Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

When I was a young adult, I was all about Summer. I loved the warm weather, long days at the pool with friends, late night sno-cones, and all the freedom that seems to come with long Summer nights. But with age comes wisdom, and I have determined that Fall is where it's at.

When you think Fall, you think food. Cinnamon flavored, pumpkin-y treats enjoyed indoors after a walk in the crisp air. If said crisp air smells like a backyard bonfire, all the better, am I right? It always puts me in the mood to bake!

I love baking all kinds of pumpkin treats in the Fall, but cupcakes always have my heart, and these pumpkin cupcakes are absolutely perfect.

These cupcakes make good use of a cake mix. I love homemade cupcakes as much as the next person (if we are being honest, I love all cupcakes -- store bought, from scratch, I don't even care), but it's nice to have a quick and easy recipe in your repertoire. Honestly, no one will even know you used a mix, unless you tell them. Which I probably would, but I'd blurt it out awkwardly and at random because social situations are not my forte. And by not my forte, I mean I should probably stay away from crowds at all times. Stephie wrote a cool homemade yellow cake mix recipe though, so if you've made that in advance, you can use that too.

Most recipes for pumpkin cupcakes using a cake mix use spice cake mix, but I opted for yellow mix with this recipe. A dash of cinnamon adds a hint of spice, but the yellow mix really lets the pumpkin flavor shine through. The pumpkin and sour cream keep them moist and fluffy. These are truly the perfect pumpkin cupcake!

Enjoy! And save five for me!

If you're feeling all the fall flavors of these pumpkin cupcakes, we know you'd just love Kristan's apple pie cupcakes too!

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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

• 3 1/2 cups homemade yellow cake mix, or 1 18 ounce box yellow cake mix
• 1 15 ounce can pumpkin
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Frosting:

• 2 sticks salted butter, slightly softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, slightly softened
• 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 7 cups powdered sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons milk, if needed
• cinnamon, for dusting

Directions

For the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
2. In the bowl of your mixer, beat cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, water, sour cream, and cinnamon on low speed for 30 seconds.
3. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Fill each tin 2/3 full with batter and bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched in the center.
4. Remove from oven and let cool completely on wire racks.

 

For the Frosting:

1. In the bowl of your mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, and vanilla on medium speed until smooth.
2. With the mixer on LOW speed, slowly add powdered sugar, beating until just barely mixed in.
3. Once combined, increase speed to high and beat for one minute.
4. If frosting is too thick, add milk, one tablespoon at a time until spreadable consistency is reached.
5. Generously frost cupcakes then dust lightly with cinnamon.

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