Pumpkin Crunch Cupcakes

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These Pumpkin Crunch Cupcakes start with a soft, fluffy pumpkin spice cupcake. From there, each one gets piled with cinnamon cream cheese buttercream, rolled in a buttery pumpkin Golden Oreo crunch, and topped with a little pumpkin decoration.

If you love a cookie-crunch coating on a cupcake, you'll also want my strawberry crunch cupcakes next. For another cream cheese frosted pumpkin bake, try my pumpkin cream cheese cinnamon rolls.

Why you'll love this recipe

• A cupcake with texture contrast. The cake is soft, the buttercream is creamy, and the crunchy coating adds a bite you don't usually get from a cupcake.
• A flexible make-ahead bake. The cupcakes and the crunch can both be made a day ahead; just assemble close to serving.
• An easy way to dress up a simple cupcake. The crunch coating and a small pumpkin topper turn a basic spice cupcake into something that looks store-bought.
• If you're building out a cupcake rotation, my matcha cupcakes and sourdough chocolate cupcakes are worth trying next.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Pumpkin puree is the base of the cupcake batter; use 100% pure puree, not pie filling.
• Sour cream and milk work together to keep the crumb soft without making the batter too wet.
• An extra egg yolk adds richness beyond what one whole egg gives the batter.
• Golden Oreos form the base of the crunch coating; they're pulsed into coarse crumbs, not a fine powder.
• Pumpkin powder concentrates pumpkin flavor and color into the crunch coating without changing the cupcake's texture.
• Block cream cheese holds its structure in the buttercream better than a tub-style spread; it's the same reason I use it in my cheesecake-stuffed apple butter muffins.
• Pumpkin decoration: I used these (size large)

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Pumpkin Crunch Cupcakes

Note: I bake by weight for accuracy. Cup measurements are approximate and may vary depending on how you scoop.

Step 1: Mix the batter. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together and set aside. Beat the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, then add the egg and egg yolk, followed by the vanilla.

Step 2: Finish the batter and bake. Mix in the pumpkin puree and sour cream; the batter may look slightly curdled, and that's fine. Add the dry ingredients and milk in alternating additions, mixing just until combined, then divide among 12 liners and bake 17–20 minutes.

Step 3: Cool, then make the crunch. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. Pulse the Golden Oreos into coarse crumbs, add the pumpkin powder, spices, and salt, then drizzle in the melted butter and pulse until evenly coated.

Step 4: Make the buttercream. Beat the butter until pale and creamy, then add the cold cream cheese and beat just until smooth. Add the powdered sugar gradually, then the vanilla and salt, beating only until fluffy.

Step 5: Assemble. Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop a mound of buttercream onto each cooled cupcake, then roll the frosted top in the pumpkin crunch to coat it completely. Finish with a pumpkin decoration, if using. (I used these ones)

Weigh your ingredients! Using a kitchen scale ensures your measurements are accurate, which is key for getting consistent results in baking. It takes the guesswork out of measuring and helps your recipes turn out exactly as intended every time.

Expert Tips

1. Taste the crunch before you coat anything. Pumpkin powder varies in strength between brands, so add another ½–1 tablespoon if you want a deeper pumpkin flavor or color.
2. Don't overbeat the cream cheese. Beat it just until smooth; overbeating can make cream cheese frosting loose instead of pipeable.
3. Keep the liners ⅔ to ¾ full. Pumpkin batter is heavier than vanilla batter, and overfilled liners bake into oversized, muffin-like tops.
4. Assemble close to serving. The crunch coating is crispest within a few hours of rolling; it softens the longer it sits on the frosting.
5. Keep the pumpkin theme going. If you want more pumpkin bakes this fall, my chewy pumpkin cookies and classic pumpkin bread are both worth adding to the rotation.

What Makes This Recipe Special?

Pumpkin Crunch Cupcakes FAQs

Pumpkin Cupcakes Troubleshooting Guide

Storage

• Refrigerator: Store assembled cupcakes covered in the refrigerator for 3–4 days, since the frosting contains cream cheese.
• Before serving: Bring cupcakes toward room temperature before serving for the softest cake and creamiest frosting.
• Make ahead: Store unfrosted cupcakes and the crunch separately at room temperature, airtight, for up to a day, the same make-ahead trick I use for my sourdough pumpkin banana muffins.

