Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream
These soft pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese buttercream are a warm & cozy Autumn treat, certain to get you into the holiday baking mood! The cake is moist (not stodgy from the pumpkin) and the cream cheese buttercream is silky smooth. Each bite of cupcake just melts in your mouth!
Sometimes, baking with pumpkin purée can lead to dense, stodgy, cakes (challenging my inner Paul Hollywood) due to the water content. But in this recipe, we dry out the pumpkin puree before mixing it in the cupcake batter, removing a lot of that moisture beforehand! This simple extra step leads to the softest pumpkin cake – I promise you it’s worth it!
The cream cheese buttercream that is used for the frosting is silky smooth, melts in your mouth, and adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the cupcake.
If you like this recipe, you will love this Pumpkin Bread recipe, too! It has a soft & fluffy pumpkin loaf cake with a similar cream cheese icing. Or, step it up a notch and try this delicious Pumpkin Roll cake recipe!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient list.
- Full-fat sour cream should be used for the best texture. This can also be substituted with Greek yogurt!
- Cream cheese should also be full-fat for the smoothest cream cheese buttercream.
- Vanilla: good quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste should be used for optimal flavor!
- Pumpkin puree is incredibly watery and the moisture content varies brand to brand. Because of this, cake-based desserts made with pumpkin can often be stodgy & dense. To avoid this, we dry out the pumpkin puree to ensure accuracy & maintain a fluffy texture.
- Cake flour should be used for a softer, more tender crumb.
- Make sure to sift your powdered sugar if you notice it is clumping up.
Step by step instructions
See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full recipe instructions.
STEP 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients. Whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin spice. Set aside.
STEP 2: Dry the pumpkin puree. Spread the pumpkin puree into a smooth layer on a cutting board. Gently press a stack of paper towels against the pumpkin puree so the paper towels absorb the liquid from the pumpkin. Scrape into a pile, spread it out again, and repeat this process until the pumpkin feels pretty dry & you can shape it into a ball with your hands. Use around 65 grams or roughly 1/4 cup of the dried pumpkin.
STEP 3: Beat wet ingredients. Combine the room temperature butter, granulated sugar, and oil and beat until creamy & combined. Add the eggs & vanilla and mix well.
STEP 4: Add dry ingredients. Mix in the dry ingredients until almost combined but with a few streaks of flour remaining.
STEP 5: Mix in sour cream, pumpkin, & milk. Once almost mixed in, add the sour cream & dried pumpkin purée and beat until almost combined. Then, stream in the milk & beat until a smooth batter forms.
STEP 6: Bake! Use a cupcake tin with liners & fill them half way with batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes until risen and fluffy but still soft looking on top. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
STEP 8: Make the cream cheese buttercream & frost. Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat on medium speed until combined & smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar and beat on low-medium speed until combined. Then add the salt, vanilla, and the other half of the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Frost the cooled pumpkin cupcakes with the cream cheese buttercream & enjoy!
Recipe FAQ
Yes! You will be surprised how much liquid the paper towels absorb. It makes a huge difference in the final texture!
Store the finished frosted cupcakes in a room temperature container for 1-2 days to maintain the softest texture. Transfer to the fridge for longer storage.
Yes! Once cool, individually wrap each cupcake tightly in plastic wrap. Store them at room temperature if using within the next day or so, or freeze for 2-3 months. Defrost in the fridge from frozen.
Yes – I like to tightly store the frosting in a secured piping bag in the fridge. If you don’t have this, you can also spread the icing on plastic wrap, tightly wrap it up, and place in a ziplock bag. Gently mix if necessary before piping.
Baking in grams
I rely on gram measurements when testing recipes because they offer the highest level of accuracy (and less cleanup!). Unlike volume measurements, which can vary, grams provide a reliable and consistent standard. I carefully test all of my recipes using this kitchen scale, therefore I cannot guarantee the outcome when using volume measurements. However, volume measurements are available in the recipe card.
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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cupcakes
- 192 grams (1 ½ cups) cake flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 240 grams (1 cup) pumpkin puree, squeezed until dry & measured to 65 grams or ¼ cup
- 57 grams (¼ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 50 grams (¼ cup) vegetable oil
- 200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 120 grams (½ cup) full-fat sour cream or yogurt, room temperature
- 60 grams (¼ cup) whole milk, room temperature
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 226 grams (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 oz full-fat cream cheese, cold
- 360 grams (3 cups) powdered sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and fill a cupcake tin with liners (you will either need to bake them in two batches, or use two pans). Set aside.
- Whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin spice. Set aside.192 grams cake flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- Start with one cup of pure pumpkin puree. Pumpkin puree is incredibly watery and the moisture content varies brand to brand, so we want to make sure you have enough.
- Spread the pumpkin puree into a smooth layer on a cutting board. Gently press a stack of paper towels against the pumpkin puree so the paper towels absorb the liquid from the pumpkin. Scrape into a pile, spread it out again, and repeat this process until the pumpkin feels pretty dry & you can shape it into a ball with your hands. Use around 65 grams or roughly 1/4 cup of the dried pumpkin. You might have left over, but you will not need it.240 grams pumpkin puree
- Separately, beat together the unsalted butter, oil, and sugar until combined & fluffy.57 grams unsalted butter, 50 grams vegetable oil, 200 grams granulated sugar
- Add the eggs & vanilla and mix well, then add the dry ingredients and beat until almost combined but with a few streaks of flour still remaining.2 eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- Add the sour cream & dried pumpkin purée and beat until almost combined. Then, stream in the milk & beat until a smooth batter forms.120 grams full-fat sour cream or yogurt, 60 grams whole milk
- Fill each cupcake liner about half way. Bake for 12-15 minutes until risen and fluffy but still soft looking on top. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- While the cupcakes cool, make the cream cheese buttercream. Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat on medium speed until combined & smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar and beat on low-medium speed until combined. Then add the salt, vanilla, and the other half of the powdered sugar and beat until combined.226 grams unsalted butter, 8 oz full-fat cream cheese, 360 grams powdered sugar, 1 pinch salt, ½ tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost with a piping bag (for ease!) or with a knife, offset spatula, etc., and enjoy!
