I'm aware that the food world has no shortage of pumpkin cupcake recipes, but I'm sharing this one anyway. It's my favorite because it doesn't err on the "muffiny" side. It is truly a pumpkin cupcake, and I cannot recommend them enough. Make them! Need some convincing?
- Sour cream. It does magical things to cake batter. Any cupcake with sour cream as an ingredient is my favorite cupcake, and this one has it.
- Brown butter is pretty amazing in anything, but mix it up with pumpkin and spices... swoon.
- You won't even have to break out the electric mixer for the cake batter. If you have a whisk, a large bowl and a spoon - you're good to go.
- Cooked cinnamon frosting. From the Red Hook guys, no less.
And what about those postage stamp cupcake banners? My intentions were to fill this post with fall reminders (leaves, pine cones, & gourds) but the muse led elsewhere.
Elsewhere just happened to be in a bag of international postage stamps.
Used international postage stamps can be purchased inexpensively at bookstores. They usually hang out in the collectibles section with the coin portfolios, and come in a bag of 300 for about six dollars. If you can't find them at a bookstore, there are plenty to be had on Etsy for just a few dollars. I think they are so beautiful! The bags are full of duplicates so you won't mind using a few for crafting purposes. Cut a triangle-shaped notch from the end of two stamps that are attached (or one large one) and glue it to a toothpick. Easy!
Pumpkin Brown Butter Cupcakes
with Cinnamon Frosting
Yield: About 24
cupcakes [click for printable version]
Cake:
¾ cup unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. allspice
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
3 large eggs
½ cup sour cream
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with papers.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns golden brown. Pour the browned butter into a small bowl and let stand until cool but not solidified.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt and allspice. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk 1 ½ cups of pumpkin puree with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and sour cream until well combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Whisk in the browned butter until well blended.
- Divide batter between cupcake liners. Fill them about half full.
- Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes, or until they spring back when pressed in the middle.
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the milk and heavy cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter; beat until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and cinnamon and continue mixing until combined. If the frosting is too soft, transfer the bowl to the refrigerator to chill slightly, and then beat again until it is the proper consistency. If the frosting is too firm, place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until it is the proper consistency.
I'm going to say this entire recipe makes me swoon...although you're right, brown butter anything wins every time!
ReplyDeleteoh my does THIS sound so good...anything w/ brown butter and frosting all in the same line....umm ya, winner
ReplyDeleteLooooove... I think I need to make these this weekend... and the toppers are darling!
ReplyDeleteEverything about these I.LOVE. Especially that they are truly a cupcake, none of this muffiny stuff, I want a legit cupcake!
ReplyDeleteohhhh heather these look amaaaaazing!!!! i haven't been able to decide on which pumpkin cupcake to make (there are so many) & this looks just perfect! not to mention, the stamp toppers are ridiculously cute & such a great idea! thanks!!
ReplyDeleteThese look AMAZING!!!! Mine will probably not turn out to be as photogenic :)
ReplyDeleteYou had me at brown butter.
ReplyDeleteReally tho - can you please gush some more about that frosting? It sounds fab. I've wanted to try a cooked-flour-&-milk frosting again but didn't think it lasted over night and hadn't seen one that looked "pipeable". More info please!
I thought I was satisfied with my pumpkin cupcake recipe...until I saw these. My "cupcakes" do lean on the muffin-y side. I'll have to try these out :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous cupcakes! They are so pretty and tempting.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Rosa
Ohhhh la la.. I was about to go hunting for a fabulous pumpkin recipe.. Now I'm set!! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYUM!!!! And wow at your photos. You get better and better :) The girls said... "Oh Man!" When they heard about these cupcakes.
ReplyDeleteLove Ya
Seguro que son deliciosos, esa rica magdalena especiada y la crema combinan de maravilla.
ReplyDeleteUn beso,
How do you think this cake would be as an 8' round? Any tips?
ReplyDeletelegally baked - maybe the term I should have used is "cooked" frosting. Some people refer to the egg whites/7 minute frosting as boiled frosting. This frosting is boiled, but it is definitely stable at room temperature. Mine are still perfect after 2 days. It is really good and silky like Swiss buttercream, and it does not "crust" like the powdered sugar buttercream.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - you could probably get two 8" rounds out of this batter. The original recipe was for cake layers instead of cupcakes. You'd need to increase the bake time to 40-45 minutes. It is definitely sweet like a cake.
