Sweet Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These delicious cupcakes are a nice alternative to traditional pumpkin spice muffins and have a much sweeter, lighter pumpkin flavor. They are made with a yellow cake mix and have a nice fluffy texture. Topped with cream cheese frosting and served cold, they are a wonderful fall treat!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Calories: 212 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup water
• 1 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• 1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin puree

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease or line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

Step 2

Beat cake mix, eggs, water, and canola oil together in a bowl using a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add pumpkin and beat until batter is smooth; pour into prepared muffin cups.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Place cupcakes on a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 4

Beat cream cheese and butter together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth; add vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Beat confectioners' sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, into cream cheese mixture until frosting is smooth and creamy. Refrigerate frosting until chilled, at least 30 minutes.

Step 5

Spread frosting onto cupcakes and refrigerate frosted cupcakes until chilled, at least 1 hour.