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Bake the magic of autumn into every bite with these incredibly moist Pumpkin Cupcakes, generously topped with a luscious brown butter cream cheese frosting. This homemade pumpkin cupcake recipe is a fall baking essential, delivering an explosion of warm flavors and the perfect cupcake texture that will make them an instant favorite. These might be the best cupcakes you bake this entire season!
The secret lies in the perfect combination of warm, comforting spices and the nutty richness of brown butter. Combined with a thick, velvety batter, you’ll achieve an irresistibly soft cupcake texture that melts in your mouth. If you’re searching for the ultimate pumpkin dessert recipe, look no further! These delightful treats are poised to become your new go-to pumpkin cake, conveniently served in adorable cupcake form.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect Pumpkin Cake: These tender, moist cupcakes come together effortlessly, providing the ideal canvas for the tangy cream cheese frosting. Its low-maintenance batter ensures the best pumpkin cupcakes every single time.
- Decadent Brown Butter Frosting: Experience the unparalleled richness of a tangy cream cheese frosting, beautifully speckled with toasty brown butter bits that elevate these pumpkin cupcakes to a gourmet level.
- Quick & Easy: The batter is whipped up in mere minutes using just a whisk, offering a stress-free baking experience without compromising on a bakery-worthy taste.
Key Ingredients
You likely have most of these basic ingredients already in your pantry! These simple ingredients, when combined, create an unforgettable flavor profile.
- Powdered Sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar, this sweetens the frosting and provides the perfect texture. Be sure to use the recommended amount because reducing the amount will result in a runny cream cheese frosting.
- Pumpkin Puree: Use one cup of 100% pure pumpkin puree. Important: Do not use pumpkin pie mix, which is intended for pumpkin pie filling and won’t work in this recipe.
- Oil: Adds essential moisture, ensuring the cupcakes have a moist crumb that remains deliciously soft, even when refrigerated.
- Brown Sugar: Both light or dark brown sugar work beautifully, adding depth and warmth to the cupcakes.
- Butter: Opt for unsalted butter to control the saltiness, but salted butter is also fine. It’s melted and browned for the frosting, so no need to soften it in advance.
- Cream Cheese: Stick with blocks of cream cheese rather than the spreadable variety. Spreadable cream cheese affects the frosting’s consistency.
How to Make Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Prepare the pumpkin cake batter. In a large bowl, blend together dry ingredients: flour, leaveners, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, oil, brown sugar, and eggs. Gently add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until well combined, but do not overmix.
- Bake the cupcakes. Use a cookie scoop or measuring cup to portion the cupcake batter into a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners. Fill each liner about two-thirds full. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 18-20 minutes. They’re done when the cupcakes spring back gently to the touch. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- Brown the butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Continuously monitor and cook the butter until it turns golden, emitting a nutty aroma. You should see toasted brown milk solids that sink to the bottom of the saucepan. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat to prevent burning and let the browned butter cool until it completely solidifies. Cooling can be expedited in the refrigerator.
- Make the cream cheese frosting. Once the browned butter is solid, add it to a mixing bowl (or use a stand mixer). Cream the butter until smooth. Add the cream cheese and mix until fully combined, scraping the bowl as necessary. Incorporate half of the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix until mostly incorporated, then add the remaining powdered sugar. Mix until everything is just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Frost and decorate. For easier piping, chill the frosting in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Fit a piping bag with a large round piping tip and fill it with the brown butter cream cheese frosting. Pipe a beautiful swirl on top of each cupcake, and finish with a decorative pumpkin topper of your choice!
Favorite Tools
Here are some of my favorite tools I use when baking
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Pumpkin Cupcake FAQs
What’s the best way to store the cupcakes?
Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days to maintain freshness.
Can I use pumpkin pie spice in the cupcakes?
Yes! For a richer pumpkin spice flavor, substitute the ground cinnamon and nutmeg with pumpkin pie spice, which typically includes ground ginger, cloves, allspice, and sometimes cardamom. You can even craft your own pumpkin pie spice blend at home. However, to ensure the pumpkin flavor remains dominant, I prefer keeping the spices simple.
What piping tip did you use on the cupcakes?
I used an Ateco 807 tip for a simple swirl. Alternatively, use the back of a spoon, a kitchen knife, or a small offset spatula for a rustic frosting look.
What can I use for decoration or garnish on top?
I used wooden cocktail picks topped with miniature pumpkins. You can also use edible sugar pumpkins, mellowcreme pumpkins, festive fall sprinkles, or a simple dusting of cinnamon.
Variations
- Transform this recipe into pumpkin bars by baking the same batter in a 9” x 13” pan and topping it with the brown butter cream cheese frosting.
- Opt for my classic Cream Cheese Frosting recipe, or infuse it with a teaspoon of cinnamon for cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
- Pair the cupcakes with my Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting – pumpkin and chocolate are a surprisingly delicious combination!
- For those who aren’t cream cheese enthusiasts, top with vanilla buttercream or drizzle with my Homemade Caramel for a delightful caramel frosting.
Baking Tip: Weigh Your Ingredients!
For the most accurate and consistent baking results, using a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients is highly recommended over measuring cups. This ensures each batch is a success and saves you dishes for easier cleanup! I provide gram measurements in all my recipes and this is the scale I love to use.
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Pecan Upside-Down Cakes
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
- Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Pumpkin Donut Muffins
- Double-Layer Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Spice Crème Brûlée Bars
If you try this recipe and love it, be sure to leave a comment below. Happy baking!
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
These Pumpkin Cupcakes are soft, tender, and topped with luscious brown butter cream cheese frosting. A perfectly cozy fall treat!
Author: Rachel
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Yield
12 servings
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Cupcakes
- 1¼ cup (160g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup (240g) pumpkin puree*
- ½ cup (120g) vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick or 113g) unsalted butter
- 1 block (8-ounce or 227g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2½ cups (300g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Pumpkin Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk just until combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and give the batter a few final folds.
- Scoop the cupcake batter into the prepared muffin tins using a 3 Tablespoon (size 20 or 2-ounce) cookie scoop.
- Bake the cupcakes at 350°F (175°C) for 18-20 minutes, until the center of the cupcakes spring back to the touch (or a toothpick comes out mostly clean). Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting: In a small pot, add the butter and melt it over medium-low heat. Stirring constantly, brown the butter until it becomes foamy on top and turns a deep golden color. You’ll know it’s done when you see darker brown bits on the bottom of the pan and the butter has a nutty aroma. Set aside to cool and completely solidify – you can place it in the fridge to speed it up.
- Add the soft, solidified brown butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the butter for about 30 seconds, until smooth. Add the cream cheese and mix until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add half the powdered sugar along with the vanilla and salt. Mix until mostly incorporated, then add the remaining half of powdered sugar. Scrape the bowl again, then mix until the frosting just until it’s combined – be careful not to overmix. Chill the frosting in the fridge for about 30 minutes before piping it on the cupcakes.
- Decorating: Once the frosting has chilled, fill a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and add the cream cheese frosting. Pipe a swirl of frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes, then finish with a pumpkin pick or edible topper, if desired!
Notes
- *Pumpkin Puree: Be sure to use pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie mix.
- Storing: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Hi There!
I’m Rachel
I’m the dessert lover, recipe developer, and content creator behind Sweet Kitchen Cravings. Here you’ll find classic yet special recipes that are sure to impress your loved ones!
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