OOO la la yummy!
ReplyDeleteThese sound yummy! I am going to make them for a Halloween dessert table!
ReplyDeleteYou had me at cooked cinnamon frosting. There's something magical about a cooked frosting, especially one with cinnamon!
ReplyDeleteI just really think these need to happen in my kitchen immediately.
ReplyDeleteI love that you made flags out of stamps. You've got serious skillz.
freaking amazing! I think sour cream is a magical ingredient too!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! The cooked frosting is reminiscent of one my Grandmother used for Red Velvet Cake many years ago. This is another great choice for Thanksgiving dessert.
ReplyDeleteThose look gorgeous. Bookmarking this for some weekend baking.
ReplyDeleteOooh lovely, sounds like just what I need for breakfast right now ;) Thanks for the frosting recipe, I'm gonna try that one.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right that SO many pumpkin cupcake recipes are actually muffins! And I LOVE the stamp idea. Just added it to my cupcake board on Pinterest. :)
ReplyDeleteYou had me at pumpkin and brown butter. But throw in some frosting from the Baked guys??? Oh yeah, baby!!
ReplyDeleteWhat tip do you use to pipe?
ReplyDeleteWow. These are simply beautiful. I'm hosting a pre-Thanksgiving dinner in about a month...this might just be my dessert of choice to serve!
ReplyDeleteI was just searching for a pumpkin cake recipe. Hoping this should work for a cake. Going to try it today.
ReplyDelete@Anony - I used a large open star tip.
ReplyDeleteHow do you get your frosting so perfectly piped? I've tried doing it with my cupcakes, but it never ends up looking very good. What tip do you use?
ReplyDeleteDoh, I didn't even see that you already posted that!
ReplyDeleteThat's okay Lissa - this is how I pipe - and you can tell on the cupcake with the green flag.
ReplyDeleteI pipe one circle of frosting on the cupcake top and then pipe a second "tier" on top of that - it is a slightly smaller cirlce - and I move the bag in circular motion as I pipe it closed and pull the piping bag strait up.
That might sound confusing. I really should make a video.
I have to try this... absolutely!!! :D hugs, Flavia
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so happy I found your blog... so inspiring.
ReplyDeleteThose sound fantastic. I'm so trying them!!
ReplyDeleteSo excited to try this and very happy that it does not err on the *muffiny* side. Looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteDo we get to find out who won the stand mixer contest? :)
ReplyDeleteYou can find it here on my Facebook page.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/SprinkleBakes/posts/206810936056277
Heather,
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for a pumpkin based cake that can be used under fondant (non-stacked). Is this batter dense enough to support fondant? Would it cook well as a cake instead of cupcakes?
Your creations are always so innovative and beautiful!
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie!
ReplyDeleteThis was once a cake recipe that I made into cupcakes- so yes, it can be baked as a cake. You'll get two 8" layers from this recipe.
Increase the bake time to 40-50 minutes.
Thank you for the kindness :) xoxo
Heather, I love the stamps, what a great idea! The cupcakes sound delicious, especially with that cinnamon frosting! So pretty!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this! I've been wanting to make pumpkin cupcakes but every time I saw one or tasted one it did taste more like a muffin. Totally trying these! :)
ReplyDeleteMm. I love the taste of brown sugar, but I've never had it in frostng form. And it sounds perfect with the pumpkin cupcakes. Also, I like the little postage stamp flags, they are so adorable and creative :)
ReplyDeleteA video would be awesome! I love baking more upscale desserts that look professional and so I'm learning more about how to ice cakes and decorate cookies and things like that. Presentation is everything ;) Thank you for the tips!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on so many things! Sour cream really does transform cakey baked goods. I will never not use it again. And browned butter... just fantastic. Those postage stamps make adorable flags! Thanks for the tip on where to get them!
ReplyDeleteThose look gorgeous. I love that they are true cupcakes of the non-muffiny variety!
ReplyDeleteOh I needed a pumpkin cake recipe for Halloween. Will it work on a larger cake scale?
