Moist pumpkin cupcakes swirled with cinnamon sugar and topped with a brown butter Swiss meringue buttercream.
When you Google search pumpkin cupcakes one of the ‘people also ask’ results is “what does bath and body works pumpkin cupcake smell like?’. The answer they give is ‘a decadently sweet, perfectly spiced fall treat’. Which wow how convenient, is also exactly how I would describe these pumpkin cupcakes with brown butter frosting.
Too much? Sorry I’m being extra.
But regardless, I do truly love these pumpkin cupcakes. They’re packed with pumpkin and spices, swirled with cinnamon sugar, and topped with a brown butter Swiss meringue
buttercream that elevates them to the next level.
A few things that make this recipe stand out are:
- The batter is super easy to make and doesn’t require a mixer.
- Cinnamon sugar is swirled throughout the cupcake to add extra spice and sweetness.
- The brown butter buttercream is silky and rich without being too sweet, making it a great complement for the cupcakes.
- It’s a great fall dessert for your next get-together, celebration, or just for fun.
Key Ingredients
Ingredients for Pumpkin Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour: Make sure that you are measuring the flour accurately. A food scale will be the best way to do this. Otherwise, use the ‘spoon and level’ method.
- Canned Pumpkin Puree: Make sure you are using canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. I like a thicker pumpkin puree such as Libby’s.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar: the sponge itself uses both types of sugar while the cinnamon swirl contains brown sugar.
- Canola oil, or any other neutral flavored oil: oil serves as the primary fat source for these cupcakes. To avoid adding any unwanted flavors into the cake, make sure you’re using an unflavored oil such as canola, vegetable, or grapeseed.
- Eggs, at room temperature: if your eggs are too cold, soak them in a bowl of hot water for 5-10 minutes.
- Spices: ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and ginger. Essentially all of those cozy pumpkin pie spices. Oh, and salt, a little bit of salt goes a long way.
- Baking powder and baking soda.
Ingredients for SWISS MERINGUE Buttercream
- 2 large egg whites: make sure that absolutely no yolk gets into the whites otherwise they will not whip up properly.
- Granulated sugar: in this recipe we will cook the sugar with the egg whites until dissolved.
- Unsalted butter: brown the butter and let it cool down into a solid before using
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
Tips for Moist and Tender Cupcakes
In my experience, a good pumpkin cupcake is really moist, soft, and fluffy. On the other hand, the bad ones tend to be either really gummy or overcompensate for the gumminess and end up too dry. To achieve the perfect texture, there are a few things you need to keep in mind when making the cupcake batter:
- Mix the batter perfectly. You’ll often hear bakers harp on not over-mixing your batter, which you should definitely not do. However, it is important that you do not under-mix either. We want to achieve the perfect level of gluten development to support a nice structure, while not building it up so much that the cakes end up tough and chewy. In this case, you will want to mix in the flour gently until the batter is just smooth and lump-free. No more, no less.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Room temperature ingredients combine much better than cold ones. Adding too cold eggs, or pumpkin that has been in the fridge may lead to an uneven, curdled batter.
- Use fresh leavening agents. Did you know that baking powder and baking soda lose their potency over time? If your leavening agents are well over a year old, or you’ve noticed your bakes not coming out with quite as good a rise, it may be time to replace them.
How to Make Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Cupcakes
The cinnamon swirl in these cupcakes adds some extra sweetness and spice throughout the cake (and also makes them look cool). To create this swirl, you’ll need the prepared batter, a cinnamon sugar filling, and a toothpick or sharp knife.
The filling is a combination of brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and a little bit of flour. The flour helps give a little bit of structure to the swirl, similar to the filling in this crumb topped apple coffee cake. You simply fill a cupcake tin with 2 tbsp of batter, add a tsp of cinnamon sugar, top it off with more batter, and then use a toothpick to swirl the cinnamon sugar in. Don’t be afraid to swirl it for a little longer than you think you need.
Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Troubleshooting
Brown butter Swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC) is the perfect topping for these pumpkin cupcakes. The buttercream is rich, nutty, and not too sweet, which pairs nicely with the sweet cinnamon swirled cupcakes.
