Perfect Pumpkin Cupcakes are so light, soft, and packed full of pumpkin spice flavor! These cupcakes are easy and have the best maple cream cheese frosting!
Preheat your oven to 375F. Line 12 cupcakes tins with paper liners or spray them with non-stick baking spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice on low speed until it is all combined.
Next, add the softened butter and mix on medium-low speed until the butter is broken into the size of small peas— about 1 minute.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, milk, and vanilla extract until well combined.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed just until no large lumps of flour remain— about 30 seconds.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure no flour is left on the bottom of the bowl.
Divide the batter between the muffins tins, filling them up about 3/4 full.
Note: I use a 1/4 cup cookie scoop to ensure that all of the cupcakes are the same size.
Bake the cupcakes in a preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
FOR THE FROSTING:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and cream cheese until it becomes light and fluffy— about 2 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the maple syrup. Mix on low speed until the maple syrup has fully combined.
With the mixer on low, slowly add in the powdered sugar and salt. Don’t add the powdered sugar all at once or you’ll end up with a mess!
Once all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated, turn the mixer to medium-high speed and whip the icing until it becomes light and smooth— about 2 minutes.
Icing & Storage
Once the cupcakes have cooled fully, they can be iced.
I like to cut the tops off my cupcakes so they have a flat surface to ice— this is completely optional (but it means I get to eat the tops which I also love to do).
You can spread the icing over the cupcakes using an offset spatula or transfer the icing to a piping bag and pipe it onto the cupcakes.
Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Notes
If you don't have pumpkin pie spice: If you don't have pumpkin pie spice on hand, you can substitute in 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg to get the same flavor.Cream Cheese: Any type (block cream cheese or whipped) will work fine!Storage: You can refrigerate these and the frosting holds up better. Remove from the fridge a good 30 minutes before serving. Or, store on the counter in an airtight container for up to 3 days.