ReplyDeleteThese look so beautiful, and the flavors all work together for a perfect fall indulgence:) I love your little postage stamp banners...to use stamps for such a thing would never enter my mind!
ReplyDeleteEstaba esperando una buena receta de cupcakes de calabaza con un frosting espectacular y en tu receta encuentro todo lo que busco. Gracias.
ReplyDeleteThat is just delicious & those postage stamps are an amazing idea. But, what I fell completely in love with is that wire stand...
ReplyDeleteI'll probably dream about these tonight. :)
ReplyDeleteLove that cinnamon frosting!
omg those stamp flags are so cute ! and this pumpkin recipe is a dream. now only if the weather could drop below 65 degrees, i could fully appreciate it....
ReplyDeleteps, http://amandamantes.blogspot.com !
These look beautiful! They sound super tasty too. Yum!
ReplyDeleteBrown butter with the sweetness of cupcakes. Going straight to Pinterest. What's your secret to get the piping of the frosting so perfectly coiffed?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful!, the perfect fall cupcake. Pumpkin just makes everything such a pretty color, and tasty too!
ReplyDeleteMade and eaten (well, one anyway... they're for this weekend). Delish!
ReplyDeleteThese are absolutely beautiful!! And I LOVE that cake stand :)
ReplyDeleteSues
Loooove the stamps!! You come up with the most creative stuff ever. Seriously. How did you even know about the stamp thing?
ReplyDeleteThe cupcakes sound like perfection. All the good things of the land mixed into a cupcake. I'll take twelve!!
Mmmm it must smell heavenly at your place. I love the look of those luscious cupcakes on your wire pedestal, and the cool stamp toppers had me wishing for one to arrive in my mailbox! xo ~Lili
ReplyDeleteHeather these cupcakes look delicious! I love your addition of the sour cream and brown butter. Your stamp flag toppers are really creative and unique. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI've been burned by cooked frostings before, but I'll give this one a try.
ReplyDeleteThis. Is. Amazing. Just made this and now I have a new favorite cake. Worked well as an 8'round. Too bad I have to share it with my family ;0)
ReplyDeletesounds fab! Making this tomorrow, thanks so much for posting, love your photography, I want to lick the screen!
ReplyDeleteI made this tonight as a double layered cake instead and it was SO delicious! Perfect for autumn's chilly weather and a nice change from banana/zucchini breads. I would say there is waaay too much butter in the frosting though (3 sticks?!). I will reduce it next time. Thanks for the great recipe though!
ReplyDeleteYour pumpkin butter cupcakes look absolutely decadent. I mean wow.. I definitely have to try this out
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy you posted this because I welcome any pumpkin recipes! These sound fabulous and any cake recipe that is so easy and delicious is a definite win!
ReplyDeleteWonderful recipe and those international postage stamp decorations are perfect!
ReplyDeleteI came for the recipe and was surprised with the postage stamp decorations! I work in a Philatelists (Study of stamps) office, he would LOVE these!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis look and sound sinfully delicious. I love the postage stamp flags. What a wonderfully creative idea.
ReplyDeleteThese look so delicious! I love the stamp banners. I actually collect stamps so I can't seem to part with any of them.
ReplyDeletei love your blog so much.
ReplyDeleteand these cupcakes look so moist and delicious... and you decorated them so well! i don't have enough good things to say. :)
I just discovered your blog and am in love! I made these cupcakes tonight and they came out delicious!
ReplyDelete-Diana
I love cupcakes and I love pumpkin. I have to try these!
ReplyDeleteWow that frosting looks seriously to-die for!
ReplyDeleteohh heather sorry i've been absent :-(
ReplyDeletethese look divine.
love my baked boys.
i need to get with the pumpkin baking.
hope all is well with you
Your photos are INCREDIBLE! What camera/ lens are you using? I'm in awe!
ReplyDeleteI love the frosting recipe.
ReplyDeleteI just found out about your blog and i've fallen in love with it!!! It's marvellous!
ReplyDeleteBRAVA!!!
xoxo Titti
I've got the baking itch, and I think I've found my scratch! lol I'm baking these bad boys tonight! :) I LOVE your recipes Heather!! Fabulous job!
ReplyDeletetwo (serious) thumbs up!! i had some issues with thickening up the icing though...i put it in the fridge and everything...yours are beautiful(envy)!
