These chocolate pumpkin cupcakes with pumpkin cream cheese frosting are moist, chocolatey, and are full of pumpkin spice. The cream cheese frosting has pumpkin in it too! A perfect cupcake for fall!
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🍂Cupcakes that are perfect for fall
Nothing says fall more to me, then pumpkin spice! The spices used in pumpkin spice are warm and they are so great in fall baking - pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls, pumpkin spice scones, or pumpkin spice cheesecake.
I wanted to make a cupcake with pumpkin spice in it, and decided on this chocolate pumpkin cupcake with pumpkin cream cheese frosting. There's pumpkin puree and pumpkin spices in both the cupcake and the frosting! So perfect for fall!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Pumpkin puree - make sure you use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie puree. That one has a whole bunch of other ingredients in it.
- Cream cheese - use the brick cream cheese. That one is meant for baking.
- Dark cocoa powder - regular cocoa powder can be used as well. The cupcakes just won't be as dark brown.
- Sour cream - plain yogurt can work too.
🔪Instructions
To make the chocolate pumpkin cupcakes, whisk flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until lightened and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in eggs and vanilla and combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Mix in pumpkin puree, milk, and sour cream, then add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.
Fill the cupcake liners ¾ full with the cupcake batter. The batter will make 12-15 cupcakes. Bake for 16-18 minutes at 350°F (180°C), or until a toothpick tester comes out clean from the cupcakes. Let cool on a wire rack for a few minutes, and then take them out of the muffin tins to cool completely on wire rack.
To make the pumpkin spice frosting, beat cream cheese and butter together until lightened and fluffy in a large bowl, for about 3 minutes.
Place pumpkin puree on a medium plate. Dab the puree with paper towels to remove liquid. I used about 6 paper towels in total. You will know when it is done, when hardly any liquid transfers to the paper towels. This step is necessary so the frosting won't be too loose.
Add pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice. Mix to combine, and then mix in powdered sugar. Mix in orange gel food colouring if desired. This step is optional. It gives the frosting a more pumpkin colour.
When cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe frosting on them. I used a Wilton 1M piping tip. Store left overs in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
For more instructional photos, see the web story for these chocolate pumpkin cupcakes with pumpkin cream cheese frosting!
✔️Expert tips
- Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. It helps the cupcakes bake evenly if all the ingredients are at the same temperature.
- Mix the cupcake ingredients until just combined. If you stir too long, gluten will form, and the cupcakes will be dense.
- Make sure pumpkin puree is dried when using it for the frosting. It will make the frosting too soupy if not dried out enough.
- Pipe the frosting on the cupcakes however you like. I used Wilton IM tip.
💭FAQs
The cupcakes can be frozen before frosting has been piped on. Wrap each with plastic wrap and store them in an airtight freezer container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature overnight.
You can make the cupcakes a day before and then frost the next day. Store the cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container.
Pumpkin puree has a lot of liquid in it. It needs to be dried out with paper towel before being added to frosting ingredients.
🔖Related recipes
📋 Recipe
Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- one 12 cup muffin tin
Ingredients
Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup whole milk room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream or plain yogurt room temperature
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 drop orange gel food colouring optional
Instructions
Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until lightened and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in eggs and vanilla and combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in pumpkin puree, milk, and sour cream. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fill the cupcake liners ¾ full with the cupcake batter. The batter will make 12-15 cupcakes. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick tester comes out clean from the cupcakes. Let cool on a wire rack.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until lightened and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Place pumpkin puree on a medium plate. Dab the puree with paper towels to remove liquid. I used about 6 paper towels. You will know when it is done, when hardly any liquid transfers to the paper towels. This step is necessary so the frosting won't be too loose.
- Add pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice. Mix to combine, and then mix in powdered sugar. Mix in orange gel food colouring.
- When cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe frosting on them. I used a Wilton 1M piping tip. Store left overs in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. It helps the cupcakes bake evenly if all the ingredients are at the same temperature.
- Mix the cupcake ingredients until just combined. If you stir too long, gluten will form, and the cupcakes will be dense.
- Make sure pumpkin puree is dried when using it for the frosting. It will make the frosting too soupy if not dried out enough.
- Pipe the frosting on the cupcakes however you like. I used Wilton IM tip.
Did you try this recipe? Comment below to let me know ☺️