Hidden Springs Homestead may earn a commission for purchases made after clicking links on this page. Learn More.
Are you looking for the perfect autumn dessert? Look no further than these 7 irresistible recipes for pumpkin cupcakes. Full of pumpkin flavor, they’ll make your house smell like fall while baking and satisfy any sweet tooth!
These easy recipes make for deliciously soft and moist cupcakes. From Caramel Filled Pumpkin Spice to Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cupcakes, whichever you choose, your family will devour.
If you are looking for a new fall Thanksgiving dessert idea, you are in the right place. These recipes come together quickly, and if you are stocked up on pumpkin puree, you’ll likely have everything you need in the cupboard.
These cupcakes can be made with canned pumpkin, or if you prefer to cook from scratch, you can use homemade pumpkin puree instead. Either way, they will be filled with tons of flavor I’m sure you’ll love!
Either way, they are fabulous as fall Thanksgiving desserts or treats! But before we get into the recipes, I’m sure you’ll find these FAQs helpful.
What are cupcakes?
Before we get into the recipes, let’s get down to the basics. I’m sure you’ve eaten cupcakes in your lifetime, but have you stopped to think about what they are?
Cupcakes are miniature, individual cakes most often baked in a cup or muffin pan lined with a paper liner. They can be flavored to any flavor, but the most popular flavors are peanut butter, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and carrot cake.
How Do You Bake Moist Cupcakes?
Ingredients, pure and simple, come down to ingredients, with butter being the first. Baking with real butter, not margarine or a vegetable shortening, will bake moist cupcakes every time.
Another critical ingredient is eggs. Anytime you are baking cupcakes or even cakes, you should use two eggs. Eggs provide structure, richness, and color to baked cupcakes or all baked goods.
Other Secrets to baking Cupcakes
Use sour cream
Many recipes call for either milk or water, but you can replace either of these with sour cream and create a moist cupcake.
The substitution can be done in a 1:1 for whole milk. For example, if your recipe calls for 1 cup of whole milk, substitute it with 1 cup of sour cream.
Use Applesauce instead of Oil
Not only will adding applesauce to your cupcake recipe make it even moister, but it will also add additional flavor. You can substitute half the butter or oil with applesauce. It’s not recommended to do more than half, though. Doing so will cause your cupcakes to be dense and heavy.
The substitution for applesauce for oil is one-to-one. For example, if a recipe calls for ½ cup of oil, substitute it with ½ cup of applesauce. Not only will it be moister, but it will also be healthier.
Cake Flour
Cake flour is lighter flour than regular baking flour. It’s also lower in gluten which results in a moister cupcake.
You can replace part or all the flour in a cupcake recipe with cake flour and produce a lovely cupcake. The substitution for cake flour and regular baking flour is 1:1.
Use Brown Sugar
White sugar is the common sweetener called for in cake recipes. But, using brown sugar will increase moisture levels.
Brown sugar is made with molasses. It’s a thick, rich sweetener denser than white sugar and will add additional moisture to your recipes. It will cause the cupcake batter to be a bit darker than white sugar, but the trade-off may be worth it. The brown sugar substitution ratio is 1:1 as well.
How Long Can Cupcakes Stay Fresh?
The standard recommendation is to store cupcakes on the counter. But there are some exceptions to this. First, there’s nothing wrong with keeping them on the counter, but they will stay fresh for less time, usually about 2-5 days before they turn stale.
This time will also depend on the type of cupcake as well. If they are frosted or have a cream cheese filling, these will last only about 2-3 days.
If you should need to store them for a longer period, I’d recommend keeping them in the freezer. They will keep for about six months without losing texture.
I didn’t mention keeping them in the refrigerator since the fridge is known to dry out foods. I’d choose the freezer over the fridge.
Whichever way you store them, keep them sealed in an airtight container.
How Do You Know When Cupcakes Have Gone Bad?
As I mentioned already, cupcakes will stay fresh for about a week. But they do go bad.
First, they will become stale or hard with dried-out textures. It can get watery and slimy if filled with a cream or fruit filling. Either way, I’d not trust eating them at this point.
Some other indications are:
- Mold – If you see any signs of mold, toss them into the compost.
- Hard Texture – After a while, cakes do dry out. It will become dry and crumbly. At this point, I don’t recommend eating it.
- Liquid on The Bottom – This can happen when a cupcake is topped with frosting, buttercream, or another icing or filling. The eggs and butter begin to break down from improper storage, and they will seep to the bottom. It will be slightly wet on the bottom when you pick one up. I’d not eat these either.
7 Delicious Recipes for Making Pumpkin Cupcakes
7 Delightful Recipes for Pumpkin Cupcakes
Use this list of recipes for pumpkin cupcakes to find your new family's favorite fall dessert ideas! This list has various decadent choices like cream cheese frosting, pumpkin spice, raisins, caramel, honey, and more!
Soft and fluffy honey pumpkin cupcakes topped with whipped cream cheese frosting.
These vegan pumpkin cupcakes are fluffy, moist, and bursting with fall flavors. They are topped with dairy-free cream cheese and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are quick and easy to make from scratch. This fall dessert has all the pumpkin pie spices!
These pumpkin-spiced carrot cupcakes are full of plump, rum-soaked raisins and topped with a dreamy salted caramel cream cheese frosting!
These caramel-filled pumpkin spice cupcakes are the perfect fall dessert that you deserve to have in your life.
These pumpkin cupcakes with a pumpkin buttercream frosting are moist and delicious!
These Pumpkin Molasses Cupcakes are the perfect blend of warm spices, creamy pumpkin puree, and spicy molasses, which makes a perfect fall treat.
Even More Fall Recipes:
- 150+ Impeccably Easy Pumpkin Desserts That Are Perfect for Fall
- 25 Easy Pumpkin Cake Recipes You’ll Love
- 11 Easy Recipes for Pumpkin Cheesecake- Delicious!
- 6 Pumpkin Muffin Recipes
- 20 Easy & Delicious Pumpkin Bread Recipes
- 11 Delightful Recipes for Pumpkin Pudding – You’ll Have To Try!
- 8 Amazing Homemade Recipes For Pumpkin Ice Cream
- How To Make A Juicy Turkey
- 10 Easy Pumpkin Bar Recipes for the Fall Season
- 17 Best Recipes for Pumpkin Pie
- 21 Recipes for Pumpkin Cookies
- 13 Easy & Delicious Pumpkin Roll Recipes
Connect with Hidden Springs Homestead!
Be sure to follow me on social media so you never miss a post!
Dianne Hadorn is the owner of Hidden Springs Homestead, nestled in the hills of East Tennessee. A Master Gardener and lifelong homesteader, she teaches families how to grow real food, preserve it with confidence, and depend less on the grocery store. Through her practical, down-to-earth approach, Dianne has become a trusted source for beginners who want to build a sustainable lifestyle and fill their pantries with food they’ve grown themselves.