Today, we’re diving deep into the heart of autumn baking with a truly special treat: our irresistible Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting! As the vibrant leaves turn golden and a crisp, cool breeze fills the air, there’s nothing quite like the comforting aroma of freshly baked pumpkin goods, especially when gracefully paired with the sweet, earthy notes of pure maple syrup.

This recipe isn’t just a dessert; it’s an experience designed to evoke the cozy essence of fall. Imagine sinking your teeth into a wonderfully moist, perfectly spiced pumpkin cupcake, followed by a burst of rich, velvety maple-infused cream cheese frosting. It’s a flavor combination that unequivocally declares “Fall is here!” and promises to be a showstopper at any seasonal gathering, a delightful addition to holiday menus, or simply a comforting indulgence for a quiet afternoon.

The Ultimate Fall Treat: Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Ah, glorious Fall! It’s the season of cozy sweaters, breathtaking foliage, and, without a doubt, all things pumpkin. After a particularly challenging summer, marked by the intensity of widespread wildfires and record-breaking heat, the arrival of cooler, crisper mornings feels like a much-needed breath of fresh air and a promise of comfort. And what better way to officially welcome this beautiful season than by baking up a batch of these truly exceptional pumpkin cupcakes? This recipe brings together the quintessential flavors of autumn in an incredibly simple yet utterly delicious package that’s sure to become a cherished part of your fall traditions.

Why These Pumpkin Maple Cupcakes Deserve a Spot in Your Fall Baking Repertoire

There are countless reasons to fall in love with this recipe, but here are just a few that make these cupcakes stand out:

• Perfect Harmony of Flavors: The warm, earthy spices inherent in pumpkin blend flawlessly with the sweet, deep caramel-like notes of maple, creating a sophisticated yet comforting taste profile that is distinctly autumnal.
• Incredibly Moist & Tender Texture: Thanks to the generous inclusion of pumpkin puree and coconut oil, these cupcakes boast a wonderfully moist crumb that remains tender and flavorful for days, making them perfect for advance preparation.
• Velvety Smooth Maple Cream Cheese Frosting: This frosting isn’t just an afterthought; it’s the crowning glory of these cupcakes. It offers a delightful tang from the cream cheese, perfectly balanced by the rich, distinct flavor of pure maple syrup. It’s easy to pipe or spread and is undeniably addictive!
• Effortlessly Easy to Follow: Whether you consider yourself a seasoned baking enthusiast or are just beginning your culinary adventures, our clear, step-by-step instructions are designed to ensure a perfect batch of cupcakes every single time.
• Festive & Universally Crowd-Pleasing: These cupcakes are ideal for almost any fall occasion. Think Thanksgiving dessert tables, Halloween parties, cozy autumn potlucks, or simply as a special, homemade treat for a quiet evening at home with loved ones.

Unpacking the Key Ingredients for Perfect Pumpkin Cupcakes

To create these autumn masterpieces, you’ll need a thoughtful selection of pantry staples and fresh ingredients. Understanding the role of each component can elevate your baking experience and ensure the best results:

• Pumpkin Puree: This is the soul of our cupcake. It’s crucial to use 100% pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling contains added spices and sugar, which will alter the final flavor balance of the recipe. The puree provides essential moisture and that classic pumpkin taste.
• Dark Brown Sugar: While white sugar provides sweetness, dark brown sugar brings a deeper, more complex sweetness due to its higher molasses content. This contributes to a richer, slightly caramelized flavor that beautifully complements the pumpkin and spices.
• Coconut Oil: A fantastic alternative to traditional butter or other vegetable oils, coconut oil lends a subtle richness and ensures an incredibly moist, tender crumb. If your coconut oil is solid, gently melt it before incorporating it into the wet ingredients.
• Room Temperature Eggs: This might seem like a small detail, but it’s a game-changer. Room temperature eggs emulsify much better with other wet ingredients, resulting in a smoother, more uniform batter and a lighter, airier cupcake texture.
• All-Purpose Flour: The fundamental structural component of our cupcakes. It provides the necessary gluten structure without being too dense.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These are our essential leavening agents. They work in tandem to create the perfect rise and a wonderfully light, fluffy texture in the cupcakes.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of high-quality vanilla extract enhances and amplifies all the other sweet and spicy flavors in the cupcake batter and frosting. Don’t be tempted to skip it!
• Ground Cinnamon & Pumpkin Pie Spice: This is the dynamic duo of fall spices that define the taste of autumn! Ground cinnamon provides warmth, while pumpkin pie spice (typically a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves) adds that characteristic fragrant aroma and complex flavor that makes pumpkin desserts so utterly irresistible.
• Pure Maple Syrup: For the frosting, pure maple syrup is non-negotiable. Its distinct, natural sweetness and deep, woodsy flavor cannot be replicated by artificial maple flavorings or pancake syrups. Opt for a good quality, dark amber maple syrup for the best results.
• Confectioners’ (Powdered) Sugar: This finely milled sugar is the essential base for our smooth, pipeable cream cheese frosting. Sifting it before use can help prevent lumps, ensuring a silky-smooth finish.

