Super moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Needless to say these guys are to die for.
Super Moist Pumpkin Cupcakes
When I think of fall baking I think of one thing, and one thing only… these Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. There’s just nothing better than a super moist cupcake filled with pumpkin and fall spices, a warm cup of tea, and a big cozy blanket. That sounds like my dream day honestly.
If you haven’t jumped on the baking with pumpkin train yet, it’s about time you do, and might I suggest you start with this recipe?
Why Bake with Pumpkin?
If you grew up anything like me, pumpkins were just the things you carved every year during Halloween. The insides of the pumpkin that you remove when you’re carving were always so gross to me, it just looked like slime and seeds.. I never wanted to touch it!
Little did I know that the insides of pumpkin is actually the most magical ingredient to use when baking. Here’s why:
- It adds MOISTURE. Just like adding sour cream or oil to a cake, pumpkin does a lot of the same thing. It brings so much moisture to the table that it can even be used as a substitute for things like oil and eggs in some recipes.
- Its nutrient content: Pumpkin is full of vitamins and minerals (Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, just to name a few), and it’s a great way to get those vitamins in your bakes 🙂
- It’s a great substitute: If you’re trying to lean more towards a plant-based diet then pumpkin just became your best friend. It can be used as a substitute for eggs, milk, sour cream, etc., and is a great option for someone looking to cut out animal products.
- It just tastes really really amazing. There’s just something about the flavor of pumpkin that brings any of your bakes to a whole new level. I’m a little obsessed, and people go crazy over pumpkin in the fall for good reason.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ok, y’all know I love me some cream cheese frosting. I honestly don’t feel like a buttercream is complete without a little cream cheese to balance out all that sweetness from the powdered sugar. Well, we’re stepping it up another level with this Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s the perfect topping for these yummy pumpkin cupcakes, and the marriage of flavors it just absolutely beautiful in your mouth!
I only added a hint of cinnamon to this recipe, but you can really taste it!
Ingredients for Super Moist Pumpkin Cupcakes
Be sure to grab these ingredients from the store before you get crackin’ on these cupcakes!
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Canola oil
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Pumpkin
- Pure vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
Tips for Making Super Moist Pumpkin Cupcakes
Here’s some of my best tips for ensuring your cupcakes come out super moist:
- Do NOT overmix your batter. Just like with these chocolate cupcakes, and any other cake/cupcake recipe for that matter, please please do not overmix your batter. I know it can be tempting because you want everything to be well blended, but you also don’t want hockey pucks for cupcakes.. which is exactly what you’ll get if you just mix and mix and mix and mix.
- Quick tip: Sometimes I like to stir my batter instead of beating it when I add in my dry ingredients. This just helps me make extra sure that it’s only stirred!
- Use a light-colored muffin tin. I know the non-stick muffin tins can be tempting because they’re typically a little bit easier to clean, but that also means that they’re darker in color. It may not seem like it could make that big of a difference, but actually your cakes may have a better chance of burning because the heat is attracted to darker things. This really goes for anything you’re baking, and I like to use this muffin tin from Williams-Sonoma (one of my favorite places to find bakeware).
- Beat the butter and cream cheese longer than you’d think… It can seem a little odd to beat butter and cream cheese for 2 to 3 minutes when they’re clearly beaten together after about 15 seconds, but the magic that happens when you’re incorporating air into the butter just makes the texture of your frosting SOOO much better. Patience is the key here, folks.
- Cool your cupcakes COMPLETELY. There’s nothing worse than a cupcake with the leaning tower of frosting on top. Because butter and cream cheese are the base of our frosting (which both start to soften A LOT when they get warm), your frosting could start sliding off the tops of your cupcakes if they aren’t cooled all the way. I know you’re gonna want to eat these ASAP when you take them out of the oven, but just try and be patient… trust me.
I hope you all love these cupcakes as much as I do, and please don’t hesitate to drop a line in the comments below with any questions about the recipe or just baking in general. As always, be sure to tag me in socials (@sarahsdayoff) if you make these so I can salivate over your DELISH cupcakes.
Happy baking!
Love, Sarah
Super Moist Pumpkin Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Cupcakes
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 8 oz cream chese at room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
For the Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat oil and sugars on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add pumpkin, and beat until smooth.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Slowly beat in dry ingredients, making sure not to overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, filling each cup 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool cupcakes completely in pan before transferring to a cooling rack. Make sure cupcakes are room temperature before frosting (not warm to the touch at all).
For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Slowly add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Add vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
These are so good… definitely one of your best, Sarah!