake texture.
- Experiment with darker brown sugar for a richer flavor profile.
- Unfrosted cupcakes can remain at room temperature if tightly sealed, while frosted ones should be refrigerated; both stay fresh for 3-5 days.
- Freeze cupcakes, frosted or unfrosted, by initially freezing them on a baking sheet until solid, then transferring them to an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw before serving, preferably frosting them after thawing for optimal quality.
PATTI says
I'm going to try this.