To make SMBC, start by cooking egg whites and sugar together in a double boiler until the sugar is dissolved, which happens when the mixture reaches around 160°F. To make a double boiler, all you need to do is put a heatproof bowl over a pot filled with 2 inches of simmering water. The steam from the water will heat the eggs and sugar without cooking the egg whites.
Then whip the egg whites until a stiff meringue forms, add the butter a little bit at a time, and then whip until you have a smooth and silky buttercream. While this is a little extra effort than American buttercream, SMBC is easy to fix if something goes wrong. Here’s what to do if your buttercream doesn’t seem quite right:
- Too runny: your buttercream is likely too warm. Make sure the meringue is cool before adding butter. To fix, place the bowl into the fridge for a few minutes.
- Buttercream is curdled: you either added butter to quickly, or the mixture is too cold. Make sure to add the butter one tbsp at a time. To fix this, take 2-3 tbsp of the buttercream, heat it in the microwave for 8-10 seconds, and then beat it back in. This will warm up the mixture and make it smooth and glossy.
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Cinnamon Swirled Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Butter Buttercream
Moist pumpkin spice cupcakes swirled with cinnamon sugar and topped with a brown butter swiss meringue buttercream
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cupcake Batter
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp each of ground nutmeg and ground ginger
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room tempertaure
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Swirl
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 1½ ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 1 cup butter, browned (see recipe instructions)
- 2 large egg whites, 66g
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
Make Browned Butter
- Start by browning one cup of butter, which will be used for the buttercream frosting. Cut the butter into slices, and place them into a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Once the butter is fully melted, continue heating it. It will begin to start bubbling and crackling. Continue stirring. After a while, the crackling will subside and butter will begin to foam. At this point, keep a close eye on the butter while continuing to stir. Be on the lookout for brown flecks and a nutty aroma.
- Once you see brown flecks and the melted butter turns a rich amber color, immediately remove it from heat and pour the butter into a separate, heatproof bowl. Let the browned butter cool down completely until it has turned back into a room temperature solid (you can chill it in the fridge but make sure to bring it back to room temperature before making the buttercream).
Make Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two cupcake pans with 14-15 liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices together until well combined. Set these dry ingredients aside for now.
- In a separate bowl or mixer, whisk the oil, sugars, and egg together for 1-2 minutes. Then whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Mix all of the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar swirl together in a small bowl.
- Add 2 tbsp of batter into each lined cup, then add 1 tsp of the cinnamon sugar and top off with more batter until ¾ full. Use a toothpick to swirl the cinnamon sugar into the batter. You'll get around 14-15 cupcakes--if you only have one cupcake pan then you can bake in batches.
- Sprinkle each cupcake with a little more cinnamon sugar on top.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (crumbs are okay, just no wet batter).
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream (See notes for troubleshooting)
- Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in a heatproof bowl, and place on top of a pot filled with two inches of simmering water to create a double boiler. Make sure that the water does not touch the bowl.
- Whisk consistently while heating the egg whites and sugar together. Heat until the mixture reaches 160°F or until it is no longer grainy between your fingers.
- Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment Mix on high speed until stiff peaks form. If the meringue is still warm, let it cool down to room temperature before moving on to the next step.
- Switch to the paddle attachment, and while running the mixer on low speed, add in the solid browned butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing each addition in fully before the next. Do not try to force the butter in too quickly.
- Once all of the butter has been added, add the vanilla and increase the mixer speed, beating together until you have a smooth and silkly buttercream.
- Frost cooled cupcakes using a spatula or your favorite piping tip.
Notes
Troubleshooting Swiss Meringue Buttercream: The great think about Swiss Meringue Buttercream is that if you are having an issue, it usually is salvageable.
- Buttercream is too runny: make sure that the meringue isn't warm before adding the butter. The buttercream also will turn runnier as you add butter, but continue beating and it will come together. If it continues to be runny then place the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes.
- Buttercream is clumpy or broken: it may be too cold or you added the butter too quickly. Make sure your butter is soft and at room temperature before adding. Take a few tablespoons of the buttercream, heat it in the microwave for 6-8 seconds, and then beat it back in.
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