Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Cupcakes
A leveled-up classic cupcake; make these Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Cupcakes with caramel cream cheese filling and a caramel drizzle!
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Calories: 468kcal
Equipment
- 2 Cupcake pans (24 cups total)
- 1 large cookie scoop (optional; but this makes transferring batter much easier!)
- 1 Cupcake corer (optional; I often just use a plastic knife)
- large piping bag + star tip (linked is a set that contains both)
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cupcakes
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon this brand is one of my favorites!
- 1 ⅓ cups packed dark brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 cups unsalted butter (melted & cooled)
- ⅔ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Caramel Cheesecake Cupcake Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese (½ package; softened)
- 4 ounces caramel sauce (this Smuckers caramel sauce is my favorite - or you can even make your own!)
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese (one package; softened)
- 1 cup butter (two sticks, softened)
- 5 ½ -6 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 t. salt (if using unsalted butter)
Decorations
- 24 caramel squares
- ¼ cup caramel sauce
- White sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F, and line cupcake pans with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl or stand mixer, whisk the brown sugar and eggs together until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin, butter, milk, and vanilla until well mixed.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix the batter.
- Transfer batter into prepared pans, filling about ½- 2/3 full. (I like to use a large cookie scoop for this part). Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before filling or frosting.
Quick note on caramel sauce -
- Caramel sauce can be purchased at any grocery store, or this Salted Caramel Sauce from Smuckers is thicker than most that I've found and works best for a cupcake drizzle!
- If you want to make your own caramel sauce, my favorite recipe is this one from AverieCooks. No caramel recipe is fool-proof, but this one gave me the least trouble with burning and crystalizing. Whatever you decide to use -
Caramel Cheesecake Cupcake Filling
- Beat 4 ounces cream cheese and ½ cup caramel sauce together until combined. (You'll see me use a spatula/whisk in the video; this step would've been *much* more easily done with a hand or stand mixer if I’d thought of that a little sooner!)
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until frosting reaches a pipeable consistency. Add vanilla and salt if needed and beat until well combined.
Assembly
- Once the cupcakes have cooled, core them. (You can use a cupcake corer, the back end of a large piping tip, or....you can do what I do and cut the cores out with a plastic knife. Up to you!) Fill cupcakes with cheesecake filling, using a piping bag or a spoon.
Decorating
- Transfer frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe frosting in large swirls onto your cupcakes.
- Decorate the top of each frosting swirl with a caramel square, and add a drizzle of caramel sauce. Add sprinkles if desired! (I add sprinkles to everything at every opportunity, but that’s just me. ;) )
- Done and done! Enjoy!
Video
Notes
(Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate.)
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 468kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g