ReplyDeleteI made these and they were delish! Great recipe. But I agree with "M" that the frosting was extremely buttery. Can I just reduce the amount of butter I put in or does the whole frosting recipe need to change? I would really appreciate the advice because the frosting was amazing! I was in frosting heavn! And would love to use it over and over again! :)
ReplyDeleteYUM! I shared the recipe on my blog today :)
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.shopdirtylaundry.com/posts/2011/10/28/35-the-dirty.html
So good! Thank you for your inspiration! I'm hoping to get my photography up to your level one of these days!
ReplyDeletehttp://flic.kr/p/azMrDM
I made these for a birthday bbq yesterday and they were a HUGE hit. My boyfriend is hoarding the rest of the frosting for anything he can smear it on! Another success thanks to you!! Can't wait for the book - everyone knows it is already on my xmas list.
ReplyDeleteWonderful recipe! I've just made the cupcakes and now I'm on to the frosting, but I just want to make sure what kind of sugar to use. Confectioner's right?
ReplyDeleteoh, never mind... I figured it out!
ReplyDeleteHi! I really love this recipe and I definitively going to make it for Thanksgiving! I was considering to use edible autumn leafs as decoration, but I cannot find any how-to that can help, by any chance do you have a recipe that can help me? Otherwise I'll have to buy them http://www.etsy.com/listing/62614593/edible-fall-leaves-1-dozen-cake-cupcake :(
ReplyDeleteWOW! This is FABULOUS! Thanks so much for the recipe & your pictures are so YUMMY! My whole family is going to love this, especially my 7yr old son who is in love with pumpkin anything, his Birthday just happens to be on Halloween and instead of baking him a cake, he asked for a pumpkin pie instead, so he'll be very happy with this cupcake recipe :) & thanks for the tip on where to get international stamps, I'll be looking for them.
ReplyDeleteI have to try these...I LOVE pumpkin!! I can't wait!!
ReplyDeleteThe toothpick idea is fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI made these and they are amazingly good! Thank you so much for all the tips.
ReplyDeleteI made these for a Halloween dessert table at my work and they went over AMAZINGLY!! I've already been asked by 2 separate people to make more for other events. I didn't use the frosting listed above though, I subbed in a Cinnamon Cream Cheese frosting.
ReplyDeleteGreat recipe!
hi i cannot wait to make these. they are beautiful. what did you sprinkle on top of the frosting?
ReplyDeleteYou seem to know alot about everything....I need some help
ReplyDeleteMy husband wants me to make him a from scratch a home made Red Velvet cake..along withe the home made frosting...and im no Betty Crocker...lol...if you can...help...my e.mail addy is
Tazz2374@yahoo.com
Thanx
Taz
I just made these for an event I'm going to this week and they came out devine!! The perfect amount of pumpkin and spice. It's like eating a slice of pumpkin pie but in cupcake form!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting!
so these cupcakes are MY FAVORITE! I've made them twice and they are a huge hit! However, I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong on the frosting. It ends up not thickening up and when I put it in the fridge to firm up a bit and turns the frosting into something that looks like watered down cottage cheese, it all just separates. what in the word am i doing wrong here?
ReplyDeleteI love all things pumpkin, so mom and I will have to give this and your other pumpkiny recipes a try soon! I get her to make me far too many pumpkin pies, I need some variety. :)
ReplyDeleteThe pumpkin brown butter cupcakes are fantastic! They are very moist, flavorful, and taste like Fall. Definitely one of my new favorites. However, the frosting was disgusting (I'm sorry, I don't intended for this to be mean). I know that everyone likes their frosting different, so I want people to understand that this frosting tastes like you are eating a stick of butter with cinnamon sprinkled on top. I wish I wouldn't have wasted the time or ingredients because that stuff went straight to the trash. Luckily I found another recipe and was able to whip that up to use instead.
ReplyDeleteAgain, the cupcakes are fantastic and I can't wait to make that recipe again.
I'll admit your frosting review makes me a little sad, because If I were of the same opinion I would have never posted here. I really like it!
ReplyDeleteSo.
