Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

4.84 from 6 votes

Tender, light and fluffy pumpkin cupcakes topped with a homemade cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Cooling Time1

Total Time1 40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 411kcal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, cloves, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, milk and pumpkin.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and use a spatula to fold the two mixtures together. A few lumps left behind are okay.
Fill the cupcake wells 2/3 of the way full. You can also use a 1/4 cup measuring cup or a medium sized cookie scoop to fill the wells.
Bake for 19-21 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack. The cupcakes need to be completely cooled before frosting.
Store covered at room temperature if you need to before frosting.

In a large bowl, using a stand or hand mixer, beat together the butter and cream cheese until the lumps are gone and the mixture is light and fluffy. Usually 1-2 minutes.
Add in the cinnamon and salt and continue mixing until combined.
Pour in half of the powdered sugar and mix it in just until the sugar is mostly mixed in, but not completely. Pour the rest of the sugar in and beat until well combined and the frosting is light and fluffy.
From here, you can frost your cake or cupcakes with a knife or you can fill a piping bag to pipe the cupcakes.
Tip: The easiest way I’ve found to fill a piping bag is by inserting it into a tall glass and wrapping the sides over the top of the glass. Fill with frosting and then grab the sides of the bags and lift the piping bag out of the glass.

If all of the frosting is not used, cover the piping bag tip with some saran wrap or cover the bowl of frosting with saran wrap and store in the refrigerator. This is best if used within a day or two.
The frosting tip that was used for these cupcakes was a 1M tip.
For best results, wait to frost the cupcakes until they are completely cooled. If they are warm the frosting will melt and won’t hold up.
You can make the cupcakes a day in advance, cool them completely, and then frost them the next day. Just make sure you keep them in an airtight container.
You can also freeze them! Keep them in a freezer-safe container and they will keep well for up to a month. Thaw them at room temperature before adding the frosting.
Store frosted leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator. They will keep for several days