Pumpkin Chocolate Cupcakes

I’m honestly not the biggest pumpkin fan. I know, it’s a staple of the season and a big crowd favorite. With pumpkin spiced everything everywhere come September, it’s inescapable. It just usually doesn’t do it for me! However, when you add in chocolate, I’m all over it. It sounds like a combination that shouldn’t work, pumpkin and chocolate, but it just does. Really, really well.

If you’re a little tired of the typical pumpkin assortment, these cupcakes are the perfect alternative. They’re soft, moist, super flavorful, and sure to be a big hit whether it’s Thanksgiving, Halloween, or just a crisp October Thursday afternoon and you deserve a little treat. The earthy pumpkin, the warm spices, and the sweet chocolate all come together beautifully. The frosting is smooth and creamy, the cake is delicate and tender. This is a labor of love completely worth the effort.

FAQs and Science

Why reduce the pumpkin?

Reducing the liquid in the pumpkin will intensify the flavor of the pumpkin and gives room for a more beneficial liquid in the cupcakes, whole milk. The fat and flavor in whole milk makes for a more soft and tender cake than the water in the pumpkin would.

Is there another way to reduce the pumpkin?

Yes, if you have more time or patience, you could place the pumpkin in a cheesecloth inside of a strainer and leave it overnight in the fridge. The flavor wont intensify quite as much, but it will get the job done!

Can I just use a pre-made pumpkin spice blend instead of adding all of those individual spices?

Absolutely, just make sure the quantity is equivalent to that of the spices listed here added together. I prefer to just keep individual spices in my house since I do so much cooking and baking and it gives me better control over the outcome of a dish, but if you already own a pumpkin spice blend, use it!

Why put corn syrup in the frosting?

It makes for a smoother texture!

Do I measure corn syrup in a liquid or dry measuring cup?

Liquid measuring cup. Spray it down lightly with a coat of nonstick spray before pouring in the corn syrup, to make it easier to get out of the cup.

Can I substitute milk chocolate with dark chocolate?

Absolutely. I prefer the flavor of milk chocolate in this situation, but if you’re a dark chocolate queen, feel free to use that instead.

What You’ll Need

2 standard sized muffin tins
22-24 cupcake wrappers
Nonstick baking spray
Stand mixer with paddle attachment
Large mixing bowl
2 medium mixing bowls
Small mixing bowl
Dry measuring cups
Liquid measuring cup
Measuring spoons
1-2 qt saucepan
High heat safe rubber spatula
Whisk
Sieve or sifter
Spoon or cookie scoop
Cooling rack
Large piping tip (optional)
Large piping bag or gallon zip top bag (optional)
Butter knife or offset spatula (optional)

The Process

Make the Batter

Begin by making the cupcake batter. Preheat the oven to 350F, on the convection setting if possible, and prepare the pans. Line two muffin tins with 22-24 cupcake wrappers, and set them aside.

Onto reducing the pumpkin puree. Place the pumpkin in a 1-2 qt saucepan on the stove top and place it over medium high heat. Stir it constantly with a high-heat rubber spatula until the extra water has evaporated out, around 5-6 minutes. This will both intensify the flavor of the pumpkin and leave room for the milk, a much more beneficial liquid in cupcakes than water. Much better flavor and texture come from the milk than water could ever hope to provide. Pour it into a medium bowl and set this bowl aside in the fridge to cool down.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Alternatively, if you’d rather, you can use a pre-blended pumpkin pie spice in place of the individual spices. Set this bowl aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on level 3 for 4-5 minutes. It should go from a medium brown color to light beige and become very fluffy. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl using the rubber spatula. This can be the same rubber spatula used to stir the pumpkin earlier, why make more dishes for yourself?

Add the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract one at a time, on level 3. Allow the batter to absorb the previous egg completely before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between each egg, or as needed. Using the rubber spatula, scrape the cooled down reduced pumpkin into the batter. Beat it in on level 3 until the mixture comes together, about 1-2 minutes. It may appear curdled, but don’t panic. The batter will smooth out by the end. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

With the mixer off, add in ⅓ of the dry goods. Turn the mixer to level 1, then once only a few streaks of flour are left to absorb, slowly pour ½ of the milk into the batter.

