These Pumpkin Halloween Cupcakes are the ultimate Halloween treat! This recipe makes moist pumpkin cupcakes swirled with a delicious brown sugar cream cheese frosting.
If you love baking with pumpkin puree, you have to try some of my other Easy Halloween Baking Recipes. Like this Pumpkin Loaf Cake or this Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Why This Pumpkin Halloween Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe Works
- Recipe name: Pumpkin Halloween Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- Ready in: 1hr 15 minutes
- Serves: 24 cupcakes
- Main ingredients: Pumpkin purée, flour, yogurt, eggs, brown sugar, oil, butter, and cream cheese.
- Perfect for: This recipe is perfect for spooky-season Halloween baking. Naturally orange cupcakes filled with warm pumpkin spices and topped with a fluffy frosting.
- Why I love it: This recipe uses no artificial food coloring, making it perfect for kids' parties.
- Calories: 297kcal
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I love making Easy Cupcake Recipes from Scratch, and I have recipes for every holiday! Some of my favorites are these Pecan Pie Cupcakes, these Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes, and these Cinnamon Cupcakes that are perfect for Christmas time!
Jump to:
- Why This Pumpkin Halloween Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe Works
- Key Ingredients
- Variations
- How To Make Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- Instructions for Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- Storage
- Expert Tips
- Pumpkin Halloween Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting FAQs
- More Easy Holiday Cupcake Recipes
- Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
- 📖 Recipe
Key Ingredients
- Sunflower oil - Use a neutral-tasting vegetable oil, such as sunflower or canola oil.
- Pumpkin puree - Use tinned pumpkin puree or make your own by microwaving a bag of pumpkin pieces as per the packet's instructions. Squeeze out any excess moisture from the puree before using it.
- Ground spices - I chose a combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg for this recipe. Do the same, add your favorite spice combination, or use ready-mixed pumpkin pie spice.
- Greek yogurt - This adds moisture to the loaf cake; choose full-fat for the best results. Substitute with sour cream if needed.
- Self-raising flour - If you are using all-purpose or plain flour, weigh the same amount of flour as stated in the recipe and add 2 tablespoons of baking powder. Sift the two together before using.
- Muscovado sugar - I used muscovado sugar for its deep flavor, but you can use light brown sugar or brown sugar instead.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
You can substitute this brown sugar cream cheese frosting for one of my other Easy and Delicious Buttercream Frosting Recipes. This Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting or this Chocolate Frosting with Melted Chocolate would be delicious.
To decorate these cupcakes, I made edible fondant pumpkins and ghosts using silicone molds. If you don't have these pumpkin molds, try using edible candy eyes or pumpkins.
How To Make Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions for Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 2x 12-hole cupcake pans with cupcake liners. Add the oil, eggs, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 2-3 minutes.
- Step 2: Sift together the salt, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Beat at low speed until just combined.
- Step 3: In a large jug, mix the wet ingredients together - the yogurt, pumpkin purée, and vanilla. Slowly pour this pumpkin mixture into the cupcake batter with the mixer running at low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again, making sure it is lump-free.
- Step 4: Fill the 24 cupcake cases with the pumpkin cupcake batter. Fill two-thirds of the way up. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating.
Instructions for Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- Step 1: Add the butter and muscovado sugar to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until the butter softens and some of the sugar has dissolved. About 3 minutes.
- Step 2: Add the powdered sugar to the butter mixture and beat at medium-low speed until combined. This can take about 5 minutes.
- Step 3: Add the cream cheese and vanilla to the frosting mixture and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again until light and fluffy. This can take about 5-7 minutes.
- Step 4: Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your chosen nozzle. Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake and decorate with edible pumpkins and Halloween decorations.
Storage
Cupcakes cool quickly and dry out just as quickly, so try to frost them the same day that they are baked. If you don't have time to decorate them that day, store them in an airtight container or cover the cupcake trays in plastic wrap.
For any leftover filled and frosted cupcakes, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days.
Expert Tips
- Always use room temperature ingredients; this is especially important for the butter and cream cheese in the frosting recipe.
- Test your oven temperature before baking with an oven thermometer.
- To avoid mishappen cupcakes, never overfill your cupcake papers.
- Use just whipped frosting when decorating. It must be light and fluffy before you pipe it. Only decorate cooled cupcakes; otherwise, the frosting will melt.
- For more cupcake baking tips, read 9 Cupcake Baking Tips You Need to Know.
Pumpkin Halloween Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting FAQs
If you can't find pumpkin puree, use homemade pumpkin puree instead. To make it, boil or microwave chopped pumpkin until tender. Then use a food processor to mash it. If it has a lot of liquid, use a kitchen towel to remove some of the moisture.
If your frosting is lumpy, it is because you didn't use room temperature butter and cream cheese.
If you don't have self-raising flour, use a combination of all-purpose flour and baking powder. For this recipe, use 290 grams of flour and one tablespoon of baking powder.
To freeze these delicious cupcakes, place any leftovers in a freezer-safe, airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost properly before consuming them.
More Easy Holiday Cupcake Recipes
If you are wondering what else to bake for your dessert table at your next Halloween party, don't skip these Easy Ghost Meringues or these No-Bake Condensed Milk Chocolate Truffles. These Black Velvet Halloween Cupcakes are also a great addition!
Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
Please leave a star rating and comment below if you tried this recipe! And if you're wondering what to try next, have a look at this Vanilla Buttercream Cake!
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Halloween Cupcakes
Equipment
- 2x 12-hole cupcake pans
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cupcakes
- 120 ml sunflower oil
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 250 grams granulated white sugar
- 270 grams self-raising flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 160 grams Greek yoghurt
- 130 grams pumpkin puree
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- 80 grams muscovado sugar
- 100 grams unsalted butter
- 500 grams icing sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 250 grams cream cheese
Instructions
Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line two 12-hole cupcake pans with cupcake papers.
- Add the oil, eggs, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 2-3 minutes.
- Sift together the salt, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until just combined.
- In a jug mix together the yogurt, pumpkin purée, and vanilla. Slowly pour this pumpkin mixture into the cupcake batter with the mixer's motor running at low speed. Once added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again, making sure it is lump-free.
- Fill the cupcake cases with the cupcake batter and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating.
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the softened butter and light brown sugar. Beat at medium speed until the butter has colored and some of the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the icing sugar and cinnamon to the butter and brown sugar mixture and beat at medium speed until combined. The mixture should look like fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the room-temperature cubed cream cheese to the icing sugar mixture and beat again until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again at high speed until light and fluffy. This can take up to 5 minutes.
- Fill a prepared piping bag with the frosting and pipe a swirl of frosting on top of the cupcakes. Decorate with a dusting of cinnamon and edible fondant pumpkins or other Halloween decorations. Enjoy!
Notes
- To avoid lumpy cream cheese frosting make sure you are using room-temperature butter and cream cheese. If the cream cheese is cold when added, expect lumps of cream cheese that you cannot beat away.
Debbie says
What a great recipe! And the frosting is so delicious