Recipe: Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

This carefully crafted recipe yields approximately 18 delightful cupcakes, making it perfect for sharing with friends and family (or simply keeping a few extra for yourself!).

Pumpkin Cupcake Ingredients:

• 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup coconut oil, melted if solid
• 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree (ensure it’s 100% pure pumpkin, not pie filling)
• 2 large eggs, brought to room temperature
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Pumpkin Cupcake Directions:

1. Prepare Your Oven & Muffin Tin: Begin by preheating your oven to a steady 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with your preferred festive cupcake liners. If you plan on making a double batch, ensure you have two muffin tins prepared.
2. Combine Wet Ingredients: In a generously sized mixing bowl, combine the melted coconut oil and packed dark brown sugar. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk or beat these ingredients until they are thoroughly combined and present a smooth consistency.
3. Add Pumpkin & Eggs: Next, gently stir in the pumpkin puree until it is fully incorporated into the sugar and oil mixture. Then, introduce the room temperature eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat until the entire mixture appears light and fluffy; this step is crucial for proper emulsification and will contribute to a wonderfully tender crumb.
4. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, pure vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. It is essential to ensure all dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed to guarantee an even distribution of leavening agents and warming spices throughout the batter.
5. Integrate Dry into Wet: Gradually add the whisked dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on a low speed only until the ingredients are just combined. Be extremely careful not to overmix the batter, as this can lead to the development of too much gluten, resulting in tough, dense cupcakes. A few small streaks of flour are acceptable; the final mixing will naturally occur as you scoop the batter.
6. Fill Cupcake Liners: Utilizing an ice cream scoop or two spoons, meticulously fill each prepared cupcake liner approximately three-quarters of the way full. This precise measurement allows ample room for the cupcakes to rise beautifully without the risk of overflowing during baking.
7. Bake to Perfection: Place the muffin tin into the preheated oven and bake for a duration of 12 to 14 minutes. The cupcakes are perfectly baked when a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of one cupcake comes out clean. The tops should appear lightly golden brown and spring back gently when lightly touched.
8. Initial Cooling: Once baked, promptly remove the muffin tin from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool undisturbed within the tin for approximately 30 minutes. This crucial resting period permits them to set properly and helps prevent them from sticking to the liners when you later remove them.
9. Final Cooling: Following the initial cooling period, carefully transfer the cupcakes from the muffin tin to a wire rack or a baker’s sheet. Allow them to cool completely for at least one additional hour. It is absolutely essential that the cupcakes are fully cooled before you proceed with frosting them; frosting warm cupcakes will inevitably cause the frosting to melt and slide off.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar, sifted if lumpy to ensure smoothness

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting Directions:

1. Cream Cheese & Butter: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter together vigorously. Continue beating until the mixture becomes light, exquisitely fluffy, and completely smooth. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently as needed to ensure everything is thoroughly incorporated.
2. Add Flavorings: Reduce the mixer speed to low. Carefully add the pure maple syrup, the ⅛ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and the 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the creamed mixture. Mix just long enough on low speed to blend all these delightful ingredients together thoroughly, ensuring an even distribution of flavor.
3. Incorporate Powdered Sugar: Gradually add the sifted confectioners’ sugar to the mixture. Begin on low speed to prevent a messy cloud of sugar from forming. Once the majority of the sugar has been incorporated without dry spots, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue to beat for approximately 1 minute. The goal is to achieve a frosting that is light, fluffy, and perfectly spreadable or pipeable.
4. Adjust Consistency (if needed): If, after mixing, your frosting feels too thin to hold its shape well for piping or spreading, you can add an additional tablespoon of sifted confectioners’ sugar at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition, until the desired firm yet creamy consistency is achieved. Conversely, if the frosting appears too thick, incorporate a tiny splash (about ½ teaspoon) of milk or cream until it reaches your desired texture.

Expert Baking Tips for Achieving Cupcake Perfection

Even with a great recipe, a few expert tips can make all the difference in achieving bakery-quality results:

• Avoid Overmixing the Batter: This is a golden rule in baking, especially for cupcakes. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour too much, which can lead to tough, chewy cupcakes instead of light and tender ones. Mix only until the ingredients are just combined, with no visible streaks of dry flour.
• Always Use Room Temperature Ingredients: We’ve mentioned it before, but it bears repeating! Ensuring your eggs, butter, and cream cheese are at room temperature is critical. This allows them to emulsify and blend much more smoothly with other ingredients, creating a homogeneous batter and a remarkably creamy, lump-free frosting.
• Measure Flour Correctly: The most common baking mistake is using too much flour. To avoid dense, dry cupcakes, do not scoop flour directly from the bag with your measuring cup. Instead, spoon the flour lightly into your measuring cup until it’s overflowing, then level it off with the straight edge of a knife or spatula.
• Ensure Even Filling: For consistent results in both size and baking time, use an ice cream scoop (a regular one for standard cupcakes) to fill each cupcake liner equally. This ensures all your cupcakes bake uniformly.
• Check for Doneness Accurately: Rely on the toothpick test! Insert a wooden skewer or toothpick into the center of a cupcake; if it comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs attached), your cupcakes are perfectly done. Overbaking is the quickest way to end up with dry cupcakes.
• Cool Completely Before Frosting: This step requires patience, but it’s non-negotiable. Attempting to frost warm cupcakes will inevitably cause your beautiful maple cream cheese frosting to melt, slide off, and create a messy outcome. Allow the cupcakes to cool fully, preferably on a wire rack, before you even think about reaching for that piping bag.

