The Best Adorable & Easy Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

What if you could capture all the beloved, cozy flavors of a classic Thanksgiving pumpkin pie—the warmly spiced pumpkin, the cool and creamy topping, and even the flaky crust—all in one perfect, adorable, handheld treat? Get ready to meet your new favorite holiday dessert: these incredible and completely charming Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes.

This isn’t just a recipe; it’s a guide to creating a fun, festive, and show-stopping dessert that cleverly deconstructs a classic pie. We’ll show you how to bake the most unbelievably soft and moist pumpkin spice cupcakes, create a light-as-a-cloud cream cheese whipped cream to use as both a filling and a frosting, and top it all off with a tiny, crunchy, buttery pie crust cutout. It’s the perfect, whimsical addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Recipe Overview: The Perfect “Pie in a Cupcake”

What makes these Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes so special is the brilliant way they capture the entire pumpkin pie experience in a fun, individual format. The recipe uses cake flour to ensure an incredibly soft and tender cupcake crumb, which is the perfect base for the light and tangy cream cheese whipped cream—a fantastic hybrid frosting that isn’t as heavy as traditional cream cheese frosting. The final, decorative pie crust “garnish” is a genius touch that adds a wonderful, buttery crunch. It’s a make-ahead-friendly project that is as fun to make as it is to eat.

Metric	Time / Level
Total Time	1 hour 30 minutes (plus cooling time)
Active Prep Time	35 minutes
Difficulty Level	Easy
Servings	12 cupcakes

The Essential Ingredients for This Festive Treat

This recipe is made from three simple, from-scratch components.

• The Soft Pumpkin Cupcakes: This is our delicious, from-scratch base.
  • Cake Flour: This is a key ingredient for the best texture! Cake flour is more finely milled and has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, which is the secret to an incredibly soft, light, and tender cupcake crumb.
  • Pure Pumpkin Purée: It is absolutely essential to use 100% pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pure pumpkin provides the authentic pumpkin flavor, moisture, and beautiful orange color.
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice: A classic blend of warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves that instantly gives the cupcakes that signature, irresistible “fall” flavor.
• The Cream Cheese Whipped Cream: This is our light, tangy, and super-stable filling and frosting.
  • Room Temperature Cream Cheese: It is crucial that your block-style cream cheese is fully softened to room temperature. This is the key to a perfectly smooth, lump-free base.
  • Cold Heavy Cream: In contrast, your heavy cream must be very cold, straight from the refrigerator. This is the secret to whipping it up into a light, airy frosting with beautiful, stiff peaks.
• The Crispy Pie Crust Cutouts: The adorable and delicious finishing touch.
  • Refrigerated Pie Crust: A fantastic, easy shortcut! A sheet of store-bought, all-butter pie crust is perfect for creating these simple, decorative garnishes. You can use any small, fall-themed cookie cutters you like, such as leaves, acorns, or mini pumpkins.

Step-by-Step to the Cutest Thanksgiving Cupcakes

This is a fun and rewarding baking project. Let’s break it down into simple, manageable parts.

Part 1: Bake the Soft Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Step 1: First, position an oven rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 350°F (175°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 3/4 cups of cake flour, the 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, the 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, the 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and the 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt.

Step 3: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the 1 cup of pure pumpkin purée, the 1 cup of granulated sugar, the 1 1/2 sticks of melted unsalted butter, the 2 large eggs, the 1/4 cup of milk, and the 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.

Step 4: Pour the wet pumpkin mixture into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to gently fold everything together until the batter is just incorporated.

Pro Tip: The secret to a tender cupcake is to not overmix the batter. It’s okay if there are still a few small lumps.

Step 5: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups. Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, rotating the tin halfway through, until the tops spring back when you press them gently and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Step 6: Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Part 2: Make the Crispy Pie Crust Cutouts

While the cupcakes are cooling, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) if your oven temperature was changed. Using your favorite small holiday cookie cutters, cut out 12 shapes from the half sheet of pie crust.

Arrange the cutouts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush each one with a little bit of milk and sprinkle them generously with granulated sugar.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the cutouts are a deep golden brown and crispy. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Part 3: Whip the Cream Cheese Frosting & Filling

Step 1: In a medium bowl, beat the 4 ounces of room temperature cream cheese and the 3/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar together with an electric mixer until the mixture is completely smooth.

Step 2: With the mixer on a low speed, add 1 cup of the cold heavy cream and beat until soft peaks begin to form.

Step 3: Add the remaining 1 cup of cold heavy cream and continue to beat on high speed until the mixture is thick and holds stiff peaks.

Step 4: Transfer the finished frosting to a pastry bag fitted with your favorite round or star pastry tip.

Part 4: The Fun Assembly

Step 1: Once your cupcakes are completely cool, use a small teaspoon or a melon baller to carefully scoop out a small hole from the top center of each cupcake. (You can save these little cupcake pieces for a snack!).

Step 2: Squeeze some of the cream cheese filling into each hole. You can then place one of the reserved cupcake pieces back on top to seal the hole.

Step 3: Pipe a beautiful, generous swirl of the remaining frosting on top of each cupcake.

Step 4: Gently press one of your beautiful, crispy pie crust cutouts into the frosting of each cupcake.

The cupcakes can be served immediately, or you can refrigerate them for up to 2 hours if you prefer them chilled.

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Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

These Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes are a fantastic treat to make ahead for the busy holiday season.

• Make-Ahead: You can make all the components separately in advance. The baked cupcakes (unfilled) can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. The pie crust cutouts will stay crispy in an airtight container for up to a week. The frosting can be made a day ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. Just let it soften slightly and give it a quick whip before using.
• Storage: The finished, decorated cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese frosting. They will stay fresh and delicious for up to 4 days.

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Creative Recipe Variations

This fun and festive cupcake is a wonderful base for your own delicious and creative twists.

1. Add a Nutty Crunch: For a delicious crunch that is reminiscent of a pecan-topped pumpkin pie, you can fold 1/2 cup of finely chopped, toasted pecans into the cupcake batter at the very end.
2. Add a Decadent Caramel Drizzle: Just before you serve the finished cupcakes, you can drizzle them with a little bit of your favorite store-bought or homemade salted caramel sauce. The combination of pumpkin, cream cheese, and caramel is divine!
3. Make a Gingerbread Cupcake Base: For a spicier, more molasses-forward flavor that is perfect for Christmas, you can use your favorite gingerbread cupcake recipe as the base instead of the pumpkin cupcake.

Enjoy Your New Favorite Thanksgiving Treat!

You’ve just created a wonderfully fun, creative, and delicious dessert that is sure to be the star of your Thanksgiving table. These Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes are a perfect harmony of a classic, tender pumpkin cupcake and a light, tangy frosting, all with a fun, decorative crunch. It’s a sweet and simple way to celebrate the abundance of the season.

We hope you and your family love making—and eating—this adorable new tradition!

If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who is looking for a fun holiday baking project!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)