Fall Spiced Cupcakes

This delicious fall cupcake recipe is a moist vanilla cupcake with pumpkin spice, topped with a decadent cinnamon buttercream frosting for the perfect sweet dessert in cool weather!

Fall Cupcake Recipe

Cupcakes are delicious any time of the year, but when the weather starts to cool off and the holidays approach, it’s time to put a fall spice twist on them.

This easy fall cupcake recipe starts with our vanilla birthday cupcakes that receive rave reviews. We mix in some ground cinnamon and pumpkin spice for the perfect blend of warm spices. They are topped with a decadent buttercream frosting and a small piece of cinnamon stick for a finishing touch.

• birthday cupcakes
• buttercream frosting

Fun Cupcakes for Fall

No need for a birthday or holiday to celebrate with these fall cupcakes. A brisk day with leaves falling is worth celebrating in itself! Here in Minnesota, our fall season is short lived, but oh so beautiful while it lasts.

Sit out on your patio with a cozy sweat, warm mug of hot apple cider and a delicious fall spiced cupcake and it sounds like the perfect afternoon taking in the spectacular fall colors and light.

Cinnamon Cupcakes

Cinnamon is the go-to spice for just about anything fall. It’s highlighted in some of my favorite recipes like pumpkin bars, baked apple chips and glazed apple pie bars. You can’t have a fall spiced cupcake without cinnamon!

We are using pumpkin spice blend as a way to quickly add a blend of spices including nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves, without having to stock your spice cabinet with all those individual spices.

• pumpkin bars
• baked apple chips
• glazed apple pie bars

Pumpkin Spice Cupcake Batter

While cinnamon is already in pumpkin spice blend, we are adding an additional teaspoon to the cake batter to really make it the star of the show.

If you don’t have a jar of pumpkin spice on hand, you can make your own homemade pumpkin spice or substitute Apple Pie Spice. It is very similar, but instead of cloves in pumpkin spice, it usually has cardamom.

How to make fall cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream

Mix Wet Ingredients In a large bow, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg, extracts, milk and sour cream and blend until smooth.

Add Dry Ingredients Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt to the bowl and beat slowly just until well combined and few lumps remain.

Prepare Cupcakes In lined cupcake pans, fill each cup 3/4 full. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Make Buttercream Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the butter and shortening for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and cinnamon and blend until well combined. Add the powdered sugar 1-2 cups at a time until all incorporated. Beat on high for 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy.

Finishing Touches Pipe or spread the buttercream on top of the cupcakes. For a cute finishing touch, cut cinnamon sticks into small pieces and garnish each cupcake with a small piece.

More Amazing Cupcake Recipes!

If you love cupcakes as much as we do here are some more variations to check out. There’s nothing quite like the perfect single sized serving of cake with a heaping dollop of buttercream to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Mocha Sour Cream Cupcakes – If you are a chocolate lover, this is a must try!

Peppermint Chocolate Candy Cane Cupcakes – When fall turns to winter, this is the perfect cupcake for the holidays.

• Mocha Sour Cream Cupcakes
• Peppermint Chocolate Candy Cane Cupcakes

Notes

Use full fat sour cream. You can substitute full fat plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream. You can substitute 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour & 1/4 cup cornstarch for the 2 1/2 cups cake flour. You will achieve a better crumb with cake flour though.

Serving: 1 grams | Calories: 232 kcal | Carbohydrates: 17 g | Protein: 1 g | Fat: 18 g | Saturated Fat: 11 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 65 mg | Sodium: 293 mg | Sugar: 15 g