Cinderella’s Pumpkin Cupcakes

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Bring a touch of magic to your fall baking with these whimsical Cinderella Pumpkin Cupcakes. Inspired by the classic fairytale, these cupcakes feature the best flavors of fall wrapped up in an enchanting dessert. With their tender, spiced pumpkin base and delightful vanilla buttercream frosting piped to look like fairytale pumpkins, these Cinderella themed cupcakes are perfect for celebrating the beauty of autumn or hosting a fairytale-themed gathering.

Why You’ll Love Cinderella’s Pumpkin Cupcakes:

Cinderella’s Pumpkin Cupcakes are as charming as they are delicious. The fluffy, moist pumpkin cake is infused with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. They are topped with a silky vanilla buttercream frosting, decorated to look like little whimsical pumpkins. Whether you're making these for a fall party, a Halloween event, or just for fun, these cupcakes bring a touch of fairytale magic to any occasion.

Perfect for a Fairytale Party:

Ideal for both kids and adults, these Cinderella Pumpkin Cupcakes are perfect for a variety of occasions—from a princess birthday to fall gatherings to fairytale-themed parties. With their whimsical design and irresistible flavor, they’ll charm anyone who takes a bite.

Gathering Ingredients:

• Flour. All-purpose flour works best for this recipe as the cake is very soft and moist on its own!

• Sugar.

• Leaveners. You will need both baking powder and baking soda.

• Salt.

• Spices. You will need pumpkin pie spice and a little extra kick of ground ginger.

• Butter. Make sure that your butter is at room temperature, or around 62° F (16° C).

• Eggs. Bring your eggs to room temperature, too!

• Oil. Any neutral oil for baking can be used such as vegetable, canola, sunflower, or avocado oil.

• Pumpkin Puree. Make sure that you use 100% pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling, as this has added sugar and other ingredients that you do not need in this recipe.

• Buttermilk. Bring your buttermilk to room temperature.

• Vanilla. For the frosting, you will need vanilla bean paste or 1 whole vanilla bean.

How to Make Cinderella’s Pumpkin Cupcakes:

Step One: In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of an electric standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and ginger.

Step Two: Next, add the butter pieces. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat in the butter until the mixture becomes sandy looking, with the butter forming small clumps, about 5 minutes. Next, add the eggs and beat another 2 minutes or until the butter is no longer in large clumps.

Step Three: To the bowl, add the oil, pumpkin, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix the batter together until the ingredients are no longer separated, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in any separated ingredients.

Step Four: Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full. Bake the cupcakes for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool fully on a wire cooling rack before decorating.

How to Decorate the Pumpkin Cupcakes:

Step One: In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, cream the butter until it has become light in color and it has increased its volume by nearly half, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Step Two: Add the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, heavy cream, and salt. Beat the ingredients together for about 6 to 8 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. The buttercream is finished when its volume has increased and is similar to the texture of shaving cream. It should be super soft and pipable, spreading easily without much force. At this point, add any food coloring if desired.

Step Three: Divide the buttercream to make the different colors. You will only need about 1/4 cup (60 ml) total of frosting for both the green vines and brown tops. The rest, you should color orange to make the pumpkins. Use the gel food coloring to color your frosting to your liking. Transfer the different colored buttercreams to piping bags fitted with a large round tip, tiny round tip, and small French star tip. Keep the buttercream at room temperature (ideally 70° F) until ready to decorate.

Step Four: Begin by piping 8 small green leaves around the edge of a cupcake.

Step Five: Then, with the orange buttercream, pipe 6 to 8 logs that all meet at the center of the cupcake. This will be the "pumpkin ridges."

Step Six: Finish with some curly green vines falling down the edges, and then a little brown stem in the top center. Repeat with each cupcake until they are all decorated.

Tips for Baking and Decorating:

• Weigh Your Ingredients. To ensure that the cupcakes turn out as best as they can, try using a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients. This will help immensely from baking cupcakes that are too moist or too dense, or whipping up buttercream that is too stiff!

• Reverse Creaming the Batter. This batter is reverse creamed, which creates a slightly denser cake - which is perfect for this super moist batter! You will want to make sure that your butter is softened before mixing the batter or else the reverse creaming process will be harder to accomplish. Beat in the butter to the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like fine sand.

