Baking · Cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

What Jessica Baked Next

Fluffy and moist pumpkin spice cupcakes topped with tangy cream cheese frosting. My new favourite autumn cupcake recipe and a must try for all pumpkin lovers! 

pumpkin-spice-cupcakes

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you all had a brilliant weekend! Wow! How fast is time flying?! We’re already halfway through October and that means Halloween is just around the corner!

I’m super excited to be sharing my first ever pumpkin recipe on the blog and there’s no better recipe to share than homemade pumpkin cupcakes swirled with cream cheese frosting!

I finally bought my first can of pumpkin puree the other day. I’ve held off until now but as autumn is in full swing now and Halloween fast approaching it seemed the perfect opportunity to start sharing some pumpkin recipes with you all.

The funny thing is, in the US everyone seems to be crazy for pumpkin but in the UK we don’t seem to embrace it as much. Using pumpkin in sweet baking is a totally new thing for me and at first it seemed seriously weird. After taking a bite of one of these cupcakes I soon realised pumpkin is a very versatile ingredient and brilliant in both savoury and sweet baking.

The cupcake batter is super easy to make. I love the combination of spices in these cupcakes. Each cupcake is topped with cream cheese frosting which is smooth, fluffy and has the perfect tanginess which compliments the spiced flavour in the cupcakes. I have to admit, I cheated this time and used pre-made frosting. This is because I had a frosting fail at the weekend but it is ok to cut corners sometimes!

psc

Because Halloween is nearing closer I gave a few of the cupcakes some Halloween inspired decorations, hence the spooky Halloween scene and styling! 🙂 I topped some of these gorgeous spiced cupcakes with marshmallow pumpkins. But even without all the decorations these cupcakes will be amazing. Serve the cakes on platters at Halloween parties this year they will go down a treat!

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

Cupcakes – 

195g (1 and ½ cups + 2 tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

130g (2/3 cup) granulated or caster sugar

90g (1/2 cup packed) light brown sugar

120ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil (canola or a light olive oil can be used)

2 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

200g (3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Decoration –

Frosting – cream cheese, chocolate, vanilla, marshmallow will all work well

Sprinkles, sweets/candy

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 160 Fan / 180 C / 350 F. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
  2. To make the cupcakes: In a small mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and spices. Leave to one side.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl cream the sugars together until combined. Add the oil and blend until mixed fully. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated. Finally, mix in the pumpkin and vanilla.
  4. Add the flour mixture in two batches and fold to combine. Make sure you scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure it is well blended.
  5. Divide the cupcake batter between the paper cases. Make sure you fill each cup about 3/4 of the way up. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean without any uncooked batter remaining. Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tin for 3 minutes then carefully remove and transport to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
  6. Once the cupcakes are cooled, frost and decorate. The frosted cupcakes will store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Best served at room temperature. I also recommend decorating these just prior to serving.

Recipe from Cooking Classy

pumpkin-spice-cupcake-recipe

Enjoy!

jess

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Published by What Jessica Baked Next

Trained chef, food blogger and travel lover behind What Jessica Baked Next sharing recipes perfect for every occasion.

81 thoughts on “Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes”

  1. That is exactly my thought, pumpkins here are usually used for savory foods so I still need to make desserts with them. These cupcakes look so good, Jess! I am loving that marshmallow pumpkin! It’s just the cutest Halloween edible decoration! I agree with you, time is just flying! can’t believe we’re going to enter 2016 in like less than 3 months!

    Reply

    1. Thanks Samina! I think I have been converted, pumpkin is a great ingredient in all kinds of baking. Glad you like the cupcakes. The decorations are super cute, right?! I couldn’t resist picking the festive marshmallows up at the supermarket. 😉
      It really is hard to believe how quickly this year has gone by! 2016 is scarily close!

      Reply

  10. Pumpkin is totally awesome in sweet recipes! In fact, here in the US, we often have to remind ourselves that pumpkin is totally awesome in savory recipes, too. Welcome to the pumpkin madness, Jess! 🙂

    Reply

  12. Oh my gawsh, girlfriend! You are totally right, time IS flying by wayyyyy to fast! These cupcakes look seriously delicious PLUS they are super cute to look at! LOVE the pumpkin spice flavored cupcake and cream cheese frosting happens to be my all time favorite! So these have my name written all over them! Pinned! Cheers!

    Reply

  15. We are totally pumpkin obsessed in the US. I happen to love pumpkin and use it all year – even in August. 🙂 Cream cheese frosting and pumpkin are so awesome together and these cupcakes are adorable!

    Reply

  16. These cupcakes are gorgeous, Jess! I love seeing all the pumpkin recipes around this time of year and those marshmallow pumpkins are seriously the cutest!!! I wish I had three of these right now 🙂

    Reply

  25. I love, love, love spiced cakes! And you really knocked these pumpkin spice cupcakes out of the park for your first pumpkin recipe on the blog! I’ll take a dozen please 🙂

    Reply

  30. They’re just perfect. The frosting ratio looks ideal, and your photos are sooooo tempting!! I have some homemade mellowcreme pumpkins that I think would look adorable atop such a recipe…

    Reply

  33. I love these cupcakes! I’ve been daydreaming about Halloween cupcakes and these may have fulfilled my dreams 😉 I’m sure mine won’t be as pretty, but I can’t wait to try!

    Reply

  39. Oh wow these look divine! I have never made a pumpkin dessert before, I must give it a go! Alas it’s hard to find canned pumpkin in Australia 🙁

    Reply

  40. New Zealand and Australia must be the same as the UK – hardly anyone would think to bake with pumpkin, so I can’t say I have ever tried it! It will certainly be on the to-do list for next autumn with all the gorgeous pumpkin recipes around at the moment though. I love how you have paired the pumpkin cupcake with cream cheese frosting too – the perfect contrasting tanginess! <3

    Reply
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