Pumpkin Crunch Cupcakes

Audrey Grubb

Soft and fluffy pumpkin spice cupcakes topped with cinnamon cream cheese buttercream, coated in a buttery pumpkin Golden Oreo crunch, and finished with a pumpkin decoration.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 17 minutes mins

Cooling and Assembly 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 32 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 Cupcakes

Calories 506 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Digital kitchen scale
• ▢
  Standard 12-cup muffin pan and liners
• ▢
  Stand mixer or hand mixer
• ▢
  Food processor
• ▢
  Piping bag and large round tip, optional

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Pumpkin Cupcakes

• ▢ 180 g all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fine salt
• ▢ 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 85 g unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 100 g light brown sugar packed
• ▢ 75 g granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg room temperature
• ▢ 1 large egg yolk room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 150 g pumpkin puree
• ▢ 60 g sour cream room temperature
• ▢ 60 g whole milk or buttermilk room temperature

Pumpkin Crunch

• ▢ 16 Golden Oreos
• ▢ 1 tablespoon pumpkin powder
• ▢ 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ Pinch of fine salt
• ▢ 14 g unsalted butter melted

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Buttercream

• ▢ 113 g full-fat block cream cheese cool
• ▢ 113 g unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 360 g powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
• ▢ 1 –2 tablespoons heavy cream if needed

For Decorating

• ▢ 12 edible pumpkin royal icing transfers optional

Instructions

 

Make Pumpkin Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
  180 g all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine salt, 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for 2–3 minutes, until noticeably lighter and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
  85 g unsalted butter, 100 g light brown sugar, 75 g granulated sugar
• Add the egg and egg yolk and mix until fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla.
  1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Add the pumpkin puree and sour cream and mix on low just until combined. The mixture may look slightly curdled at this point; that's okay.
  150 g pumpkin puree, 60 g sour cream
• Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Pour in the milk, followed by the remaining dry ingredients. Mix only until the last streaks of flour disappear, then finish folding the batter gently by hand.
  60 g whole milk or buttermilk
• Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cupcake liners, filling each about ⅔–¾ full.
• Bake for 17–20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
• Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make Pumpkin Crunch Topping
• Add the Golden Oreos to a food processor and pulse until they form coarse crumbs, with some slightly larger pieces remaining.
  16 Golden Oreos
• Add the pumpkin powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse briefly to distribute.
  1 tablespoon pumpkin powder, 4 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, Pinch of fine salt
• Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse a few more times until the crumbs are evenly coated and resemble a loose, slightly damp crumble. Transfer to a shallow bowl.
  14 g unsalted butter

Make Cream Cheese Frosting

• Beat the softened butter on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until pale and creamy.
  113 g unsalted butter
• Add the cool cream cheese and beat just until smooth and completely incorporated; avoid beating it for an extended period.
  113 g full-fat block cream cheese
• Add the powdered sugar gradually on low speed, then add the vanilla and salt and beat briefly on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. If needed, add heavy cream 1 teaspoon at a time until pipeable.
  360 g powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon fine salt, 1 –2 tablespoons heavy cream

Decorate

• Once the cupcakes are completely cool, use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop a generous mound of buttercream onto each one.
• Gently press or roll the exposed frosting into the pumpkin crunch, pressing additional crumbs onto any bare spots by hand.
• Top with a pumpkin icing transfer, if using. Serve at room temperature.
  12 edible pumpkin royal icing transfers

Notes

Pumpkin puree: Use 100% pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.

Pumpkin powder: It's meant for the crunch coating, where its concentrated flavor and color can shine without affecting the cupcake's texture; taste and adjust the amount to your brand's strength.

Don't overfill the liners: Keeping them ⅔–¾ full gives the cupcakes room to rise without oversized, muffin-like tops.

Storage: Because of the cream cheese frosting, store assembled cupcakes covered in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. Bring toward room temperature before serving.

Make ahead: Bake the cupcakes a day ahead and store airtight at room temperature; make the crunch ahead too, and assemble close to serving for the crispest coating.

Nutrition

Calories: 506kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 4gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 309mgPotassium: 111mgFiber: 1gSugar: 54gVitamin A: 2597IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 2mg

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