• Get the Perfect Pumpkin Spice Balance: The blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves gives these cupcakes their signature fall flavor. If you love more spice, add a pinch of ginger or allspice for extra warmth. You can also use pumpkin pie spice as suggested!

• Make Them Extra Moist: Using pumpkin puree keeps these cupcakes soft and moist. Be sure to use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, to control the sweetness and spice levels.

Serving Suggestions for a Princess Party:

To create a magical presentation, serve your Cinderella Pumpkin Cupcakes on a cake stand adorned with fall foliage, mini pumpkins, or fairy lights. They’ll look especially enchanting on a dessert table for a princess party with a beautiful lace or sheer table cloth. You can also add a dusting of edible glitter to give them an extra sparkle.

Final Thoughts:

I just love Cinderella’s Pumpkin Cupcakes! This easy fall dessert combines the heartwarming flavors of fall with the magic of a beloved fairytale. Whether you’re baking them for a special celebration or simply want to enjoy a touch of enchantment in your every day festivities, these cupcakes are sure to captivate your heart. With their pumpkin spice base and charming pumpkin decorations, they’ll quickly become a favorite fall dessert for fairytale fans and pumpkin lovers alike. Bake a batch, and let Cinderella’s magic sparkle in every bite!

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Yield: 12

Author: Kayla Lobermeier

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Cinderella's Pumpkin Cupcakes

Inspired by the classic fairytale, these cupcakes feature all the best flavors of fall wrapped up in an enchanting dessert. With their tender, spiced pumpkin base and delightful buttercream frosting, these cupcakes are perfect for celebrating the beauty of autumn or hosting a fairytale-themed gathering.

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 H & 45 M

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cupcakes:

• 1 2/3 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 cup (87 g) salted butter, softened and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
• 8 oz (226 g) pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 cup (232 g) salted butter, softened to 62° F (16° C)
• 8 cups (920 g) powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 to 6 tbsp (60 to 90 ml) heavy cream
• Pinch of flaky sea salt, optional
• Gel food coloring (orange, brown, green)

Instructions

To make the Pumpkin Cupcakes:

1. Begin by preheating the oven to 350° F (177° C). Fill a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper cupcake liners and set this aside. You can choose to lightly coat your cupcake liners with cooking spray, if you wish.
2. In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of an electric standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and ginger.
3. Next, add the butter pieces. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat in the butter until the mixture becomes sandy looking, with the butter forming small clumps, about 5 minutes. Next, add the eggs and beat another 2 minutes or until the butter is no longer in large clumps.
4. To the bowl, add the oil, pumpkin, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix the batter together until the ingredients are no longer separated, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in any separated ingredients.
5. Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full. Bake the cupcakes for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool fully on a wire cooling rack before decorating.

To make the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

1. In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, cream the butter until it has become light in color and it has increased its volume by nearly half, about 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, heavy cream, and salt. Beat the ingredients together for about 6 to 8 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. The buttercream is finished when its volume has increased and is similar to the texture of shaving cream. It should be super soft and pipeable, spreading easily without much force. At this point, add any food coloring if desired.
3. Divide the buttercream to make the different colors. You will only need about 1/4 cup (60 ml) total of frosting for both the green vines and brown tops. The rest, you should color orange to make the pumpkins. Use the gel food coloring to color your frosting to your liking.
4. Transfer the different colored buttercreams to piping bags fitted with a large round tip, tiny round tip, and small French star tip. Keep the buttercream at room temperature (ideally 70° F) until ready to decorate.
5. You can store the buttercream for about 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before piping.

To assemble the cupcakes:

1. When the cupcakes have fully cooled, you can decorate them.
2. Begin by piping 8 small green leaves around the edge of a cupcake. Then, with the orange buttercream, pipe 6 to 8 logs that all meet at the center of the cupcake. This will be the "pumpkin ridges." Finish with some curly green vines falling down the edges, and then a little brown stem in the top center. Repeat with each cupcake until they are all decorated.
3. Serve the cupcakes at room temperature.
4. To store the cupcakes, place them into an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days and bring to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

757

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Did you make this recipe?

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