These pumpkin cupcakes are one of my most popular recipes when I take it to gatherings.  They are great for dessert but can also be good as muffins in the morning if you leave off the icing.

I have been baking for our family Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations for many years now.  I started baking these pumpkin cupcakes about 15 years ago and they are always such a hit.

I’ve found if I make mini desserts that more people eat them.  It’s easy to pop the mini cupcakes in your mouth and not feel so bad about the calories… until you realize that you’ve ate 10 of them which is way more than a whole cupcake!!!

So, sometimes I make these in mini size.  Same recipe, just decrease the cooking time.

These are light and fluffy, not dense at all like some cupcakes can be.

This recipe is easy and makes a lot of cupcakes at once.  Great to take to parties or family gatherings.

If you skip the icing, they make great muffins.

I’m not a huge pumpkin fan but I love these.  What’s your favorite pumpkin dessert?

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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

These delicious, moist cupcakes are perfect for fall.  The combination of pumpkin and cream cheese icing make for a perfect dessert.

Course Dessert

Keyword pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin desserts

Servings 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cupcakes

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon ground
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 ea eggs
• 2/3 cups oil vegetable or canola
• 15 oz. pumpkin
• 1 tsp vanilla

Cream Cheese Icing

• 8 oz. cream cheese softened
• ½ cup butter softened
• 2 to 2.5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 ½ tsp. vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Add all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

3. Combine all of the wet ingredients in a medium bowl.  Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Stir to combine but do not over mix the batter.

4. Spray 2 cupcake pans with cooking spray and fill each cup 2/3 full.

5. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Immediately place cupcakes on a cooling rack.

6. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, place the icing ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  Start with two cups of the powdered sugar.  Using a hand mixer, beat for 2-3 minutes.  If the icing is runny or you want to add more sugar for taste, add up to 1/2 more cups of powdered sugar.