Sourdough Pumpkin Cupcakes

These easy and moist Sourdough Pumpkin Cupcakes are made with sourdough discard, real pumpkin puree, and pumpkin spices with a brown butter cream cheese frosting.

The pumpkin cupcakes are such an easy fall dessert that highlight the earthy flavors of pumpkin, warm pumpkin pie spices, and caramel notes of a tangy brown butter cream cheese frosting.

Best of all, the unfrosted cupcakes store exceptionally well and stay moist for days so you can make the cakes ahead of time before frosting and serving.

The detailed recipe will guide you through every step, including how to bake and frost the sourdough discard pumpkin cupcakes with lots of pro baking tips.

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👍 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Moist and tender sourdough pumpkin cupcakes.
• Easy to make with bowls, muffin pan, a whisk, and a spatula with no special tools required.
• This is a perfect make-ahead fall sourdough dessert that stores well in the refrigerator for days or the cakes can be frozen ahead of time.
• Made with real pumpkin puree and pumpkin spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
• The brown butter cream cheese has a caramel, nutty flavor that pairs exceptionally with pumpkin. It’s similar to the filling on these Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls and in my Sourdough Pumpkin Roll.

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🔍 Pro Tips for Making Sourdough Pumpkin Cupcakes

• Don’t over-mix the cake batter, or it will be tough instead of tender and light, just like making Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Pound Cake or muffins.
• While based off my similar Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins, these pumpkin cupcakes are lighter due to the inclusion of oil instead of butter in the batter.
• Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
• Bake only until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Don’t overbake or you’ll have drier, denser cupcakes.
• Use room temperature ingredients to emuslify the batter and mix the cream cheese frosting better.

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🛠 Tools Needed

• Baking scale
  • Flour and sourdough starter can weigh differently from person to person, so weighing your ingredients will make your baking more consistent and accurate. It’s the most important sourdough tool you can have!
• Whisk and Spatula, for mixing
• Muffin Pan
  • Use a standard 12 cup muffin pan for these cupcakes. If your pan is darker, they make bake slightly faster.
  • Use muffin tins or paper to line the cups and prevent sticking.
• Piping Bag, for frosting
  • I use a piping bag with a large, round hole for piping the cream cheese frosting but you can use a star tip or other decorative tips for piping the frosting depending on the style you prefer.
  • If you don’t have a piping bag, snip off the end of a large ziplock bag.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

• All-purpose flour
  • You can substitute with a gluten-free flour to make a gluten-free sourdough pumpkin cupcakes, such as cup-for-cup or measure-for-measure.
  • Use whole wheat flour for a heartier, denser cake.
• Baking Soda and Baking Powder help the cupcakes rise and give them a spongier texture.
• Salt
• Pumpkin Spices
  • Use pumpkin pie spice or a combination of warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and clove.
• Pumpkin Puree
  • I use canned Libby’s pumpkin for consistency. Some canned pumpkin purees will have more or less moisture, so it may be helpful to dab any excess water out if it seems runny.
  • Alternatively, you can make your own puree by roasting a pumpkin.
• Eggs provide structure, rise, binding, richness, and moisture.
• Granulated sugar
  • For sweetness, moisture, and structure.
• Brown Sugar
  • Adds moisture and a caramel molasses flavor in addition to sweetness.
• Vanilla Extract
  • Use real vanilla extract or vanilla paste, not imitation.
• Sourdough Discard
  • If you don’t have an active sourdough starter, learn how to make one in a week following my how-to guide. See my top sourdough starter tips and other sourdough discard recipes.
• Vegetable Oil
  • A neutral oil such as vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil keep these cupcakes moist for days with a light texture.
  • Substitute the oil with a stick of cooled, melted butter for a richer, denser cupcake.
• Unsalted butter
  • Melt, brown, and cool the butter for an easy burst of caramel, nutty flavor to the frosting.
  • I use brown butter in other favorite recipes like these Brown Butter Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Sourdough Hot Cross Buns with Brown Butter, and Sourdough Oatmeal Cream Pies.
• Cream Cheese
  • For the best tangy flavor and texture, use Philadelphia full-fat cream cheese. Low-fat cream cheese will not have the same consistency and may not set and hold its shape as well.
  • Two other sourdough pumpkin recipes that use cream cheese are my popular Sourdough Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins and these decadent Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Chai Cream Cheese Frosting.
• Powdered Sugar, to easily mix into the cream cheese frosting.

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🧁 How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Cupcakes

Follow this detailed recipe guide as you make the best Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Cupcakes.

1. Mix the Dry Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and line and grease a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin tins or paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside.

2. Mix in the Wet Ingredients

In another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients.

Then, pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

3. Bake

Use an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop to fill the prepared muffin cups about ⅔ full with the pumpkin cupcake batter.

Bake for about 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cool for a few minutes in the pan before letting them cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

4. Make the Brown Butter Cream Cheese

You can make the brown butter cream cheese frosting as the sourdough pumpkin cupcakes cool.

To brown the butter, heat the butter in a small skillet or saucepan on medium heat and stir constantly for 4-5 minutes. At first, it will sizzle and foam with small bubbles, and then the milk solids will quickly start to brown with a caramely aroma.

Remove from the heat and pour the brown butter into a mixing bowl to cool before mixing in the cream cheese.

Once cooled, add the softened cream cheese and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer or spatula until combined into a thick consistency. Then, add the powdered sugar and mix until you have a thick but spreadable cream cheese frosting.

5. Frost

Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe the brown butter cream cheese frosting on top.

To decorate, sprinkle cinnamon or pumpkin spice on top or add an optional pumpkin Mellowcreme candy (I used Brach’s).

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How to Store

Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes up to 3 months and thaw before frosting.

Once frosted, the cupcakes should be stored in the refrigerator since cream cheese is perishable where they’ll keep for 3-4 days.

Let the cupcakes sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving for the best texture.

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions