Happy Friday! As Halloween gets closer, the spooky decorations are beginning to come out at my house and I was inspired by my favorite Pumpkin Mickey decoration to make these fun Pumpkin Mickey cupcakes! These moist and delicious pumpkin cupcakes are topped with cream cheese frosting and Oreo Mickey ears!
Pumpkin bread is one of my favorite fall treats and these cupcakes are a delicious version of it! They’re not too sweet, which makes them great for breakfast or a snack in addition to a dessert.
To make the pumpkin cupcakes, start by whisking together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
Transfer the batter to free standing jack-o-lantern baking cups. For these cupcakes, I used baking cups from My Mind’s Eye, which I found at Marshall’s but they are also available online. These baking cups are a bit bigger than standard cupcake liners, so this recipe makes about nine larger cupcakes. Place the baking cups on a baking sheet and fill each cup about 1/2 to 1/3 way full. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to coll completely.
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While the cupcakes are cooling, make the cream cheese frosting by beating the butter and cream cheese together in a medium bowl. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract and a few drops of orange gel food coloring. For this, I used Wilton’s orange gel food coloring. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
To decorate the cupcakes, pipe a swirl of frosting on top of each cupcake. Gently press two Oreo cookies into the frosting, one on each side, to make Mickey ears.
Enjoy these Pumpkin Mickey Cupcakes! Happy Spooky Season!
Pumpkin Mickey Cupcakes
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
- 1 cup + 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- orange gel food coloring
Equipment
- free standing jack-o-lantern baking cups
- piping bag
- large star piping tip
- Oreo cookies
Instructions
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
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Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place free standing baking cups on a baking sheet.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract.
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Add the oil mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth and combined.
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Transfer batter to the prepared free standing baking cups, filling each cup about ½ to ⅓ way full.
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Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
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In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
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Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
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Stir in the vanilla and a few drops of orange gel food coloring.
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Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
Assembly
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Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake.
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Gently press two Oreo cookies into the frosting, one on each side, to make Mickey ears.