These are pumpkin spice cupcakes with marshmallow frosting. Top these flavorful cupcakes with thick & creamy marshmallow frosting that’s made with store-bought marshmallow creme. Pumpkin and marshmallow make a divine flavor duo that elegantly pairs spice and sweet. If desired, swap the marshmallow frosting with the salted caramel frosting used on apple cupcakes or try the cinnamon cream cheese frosting used on these banana cupcakes.
I love this pumpkin cupcakes recipe. They’re soft, lighter than today’s version, and cakey—everything you expect from a handheld cake! Today’s cupcakes are little heartier, almost like a muffin. Not a bad thing!
Tell Me About These Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting
- Texture: These are moist and soft pumpkin cupcakes with a slightly denser texture. The marshmallow frosting is fluffy, creamy, and wonderfully smooth.
- Flavor: What my team and I love most about these pumpkin cupcakes is that they aren’t overly sweet. Oftentimes we find that pumpkin desserts are stripped from their deep, complex pumpkin flavor because they are weighed down with too much sugar. Not here because you get the sweetness you need in the marshmallow frosting.
- Ease: These pumpkin cupcakes with marshmallow frosting sound complex but the recipe is pretty straightforward using common baking ingredients. Decorate however you’d like with a knife or piping tip..
Choosing the Right Ingredients
- Brown Sugar: Only 2/3 cup of brown sugar sweetens this batch of cupcakes (brown sugar for a touch of molasses flavor, of course), so the pumpkin and robust spices can really stand out. Typical cupcake recipes with the same yield call for 1 or more cups of sugar.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can purchase pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle or use this homemade pumpkin pie spice blend. If you have individual spices, use ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice. See recipe Note for details.
- Heavy Cream: I recommend heavy cream over milk or half-and-half in the marshmallow frosting to obtain the creamiest texture and richest taste.
By the way, if you love marshmallow flavor, you could easily swap out this frosting with homemade marshmallow meringue frosting. It’s like marshmallow creme, but can be piped onto cakes and cupcakes.
And if you ever need extra advice or guidance when it comes to cupcake baking, here’s my Tips for Baking the Best Cupcakes page.
You could even swap the marshmallow frosting for the same cinnamon swirl frosting used on these snickerdoodle cupcakes. Salted caramel frosting would be excellent as well. Garnish with a pumpkin candy to make a festive treat:
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with non-stick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the brown sugar and eggs together until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin, oil, milk, and vanilla until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do NOT overmix the batter.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake cups. Fill only about 1/2 – 2/3 full. If you have extra batter for 1-2 cupcakes, bake a 2nd batch. Bake for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, marshmallow creme, vanilla, and cream on medium speed until completely smooth. Add 2 cups confectioners’ sugar and the salt slowly with the mixer running on low, then increase the speed to high and beat for 1 minute. If it looks too thin, add 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar. Frost cooled cupcakes however you’d like. I used a Wilton #12 piping tip.
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