Pumpkin Cranberry Cupcakes with Walnuts and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting – Autumn Baked Dessert Recipe on ToriAvey.com
Guys, it’s been quite a week. I’m juggling lots of things, I’ve barely had time to come up for air. I did manage to develop a seriously scrumptious recipe for Thanksgiving, but finding the time to photograph it has been a challenge. I finally managed a few shots in my kitchen as the light was fading (it gets dark so gosh darned early these days!). I took these photos just minutes before drafting this post. Hope they look appetizing. You’ll have to trust that the recipe is beyond amazing. It really is. It would make an awesome Thanksgiving option for folks who want something pumpkin-y but aren’t into the whole gooshy pie thing.
I took my popular Pumpkin Spice Cake recipe, swapped out raisins for sweetened dried cranberries (“craisins”) and walnuts, used the batter for cupcakes and topped them with homemade cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
I know, right? Could anything be more tasty?
I could write more, including the history of pumpkins and craisins and Thanksgiving and… you know. But it’s Shabbat and I seriously need a breather. Hope you understand. Have a great weekend!
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Pumpkin Cranberry Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- Pinch ground cloves
- 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries craisins
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 pound confectioner's sugar (about 4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 - 2 teaspoons milk or as needed
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Whisk together sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla until well blended.
- In a separate mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves with a fork until well blended.
- Pour liquid ingredients into dry. Mix together until blended. Do not overmix. Fold the dried sweetened cranberries and chopped walnuts into the batter.
- Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Distribute the batter in equal amounts between the 12 cupcake liners, filling each one about 2/3 full.Bake cupcakes at 325 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the thickest cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan to room temperature before frosting.
- Make the frosting while the cupcakes are cooling. Cut the butter and cream cheese into chunks and place in a bowl. Make sure they are as close to room temperature as possible. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and 1 tsp milk.
- Use electric mixer to beat together the ingredients until well combined and fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar a cupful at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl periodically, until the mixture forms a thick frosting. If the consistency is too thick, add milk 1/2 tsp at a time and beat until soft and spreadable.
- Frost the cupcakes. Make sure the cakes are room temperature before frosting. I used a piping bag and cupcake frosting tip to make them look pretty.
- If you are not serving cupcakes the same day, store them in the refrigerator to keep fresh.
This recipe is a big hit
All my friends love it soooo much
I reduce the sugar to 3/4 cups
And for the icing I also changed it into 1 cup powdered sugar
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe
Hi Tori!
These look amazing! To save time I was going to try it in a bundt pan but am wondering if you think I need to double the recipe for that?
Hi Jackie! Depends on how big your bundt pan is. If it’s a deep one then yes you should probably double the recipe. Cook time will need to be adjusted too, and will likely take longer than cupcakes would.
Do you think these could be made gluten free by subbing a 1:1 gluten free flour?
I haven’t tested it, but with easy cakes and quick breads like this 1:1 subs tend to work well, so my guess is it will work.