Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting and Biscoff Caramel Drizzle

I'm so excited that Fall is here and the Summer heat waves are behind us (hopefully)! To me, Fall means being able to layer up in sweaters and boots, enjoying shorter days and longer nights spent snuggled up on the couch, maybe even by a fire, preparing for my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving which happens to be my birthday!) and of course it means indulging in the flavors of the season...apples, pears, pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg! These cupcakes are a tribute to some of my favorite Fall flavors.

The pumpkin cupcakes are light and fluffy which pairs well with the pumpkin cream cheese frosting. Both have a hint of classic fall spices; cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The Biscoff Caramel Sauce adds a very special touch, but of course you could use any caramel sauce of your choice (even store bought!) but if you've never tried Biscoff, I encourage you to give it a try. Biscoff spread is made from Biscoff cookies which are a cinnamon cookie popular in England. 

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting and Biscoff Caramel Drizzle
Adapted from The Baker Chick
Makes 24 cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1 15oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

Frosting Ingredients
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of cloves

Biscoff Caramel for drizzling (optional)


Directions:

Make the cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350

Line two 12 cup cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and spices. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using your hand mixer), cream together the brown sugar and eggs until creamy (approx 3 minutes). Add the oil and mix well, then add the pumpkin puree. Mix well to combine.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix well, then add half of the milk. Repeat the process ending with the last 1/3 of the flour mixture, mixing well after each addition. 

Divide the batter evenly between the 24 cupcake liners. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. For even baking, rotate the pans front to back halfway through the baking process.

Remove from oven. Cool in the pans for a few minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using your hand mixer), cream the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy with no lumps. 

Gradually add the powdered sugar at low speed, then increase speed to medium and beat until combined. Add the vanilla extract and spices and beat at medium speed.

Check consistency. If you want a stiffer frosting, add more cream cheese. 

Allow the frosting to set in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Decorate

Pipe or spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes and decorate as desired.

Drizzle with Biscoff Caramel Sauce (or any other caramel sauce of your choice). I made Biscoff Caramel sauce from this  recipe on Le Cafe Sucre Farin. It's made in the microwave and is super easy to make! If you've never had Biscoff Spread before, I encourage you to try it. You can find it at World Market.

Since the frosting contains cream cheese, store leftovers refrigerated. Allow to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

A note about cupcake liners: We all love to use the cute, printed or solid color cupcake liners, but sadly, if you do not use greaseproof cupcake liners the print/color will most likely disappear after baking (especially if the recipe uses oil). To retain the print/color of your cupcake liners, make sure you buy greaseproof cupcake liners. You can find them online (I like Bake It Pretty) and in some specialty stores. The liners I used in these photos were not greaseproof so you can see that the cute pumpkin print faded so I placed the finished cupcakes in another liner for the photos. With or without the cute liners, these cupcakes are delicious!