A perfect fall recipe by Ina wins again! These pumpkin spice cupcakes are the perfect addition to your holiday parties and special occasions. Even if cake isn’t your thing, I think you’ll love these cupcakes. They’re the perfect blend of pumpkin and spices and the maple cream cheese frosting is the perfect amount of sweetest and maple flavor. Make them. I know you’ll love them!
Where did October go? This month seems to be out the door as quickly as it arrived. Earlier in the month we had our sweet Audrey girl’s first birthday party. The year went by so fast that it’s hard to believe that she’s a year old already. I’ve always heard the saying, “babies don’t keep”. No truer words have ever been spoken, friends. I’ve been so intentional to soak in every moment I possibly can this past year.
For her party I had a couple of different cupcakes, one being these pumpkin spice with a maple cream cheese frosting. This recipe is one that I have skipped over in Ina Garten’s cookbook – Foolproof, for years. I’m kicking myself for skipping over it for so long, because boy are they delicious!
I’ve always had great luck with Ina’s recipes, so when deciding on the menu for Audrey’s party I decided that I couldn’t wrong with these cupcakes. I’m all about pumpkin and maple flavors this time of year and these cupcakes have the perfect amount of spice and sweetness. Cake is not usually my favorite dessert, but these are an exception. After several people at her party asked for the recipe, I thought I would share it here on the blog! If you’re not a cake person either, I encourage you to try these. I think you’re going to love them.
Cream cheese frosting is a great alternative to buttercream. I’ve often found buttercream frosting to be too overly sweet for me. This maple frosting is just right. We topped our cupcakes with heath bar crumbles. They’re optional, but oh so yummy!
Ina’s recipe states that it makes 10 cupcakes. I’ve made it a couple of times now and each time it made 14 cupcakes. I was pleasantly surprised to have a couple of extras.
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes & Maple Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 Lg. eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
Maple Frosting
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
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Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and the ½ cup vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine.
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Scoop the batter into the prepared tins (I use a 2¼-inch ice cream scoop) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, spread the cupcakes with the Maple Frosting, and sprinkle with the chopped Heath bars.
Make The Frosting
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In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla on medium-low speed until very smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth.
All of the cupcakes were devoured at the party, but we loved them so much that I made another batch for a few friends and neighbors last week. They’re a quick dessert to make and easy enough that small children can help. They fit perfectly in a clear gift cellophane bag with ribbon. You can download and print my pumpkin gift tags for free HERE.
Have a great week, friends!
The recipe says 1/2 cup 1/2 cup oil. Is that a typo? I didn’t see two separate times to add oil? Is this just a typo? The cupcakes sound delicious I can’t wait to try them!
Hi Laura! Yes, it was a typo. You only need 1/2 cup of oil. ☺️ So sorry about that and I hope you enjoy them!
I have wanted to make these ever since the ‘foolproof’ book was published. I need to make them this season. The photograph with the crumbled Heath bar on top sold me. 😊
Karen B.