Make these spicy and delicious Pumpkin Molasses Cupcakes that are perfect for any Fall celebration. These cupcakes are made with pumpkin puree, molasses, and warm spices.
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Why I love these Pumpkin Molasses Cupcakes
These Pumpkin Molasses Cupcakes are the perfect blend of warm spices, creamy pumpkin puree, and spicy molasses which makes this one of my favorite fall treats similar to my Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting and my Apple Cinnamon Swirl Bread with Caramel Apple Glaze. The pumpkin puree makes these cupcakes moist, soft and delicious.
Key Ingredients Needed for This Recipe
- Kosher Salt: I always recommend kosher salt in baking because it has a milder flavor and makes a dish less salty. Kosher salt enhances the flavors in the cupcakes and helps to balance the sweetness.
- Ground Ginger: ground ginger adds a warm and spicy flavor to the cupcakes, complementing the pumpkin and molasses.
- Ground cloves: Ground cloves add a distinct and aromatic flavor, enhancing the overall taste of the cupcakes and giving them that extra flavor of fall.
- Pumpkin puree: Pumpkin puree is the star ingredient of cupcakes, offering a subtle and earthy flavor and making these cupcakes extra moist. If for some reason your puree is cold, bring it to room temp before using.
- Molasses: Molasses is a key ingredient in these cupcakes and adds a deep and rich flavor with its characteristic sweet and slightly bitter taste.
*See the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make These Pumpkin Cupcakes
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
Step 2:Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cloves together in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
Step 3: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, then add the pumpkin and molasses. The batter will look a little curdled, don't panic!
Step 4: Turn the mixer on low and add the dry ingredients slowly until fully mixed in. Turn off the mixer right away, being careful not to overmix.
Step 5: Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pan using a cookie scoop or a spoon. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the cupcake pan for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and allow the cupcakes to cool on a cooling rack completely before frosting.
Step 6: Once cool, frost with your favorite frosting or glaze.
What Frosting to Pair with These Cupcakes
These cupcakes are delicious with my Caramel Apple Frosting for the ultimate blend of fall flavors. If you want something more basic, try the cream cheese frosting in this post for Candied Ginger Cupcakes.
You can also make a basic glaze for these cupcakes. Place 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons milk into a mixing bowl and stir with a fork to combine until smooth. Drizzle on top of the cooled cupcakes and enjoy!
Expert Tips for Making Pumpkin Molasses Cupcakes
- When combining the wet and dry ingredients, make sure you mix on low just until combined. If you overmix the batter, your cupcakes will be dense.
- All of the ingredients should be at room temperature before baking. This helps create a smooth and velvety batter creating even better cupcakes!
- Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes after removing them from the oven before placing them on a cooling rack. This will help them stay nice and fluffy.
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Pumpkin Molasses Cupcakes
Equipment
- stand mixer (or large mixing bowl and hand mixer)
- cookie scoop
- large mesh sifter
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp (2 sticks)
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temp
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup molasses
- caramel apple frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, and ground cloves into a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream together the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix in. Add the pumpkin and molasses. The batter will look kind of curdled at this point, don't panic!
- Turn the mixer on low and add the dry ingredients slowly until fully mixed in. Turn off the mixer right away being careful not to overmix the batter.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pan using a cookie scoop or a spoon. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Notes
- When combining the wet and dry ingredients, make sure you mix on low just until combined. If you overmix the batter, your cupcakes will be dense.
- All of the ingredients should be at room temperature before baking. This helps create a smooth and velvety batter creating even better cupcakes!
- Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes after removing them from the oven before placing them on a cooling rack. This will help them stay nice and fluffy.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
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