Well it took me 19 years but I finally did it: I came up with the perfect pumpkin cupcakes. These are moist, super pumpkin-y cupcakes topped with the creamiest cream cheese frosting. What more could you want in a fall dessert?
These pumpkin cupcakes would be perfect for a Halloween party or Thanksgiving dessert and they couldn’t be easier to make. The cupcakes takes only one bowl and so does the frosting.
Use pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. If you want to use homemade pumpkin puree, get my recipe here. You’ll notice that there’s cinnamon and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg, not pumpkin spice. I so prefer grating a bit of whole nutmeg to using powdered nutmeg. If you’re a pumpkin spice girlie, feel free to use it here but I made this for all of the true pumpkin lovers like myself who don’t want cloves and allspice covering up the flavor of true pumpkin.
This would also be a fantastic dessert to serve at a Cinderella party (get it?) if you’re into that sort of thing. What am I saying? Of course you are! You read The Rose Table! Check out my Cinderella dinner party here.
Pumpkin Cupcakes
15 oz can pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
1.5 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
Freshly grated nutmeg
Cream cheese frosting, recipe follows
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners and spray with nonstick spray.
- Mix together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, vegetable oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a stand mixer until uniform in color, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times as you go. Measure dry ingredients right on top, mixing just until combined.
- Spoon into 24 cupcake liners and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Cool in the tins for five minutes, then remove and cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
12 oz cream cheese (full fat!), at room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
- Beat frosting ingredients until smooth.
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