I usually point people in the direction of my friend's German buttercream when I get an "overly buttery" complaint with frosting. It's a great little recipe.
http://bravetart.com/recipes/GermanButtercream
I'm glad you liked the cupcakes and appreciate your honest review.
xo
H
I made a dozen of these this past weekend to bring with me when I visited family out of town and they were a HUGE hit! I'm totally in love with them! And I followed the recipe exactly. I'm now making another batch to bring to work with me, because after describing them my co-workers just had to try them! i'll be making them for Thanksgiving and Halloween too! These are my absolute FAVORITE fall cupcakes! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI take that back... I made one little change, as I'm not a fan of Ginger, I used Nutmeg instead! YUM!
ReplyDeleteOh Heather... I don't know you, but whenever I see an unsparkly review I just want to hug you. **Hugs** I made these cupcakes yesterday and they are perfect! They are truly Autumn in fluffy cupcake form. :o) I wanted a pumpkin cupcake recipe and came straight to your blog, knowing it would be guaranteed success. My entire family loved them and my mom's coworkers are currently enjoying them as a Saturday surprise. :o) My sweetheart and I are not fans of buttercream in general, so I paired it with my favorite cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Thank you for your always-reliable recipes! :o)
ReplyDeleteHugs and blessings!
I made the cupcakes and the frosting tonight and Oh my goodness these are TO DIE FOR! The frosting is phenomenal although I did sneak in some vanilla bean instead of extract but holy cow that was AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteThis recipe was so delicious. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI made this recipe yesterday for a party, and all of the cupcakes were gobbled up within an hour. Such a hit. They were so moist and soft. The perfect amount of spices. I didn't have any sour cream, so I substituted vanilla greek yogurt and it really worked. Thanks again for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Heather and I love dessert too! I found this recipe last year and was very excited to try it, as I LOVE pumpkin anything. They were such a hit I made 4 dozen for Thanksgiving and they were quickly disappeared. I'll be making them again this year! Thank you so much for this!
ReplyDeleteMade this as a cake instead of cupcakes and it is wonderful! I used a 9x13 pan and baked it at 350 for about 50 minutes, just in case anyone wantsto know. The cake is so moist and fluffy! You have my undying affection Heather. :)
ReplyDeleteTo all the frosting detractors...I boiled the milk and flour and then I added the butter and it was a liquidy mess...I put it in the fridge and it did start to seperate a bit. I took it out and just used the mixer to beat it untill it was fluffy...I loved it!!! I did not find it to be too buterry at all...it was great!!!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I made two round layers. Froze my layers, brushed them with a little mix of cognac, water and sugar and used the frosting to fill/frost.
I will serve it tomorrow! Hoping for the best, but really not worried! :)
Hello.
ReplyDeleteCan you please specify if the heavy cream used in all your recipes is heavy whipping cream or not? it's always too confusing for me and I don't seem to find heavy cream (other than whipping) where I live.
Thank you.
Hello.
ReplyDeleteCan you please specify if the heavy cream used in all your recipes is heavy whipping cream or not? it's always too confusing for me and I don't seem to find heavy cream (other than whipping) where I live.
Thank you.
The heavy cream I use in all my recipes is heavy whipping cream.
ReplyDeleteHoly moly these are AMAZING! I made them last night and these puppies are all cupcake! It was my first attempt at brown butter so I'm pretty excited I didn't blow anything up :)
ReplyDeleteErica
I made them this weekend! :) They came out awesome! Delicious cupcakes and thanks for the frosting recipe
ReplyDeleteCooked frosting sound really interesting, I've never tried it.
ReplyDeleteI've featured this recipe on my blog, hoping that you don't mind, but if you do, please contact me and I'll remove it. All the best.
I've made this before and it's wonderful. And I made pumpkin cookies and used this frosting. I made whoopie pies using 2 cookies with the frosting between for a bake sale and I keep getting requests to make them again. I was wondering if you could make this frosting using another flavor than cinnamon, like lemon or orange extract? How much would you use?
ReplyDeleteHi Jo Ann!
DeleteI'm so glad you've found this recipe useful. I'd beat in 1 teaspoon citrus extract and then taste-test. Ususally, if the extract is high quality with pure citrus oil, 1 teaspoon will be enough. If you find the flavor lacking, add additional extract 1/4 teaspoon at a time until the flavor is just right.