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Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Pumpkin pie cupcakes with a tender spiced crumb and cinnamon cream cheese frosting swirled on top. Baked in a muffin tin, then finished with caramel drizzle and mini graham crackers for an easy pie-to-cupcake dessert swap.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 360
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For cupcakes
  • 1.75 cup flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup butter softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup pumpkin
  • 0.33 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
For cream cheese frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 0.25 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
Caramel and mini graham crackers for decorating
  • 1 caramel for drizzling
  • 1 mini graham crackers for topping

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the pumpkin cupcakes
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners so the cupcakes bake evenly.
  2. Beat butter and brown sugar until smooth, then add eggs, pumpkin, sour cream, and vanilla and mix until glossy.
  3. Incorporate the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt into the wet mixture until no dry streaks remain.
  4. Divide batter into muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.
  5. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350F, until the tops spring back lightly and a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
  6. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting so the cream cheese frosting holds its shape.
Frost and decorate
  1. Beat cream cheese and softened unsalted butter until smooth, then beat in powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon until fluffy.
  2. Pipe swirls onto each cooled cupcake.
  3. Drizzle caramel over the frosted tops and finish with a mini graham cracker.

Notes

For best texture, mix the batter just until the dry ingredients disappear—overmixing can make cupcakes dense. Store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Freeze unfrosted cupcakes up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge), and then frost after thawing. For a dairy-light option, use lactose-free cream cheese and lactose-free sour cream so the frosting still whips well.