Pumpkin Cupcakes
These Pumpkin Cupcakes are an easy fall dessert recipe made with a simple cake mix, real pumpkin puree, warm pumpkin spice, and a creamy homemade buttercream frosting. An easy pumpkin dessert, ready in no time!
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These cupcakes are perfect for fall gatherings, Halloween parties, and Thanksgiving dessert tables (or you can use this recipe for a fall baking activity with kids). It’s a cute fall cupcake to add to your dessert board.
You’ll enjoy it with a hot cup of coffee or tea, or serve it with other treats like Caramel Apple Pretzel Bites and Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Dipped Pretzels.
How to Make Pumpkin Cupcakes
Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Preheat your oven to 350 and add cupcake liners to a muffin tin.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin puree.
3. Whisk until well combined.
4. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full with the batter.
5. Bake the cupcakes for 17-20 min, and then allow to cool completely.
6. For the frosting, beat the unsalted butter until smooth.
7. Alternate adding the powdered sugar (slowly), vanilla, and milk. Mix until well combined. If needed, add additional powdered sugar if the frosting is too thin, or a splash of milk if it is too thick.
8. Take about 1 cup of the frosting and set aside.
9. To the larger bowl of frosting, add a generous amount of orange gel food coloring and mix until well combined.
10. Add a generous amount of green gel frosting to the cup of frosting you set aside, and mix well to combine.
11. To a piping bag, add a large round decorating tip. Add the orange frosting to this bag.
12. To another piping bag, add a medium writing tip. Add the green frosting to this bag.
13. Start piping the pumpkins onto the cakes by starting from the outside and adding your pumpkin lines until you get to the final middle line.
14. Once you have pumpkins, use the green frosting to pipe vines onto them.
Serve & Enjoy!
Important Recipe Notes
- Make sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already has sugar and spices added, which can change the texture and make the cupcakes too sweet or too soft.
- When mixing the batter, don’t overmix it. Just stir until everything is combined. Overmixing can make the cupcakes dense instead of soft and fluffy.
- If your batter looks a little thick, that’s totally normal because of the pumpkin puree. It helps keep the cupcakes moist while baking.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. If they are even slightly warm, the buttercream will melt and slide off.
- For the frosting, add powdered sugar slowly so it stays smooth and creamy. If it gets too thick, add a tiny splash of milk. If it gets too thin, just add a bit more powdered sugar.
- Gel food coloring is best for this recipe because it gives bright colors without making the frosting runny.
Pumpkin Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 13.25 oz box of yellow cake mix + oil and eggs from the box instructions (no water)
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 2 tsp vanilla Pinch salt
- Orange and green gel color
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 and add cupcake liners to a muffin tin.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin puree.
- Whisk until well combined.
- Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full with the batter.
- Bake the cupcakes for 17-20 min, and then allow to cool completely.
- For the frosting, beat the unsalted butter until smooth.
- Alternate adding the powdered sugar (slowly), vanilla, and milk. Mixing until well combined. If needed, add additional powdered sugar if the frosting is too thin, or a splash of milk if it is too thick.
- Take about 1 cup of the frosting and set aside.
- To the larger bowl of frosting, add a generous amount of orange gel food coloring, and mix until well combined.
- Add a generous amount of green gel frosting to the cup of frosting you set aside, and mix well to combined.
- To a piping bag, add a large round decorating tip. Add the orange frosting to this bag.
- To another piping bag, add a medium writing tip. Add the green frosting to this bag.
- Start piping the pumpkins onto the cakes by starting from the outside and adding your pumpkin lines until you get to the final middle line.
- Once you have pumpkins, use the green frosting to pipe vines onto them.
