Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

chocolate cupcake in purple wrapper with vanilla frosting and colorful sprinkles.

5 from 2 votes

Make Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with cake mix! This easy recipe uses pumpkin and chocolate cake mix to make the best pumpkin cupcakes with buttercream frosting!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 189kcal

Author: Dorothy Kern

Cost: $8

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

1 approx 15 ounce box Chocolate Cake Mix
¾ cup (177ml) water
⅓ cup (79ml) vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree

For the Frosting

1 cup (226g) unsalted butter , softened
4 cups (452g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt
1-3 tablespoons (15-45ml) heavy whipping cream
Food Coloring and sprinkles if desired

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners. (I got 18 cupcakes.)
Mix cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large bowl with a hand mixer for about 2 minutes. Add pumpkin and mix until combined. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full (I use an ice cream scoop for this).
Bake 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick insterted comes out with just a few little crumbs sticking to it. Cool completely before frosting.
To make your frosting, beat butter with mixer (hand or stand, your choice) until creamy. Slowly beat in powdered sugar (1 cup at a time). Beat in vanilla. Add 1 tablespoon of cream and mix, then add more cream as necessary to get the consistency you want. Tint with food coloring, if desired.
Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with (or dip in) sprinkles. Enjoy!

Notes

Want a fall-like cupcake that tastes like pumpkin? Add 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice to the cupcake batter.

Nutrition