These delicious pumpkin cupcakes with cake mix, pudding mix, and lots of spice are moist, flavorful, and absolutely delicious! Top with a cheesecake frosting and some sprinkles for the ultimate fall dessert!
sprinkles and/or pumpkin pie spice(optional garnish)
Instructions
Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 375°F and place liners in a cupcake pan.
Place all the cupcake ingredients in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer and beat 2-3 minutes, until well mixed.
1 box spice cake mix, 1 3.5 oz box instant pumpkin spice pudding mix, 1 cup 100% pumpkin puree, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 4 large eggs, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full with batter.
Reduce temperature to 350°F and bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Frosting:
Prepare frosting by combining heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and pudding mix. Whip until it is thick and fluffy, but don't over mix.
2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1/3 cup instant cheesecake pudding mix, 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Once cupcakes are completely cool, pipe frosting onto cupcakes and garnish with sprinkles or pumpkin pie spice.
sprinkles and/or pumpkin pie spice
Notes
Change these cupcakes up with different frostings by swapping out the pudding in the frosting with different flavors, just make sure it’s an instant pudding.Freeze cupcakes after completely cooling and before frosting. Place the cooled cupcakes inside a Ziploc bag or airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Remove from the freezer and allow to thaw at room temperature then frost once thawed.Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days before either throwing away or freezing.Ingredient Notes:
Spice Cake Mix – I typically use Betty Crocker spice cake mix but any kind works just fine!
Pumpkin – make sure you’re using pure pumpkin or pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
Milk – you want to ideally use whole milk in these for the richness but if you don’t have it, milk with a lower fat content is fine.
Pumpkin spice pudding mix – if you can’t find the pumpkin spice kind, you can use vanilla pudding mix and just add an extra teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice.
Cheesecake pudding mix – if you can’t find cheesecake instant pudding mix, you can use a different kind as long as it is an instant pudding mix. It will change the flavor of the frosting, so I recommend either vanilla or chocolate.