Small-batch Pumpkin Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

These Small-batch Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are easy to make and so, so good.

Ready for some pumpkin cupcakes that are soft, incredibly moist, and exactly perfect for fall (or almost fall, whatever)?

This recipe will make four adorable cupcakes, which is the perfect number if you don’t *need* to make cupcakes today, but there’s a pumpkin cupcake song in your heart.

Ingredients

• • Baking staples: Most of the ingredients for these cupcakes are basic baking staples, flour, baking powder, salt, granulated, brown, and powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
  • Pumpkin pie spices: The cupcake batter is spiced with cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. If you have premixed pumpkin pie spice, you can replace these spices with 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
  • Vegetable oil: Vegetable oil in the batter along with the pumpkin puree makes these cupcakes extra moist and delicious.
  • Egg white: Since this is a small-batch recipe, you don’t need an entire egg, just the white. For ideas on what to make with the leftover yolk, see my post What to Do With Leftover Egg Yolks (I recommend a small batch of Chocolate chip cookies!).
  • Pumpkin puree: Pumpkin puree is just pure, pureed pumpkin (not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling). You can usually find it in the baking aisle near the canned pie fillings. This recipe won’t use up an entire can of pumpkin puree, so see my post What to Do With Leftover Pumpkin Puree for storage tips and recipe ideas for the leftovers.
  • Butter: You’ll need butter for the cream cheese frosting. I typically recommend unsalted butter for frosting, but salted butter will work, just omit the pinch of salt in the recipe.
  • Cream cheese: My go-to cream cheese brand for baking and frosting is Philadelphia cream cheese. Make sure to allow enough time for your cream cheese to soften at room temperature. Cream cheese that’s too cold will leave cream cheese lumps in your frosting.

How to Make Pumpkin Cupcakes

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a small bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, mix wet ingredients together and then stir in the dry ingredients until just mixed. Don’t overmix or your cupcakes will come out tough.
3. Transfer the batter to your cupcake pan and bake until cooked through.
4. Once cool enough to handle, move the cupcakes to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting. Don’t try to frost even slightly warm cupcakes or the frosting will melt right off.
5. To make the frosting, make sure your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature. Too cold and they will not mix properly for a completely smooth frosting. Beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla together until completely mixed. If they aren’t mixing smoothly, let them sit at room temperature for another 10 minutes and try again.
6. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Frost cupcakes and enjoy!

FAQ

What Frosting Goes With Pumpkin Cupcakes?

Cream cheese frosting is the classic pairing for pumpkin cupcakes. But you do have other options. Try Vanilla Frosting, Chocolate Frosting, or Small-batch Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

How to Store These Cupcakes

Before frosting, cupcakes can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. Once frosted, they should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese.

Can I Freeze Pumpkin Cupcakes?

Yes. Pumpkin cupcakes freeze pretty well, even if the frosting looks a little smashed after freezing. Place cupcakes on a plate in the freezer and freeze for 20 minutes, until the frosting is mostly frozen solid and then double wrap the cupcakes individually in plastic wrap. Store wrapped cupcakes in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 2 months.

Allow frozen cupcakes to come to room temperature on the counter for 20 minutes or so before eating.

More Pumpkin Recipes

• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Small Pumpkin Cake
• Small-batch Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
• Pumpkin Donuts
• Small-batch Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting

Small-batch Pumpkin Cupcakes

These Small-batch Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are easy to make and so, so good.

4.91 from 11 votes

Print Pin

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings (Hover or Click to Change Yield): 4 cupcakes

Calories: 440kcal

Author: Tracy

Ingredients

Special Equipment

• ▢ Handheld electric mixer optional but convenient

Pumpkin Cupcakes

• ▢ 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon *
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 large egg white
• ▢ 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

• ▢ 4 tablespoons (2oz) unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 2 ounces cream cheese softened
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar sifted, plus more as needed
• ▢ Pinch salt

Instructions

Pumpkin Cupcakes

• Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan with 4 cupcake liners.
• In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine both sugars, vegetable oil, egg white, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and use a spoon to stir until just combined.
• Divide batter between the prepared cupcake cups, filling about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 19 to 23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
• Cool cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, and vanilla, and beat until well-combined and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. If needed, beat in a little more powdered sugar until it reaches your desired consistency. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

*You can replace the spices (not the salt) with 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. 

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag @BakingMischief or hashtag it #BakingMischief.

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