Pumpkin cupcakes with marshmallow frosting are the perfect addition to your fall baking list! The cupcakes are incredibly moist and packed with pumpkin spice while the marshmallow frosting is light and decadent and adds a fun twist to a classic.
My husband is not a huge pumpkin fan. However, after he tried one (more like five), of these cupcakes he was sold! We decided these will definitely make an appearance on our Thanksgiving table this year.
I baked these cupcakes as mini cupcakes, but you can also use this recipe for regular sized cupcakes or even a layer cake. You will need to simply adjust the baking time accordingly.
Ingredient Line Up
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Pumpkin pie spice – You can substitute equal parts ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and allspice.
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Pumpkin puree – Make sure you buy puree, not pumpkin pie filling!
- Large eggs
- Pure vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter
- Marshmallow fluff
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy cream or milk
Variations
I love to create recipes that can be easily altered to fit my taste and mood for the day. These cupcakes are the perfect canvas for creativity! Some fun ways to enhance and alter this recipe…
- Use my cinnamon cream cheese frosting instead of marshmallow frosting for a classic flavor combination.
- Add cinnamon streusel to the tops of your cakes for a lovely crunch! My recipe can be found with my cinnamon streusel spice cake.
- Bake this recipe as a layer cake and have fun decorating for the season! If you do bake a layer cake, then I highly recommend doubling the frosting recipe.
- Top your cakes with candied pecans for a sweet and festive crunch.
- Drizzle with caramel or salted caramel to bring these to a whole new level!
Tips for Pumpkin Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting Success
- Marshmallow fluff is extremely sticky and can cause your frosting consistency to be off! To make the frosting easier to pipe and work with, pop it in the fridge for about 20 minutes before decorating.
- Marshmallow is also very sweet. If your frosting tastes too sweet, add a pinch of salt to your frosting to cut some of the sweetness! Trust me, it works.
- Do not over mix your cake batter. In fact, I don’t even use a mixer for this cake batter!
- I use a Wilton 1A piping tip for this frosting, but any round tip will work. Due to the nature of marshmallow frosting, star tips won’t hold their shape as well.
- If your frosting is too runny, then don’t be afraid to add another cup of powdered sugar (4 total).
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cupcakes
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Marshmallow Frosting
- 7 oz marshmallow fluff
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp heavy cream or milk if needed
Instructions
Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Line a mini cupcake pan or regular cupcake pan with liners. If baking a cake, grease the pans and line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the vegetable oil, both sugars, pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet into it. Mix until just combined.
- Distribute your batter to your pans. Do not fill the cupcake pans more than 2/3 full!
- Bake cupcakes 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool in the pan 5 minutes before removing to cool completely.
Marshmallow Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter and marshmallow fluff together on high until combined.
- Add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until you've added 3 cups.
- Add in the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- If your frosting is too runny, add another cup of powdered sugar. If it is too thick, thin it with milk or heavy cream 1 tsbp at a time.
- To make decorating easier, pop the frosting in the fridge for about 10-20 minutes.
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