Serving and Storage Suggestions for Your Pumpkin Cupcakes

These delightful pumpkin cupcakes are truly best enjoyed fresh, but they also store beautifully, allowing you to savor them over a few days!

• Garnish Ideas: Elevate the visual appeal of your cupcakes with simple garnishes. A delicate sprinkle of extra cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, a tiny maple leaf cookie placed artfully on top, or even a single candied pecan can add a touch of elegance and extra flavor.
• When to Serve: These versatile cupcakes are perfect for a wide array of autumnal occasions. Serve them as a decadent dessert at a fall dinner party, enjoy them with an afternoon cup of coffee or tea, bring them to a school bake sale, or present them as a special, homemade treat for Thanksgiving or Halloween festivities.
• Storage for Frosted Cupcakes: To maintain their freshness and the integrity of the cream cheese frosting, store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will remain delicious for up to 3-4 days. For optimal flavor and frosting texture, allow them to sit at room temperature for approximately 15-20 minutes before serving.
• Storage for Unfrosted Cupcakes: Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, they can be frozen for up to 2 months. To thaw, simply transfer frozen unfrosted cupcakes to the refrigerator overnight before proceeding with frosting.

Creative Variations & Customizations for Your Pumpkin Cupcakes

Don’t be afraid to get creative and personalize your pumpkin maple cupcakes! Here are a few ideas to inspire you:

• Spice It Up: For those who love an extra layer of warmth, consider adding a small pinch of ground ginger or cloves (or both!) to the cupcake batter along with the other spices.
• Nutty Crunch: Introduce a delightful textural contrast by folding in about ½ cup of finely chopped pecans or walnuts into the cupcake batter just before filling the liners.
• Chocolate Swirl: For a decadent twist, gently swirl a tablespoon or two of melted dark chocolate into the maple cream cheese frosting. This creates a visually appealing marble effect and adds a rich chocolatey note.
• Miniature Delights: These cupcakes can easily be adapted into mini cupcakes. Simply use mini cupcake liners and adjust the baking time; mini cupcakes typically require a shorter baking time of 9-11 minutes.
• Lighter Glaze Option: If you prefer a lighter topping to the rich cream cheese frosting, skip the frosting altogether and instead drizzle a simple maple glaze over the cooled cupcakes. A basic glaze can be made by whisking confectioners’ sugar with a few tablespoons of maple syrup and a touch of milk until smooth.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pumpkin Cupcakes

Can I use fresh pumpkin puree instead of canned?

Yes, absolutely! If you have homemade pumpkin puree, it will work beautifully in this recipe. Just ensure it’s cooked and pureed to a very smooth consistency and that any excess water has been drained or reduced. Canned 100% pumpkin puree is often favored for its consistent moisture content, but fresh puree provides an authentic homemade touch.

My frosting is too thin/thick; how can I fix it?

If your frosting is too thin, it likely needs more body. Gradually add more sifted confectioners’ sugar, one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition until the desired thickness is achieved. If it’s too thick, add a tiny bit of milk or cream (starting with ½ teaspoon) until it reaches a smooth, spreadable consistency.

Can I make these cupcakes gluten-free?

While this specific recipe hasn’t been officially tested with gluten-free alternatives, you could likely substitute the all-purpose flour with a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend. Be aware that the final texture might vary slightly, but many bakers have success with this substitution.

How far in advance can I prepare these pumpkin cupcakes?

You can bake the unfrosted cupcakes up to 2 days in advance and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. The maple cream cheese frosting can also be prepared a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator; just make sure to bring it to room temperature and give it a good re-whip with your electric mixer before you’re ready to frost the cooled cupcakes.

Don’t miss all of our delicious Canned Pumpkin Recipes for even more inspiring ideas to celebrate the autumn season!

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Pumpkin Cupcake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

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Author:
Tammilee Tips

Ingredients

• For the Pumpkin Cupcakes:
• 2 C packed dark brown sugar
• 1 C Coconut Oil
• 1 ½ C Pumpkin Puree/Canned Pumpkin
• 2 Eggs (room temp)
• 3 C All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• For the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 4 oz. Cream Cheese (room temp)
• 5 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter (room temp)
• 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
• ⅛ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 3 C Confectioners Powdered Sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.
2. Combine coconut oil and brown sugar. Mix in pumpkin puree and eggs, beating well.
3. Add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until just combined.
4. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full.
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool in muffin tin for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely for 1 hour.
7. For Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
8. Add maple syrup, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice; mix on low to combine.
9. Slowly add powdered sugar, mixing for a minute until fluffy. Adjust consistency with more sugar or a splash of milk if needed.

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