Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes (with Ermine Frosting)
Soft and tender pumpkin spice cupcakes are topped with a light and fluffy frosting to create a delicious fall sweet treat.
If you need an impressive yet easy dessert, these pumpkin cupcakes are a sure winner. The boiled milk frosting on top has a texture similar to whipped cream, which pairs amazingly well with fall spices.
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One of the best parts of fall is all of the pumpkin spice treats that become annual traditions.
Warm spices and brown sugar sweetness feel extra cozy as the weather turns cooler, which means we start baking all kinds of goodies in my house.
These pumpkin cupcakes are an easy, from-scratch recipe that feels a little extra special, thanks to the light and fluffy frosting on top.
They’re perfect for bringing to a fall potluck or sharing after Thanksgiving dinner. They’d also make a lovely addition to a fall bake sale!
Making Pumpkin Cupcakes from Scratch
There’s nothing wrong with making pumpkin recipes with a mix, but I don’t always have a mix on hand.
And really, this particular recipe is just so easy to make with things you probably already have in your pantry.
They have just the right amount of pumpkin spice, and the creamy boiled milk frosting provides sweetness without being as overpowering of a flavor as a cream cheese frosting would be.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Make:
- Easy Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Cake Mix Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Pie Cookies
- Easy Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies
- No-Bake Pumpkin Spice Cookies
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Cake Mix Pumpkin Bread
- Bisquick Pumpkin Donut Holes
- Baked Pumpkin Fritters
What is Boiled Milk Frosting?
The name may be a little strange, but boiled milk frosting (AKA Ermine frosting) is a light and fluffy frosting with a texture similar to whipped cream.
Unlike buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting, ermine frosting is made with granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar.
You cook a mixture of milk and flour until it has a texture similar to paste, then beat that into a mixture of butter and sugar.
I got the recipe for this frosting from Miss Betty, a lady from church when I was in college. She explained the concept of the frosting to me, saying, “You just keep beating it until it comes together.”
How to Make Pumpkin Cupcakes
It’s really easy to make this simple recipe.
Find the full printable recipe available below
Mix the wet ingredients. First, you’ll mix together some sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Then add in the eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract.
Add the dry ingredients. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt.
Mix on low speed until incorporated.
Bake. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan and bake in a preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes.
Make the frosting. While the cupcakes are cooling, you can start preparing the frosting.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk milk and flour until smooth. Cook it until it starts to resemble pudding or paste, stirring constantly.
Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool completely (you can transfer it to a small bowl and pop it in the fridge to cool more quickly).
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then, add in the cooled milk/flour mixture and the extract.
Beat this mixture on high speed until it is light and fluffy. At first, it will look pretty strange, but just keep beating it and it will eventually start to look like whipped cream (this typically takes about 7-8 minutes for me).
Once the cupcakes are cool, you can either spread the frosting over the top with a spatula or knife, or you can transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip.
Then serve and enjoy!
Recommended Equipment:
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Muffin pan
- Jumbo closed star tip–To frost these, I used an Ateco 847 tip from this set of tips
- Piping bag–Such as this reusable plastic coated bag or disposable bags
- Prepworks by Progressive collapsible cupcake storage container
Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes (with Ermine Frosting)
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Frosting:
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or maple flavoring extract)
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer), mix together brown sugar, sugar, and vegetable oil until combined well.
- Add eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract, mixing to combine.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt. Mix on low speed until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Scoop batter into 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to completely cool before frosting.
For the Frosting:
- While the cupcakes cool, prepare the frosting. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together flour and milk until no lumps remain.
- Whisk continuously as it starts to thicken, then use a spatula or wooden spoon to continue stirring. Once the mixture is the consistency of pudding or school paste, remove from heat.
- Allow the mixture to cool completely (you can transfer it to the fridge to cool if you're in a hurry. You don't want it to be warm at all or it will melt the butter).
- Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the cooled milk/four mixture and extract. Continue beating at high speed until it becomes light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. The mixture will look strange at first, but just keep on beating it until it comes together–usually about 7-8 minutes.
- When it's done, the frosting will be similar in texture to whipped cream, and the sugar will have dissolved (so it won't be grainy).
- Frost cupcakes and serve.
Notes
- Makes 12 cupcakes.
- Cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 1-2 days. If you need to store them longer, I recommend refrigerating them.
Equipment
Nutrition
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More Cupcake Recipes:
- Coffee Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream
- Churro Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream
Don’t forget to save this recipe to your pumpkin spice board on Pinterest!
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