Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

5 from 15 votes

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

With a simple stir-together method, these easy Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are a perfect fall dessert to share with the kids! They have less sugar than similar cupcakes yet deliver big time on both texture and flavor.

Prep Time10

Cook Time14

Total Time24

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: (Makes 24 mini cupcakes)

Calories: 237kcal

Author: Amy Palanjian

Equipment

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cupcakes

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese (soften at room temperature for at least an hour—it should be soft when you poke it with your finger)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 24-cup nonstick muffin tin with nonstick spray or line with paper mini cupcake liners.
Stir together the pumpkin puree, oil, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl.
Stir in the flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Portion batter into the prepared muffin tin using about 1 tablespoon per cup. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting and serve.

To make the frosting:

Add softened cream cheese to a medium bowl with the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Mix together with a whisk until fluffy. (If this is hard to do due to the temperature of your cream cheese, you can use an electric handheld mixer.)
Spread frosting onto the cupcakes. Or add frosting to a zip-top plastic bag, seal , cut off one corner and pipe frosting onto the cupcakes.
Add sprinkles if desired.

Notes

The cupcakes can be made 24 hours before you plan to frost them. Let cool completely on a wire rack then store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Store leftover frosted cupcakes in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
I like to frost these close to serving. You can make the frosting ahead, transfer it to a zip top bag, and store in the fridge until ready to top the cupcakes.
Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour.
Egg-free: Increase the baking soda to 1 teaspoon, omit the egg, and add 2 tablespoons milk.
Full-size cupcakes: Use a standard-size muffin tin, and make 12 cupcakes, with each cup about 1/2 full; bake for 18-20 minutes.
Skip the frosting and serve these as muffins!
Use whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose if you prefer. (The cupcakes will be a little denser.)
Use mini cupcake liners or coat the muffin pan with nonstick spray.

Nutrition