Turn the mixer off once more, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add in another ⅓ of the dry goods. Beat them in on level 1, and once a few streaks of flour remain, pour in the rest of the milk. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add in the last ⅓ of dry goods. Turn the mixer to level 1 until all of the dry goods have been absorbed, then turn it to level 2 for 30 seconds. This extra time will allow the gluten in the cupcakes to develop enough so they wont collapse in on themselves, but not so much to make them tough.

Using a spoon or cookie scoop, evenly divide the batter between the cups. They should be around ¾ of the way full. Place one pan in the center rack of the heated oven and bake it for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean after being poked into one of the center cupcakes, flipping halfway through. Repeat with the second pan once the first is removed from the oven.

Make the Frosting

While the cupcakes bake, prepare the frosting. In a small microwave safe bowl, heat the milk chocolate in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until it’s melted and smooth. Make sure to only heat it just to the point of being melted, and not so that it’s hot. If the chocolate is hot, it will melt the butter when it’s added to the frosting later on. If it did get hot, place it in the fridge for a few minutes and then stir to evenly distribute the heat and hasten the cooling process.

In a large mixing bowl, sift the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt together. Set this bowl aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and powdered sugar mixture. Start slowly on level 1, then as the dry mix absorbs into the butter, increase the speed to level 3 and beat it for 4-5 minutes. Going slowly like this reduces the chances of the powdered sugar mixture from flying all over the kitchen. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the corn syrup, vanilla extract, and cooled melted chocolate and beat on level 1 or 2 until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Set the frosting aside until it’s needed.

Frost the Cupcakes

Time to frost the cupcakes! Make sure they’ve completely cooled down before you start, or the frosting will just slide right off from the heat of the cake. If you’d like to pipe the frosting, place a large piping tip of your choosing into either a large piping bag or a gallon zip-top bag. Snip a hole at the corner just big enough for the mouth of the piping tip to peek out of, but still small enough that the rest of the tip fits snugly and doesn’t fall through the hole.

Place the bag into a large cup and flip the top 3 inches of the bag over the rim of the cup. Using a rubber spatula, scoop as much frosting as you can comfortably fit into the bag, then set any extra aside.

Lift the top of the bag that you had flipped over the rim of the cup and straighten them out once more. Bring them together and twist 2 or 3 times, closing off the opening so the frosting will be forced to exit through the tip at the bottom. Hold the twisted top securely with your thumb and using the rest of your hand, push the frosting out of the tip over each cupcake in the pattern of your choosing.

Alternatively, if you’d rather just get frosting on the cupcake without worrying how they look, you can just scoop frosting onto each cupcake using either a spoon or a cookie scoop and even it out using either a butter knife or offset spatula. Not everything needs to be fancy, sometimes it just needs to exist.

Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days, and enjoy!

Bake Time: 350F for 20-22 minutes
Servings: 22-24 Cupcakes
Total Time: 90 minutes
Prep Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients
Batter:

15-oz can pure pumpkin puree
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground clove
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
16 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk

Frosting:

1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
24 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup light colored corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 oz milk chocolate

Directions
Cake Batter:

Preheat the oven to 350F, on the convection setting if possible, and prepare the pans. Line two muffin tins with 22-24 cupcake wrappers, and set them aside.
Begin by reducing the pumpkin puree. Place the pumpkin in a 1-2 qt saucepan on the stove top and heat it over medium high heat. Stir it constantly with a high-heat rubber spatula until the extra water has evaporated out, around 5-6 minutes. Pour it into a medium bowl and set this bowl aside in the fridge to cool down.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set this bowl aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on level 3 for 4-5 minutes. It should go from a medium brown color to light beige and become very fluffy. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl using the rubber spatula.
Add the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract one at a time, on level 3. Allow the batter to absorb the previous egg completely before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between each egg, or as needed.
Using the rubber spatula, scrape the cooled down reduced pumpkin into the batter. Beat it in on level 3 until the mixture comes together smoothly, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
With the mixer off, add in ⅓ of the dry goods. Turn the mixer to level 1, then once only a few streaks of flour are left to absorb, slowly pour ½ of the milk into the batter. Turn the mixer off once more, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add in another ⅓ of the dry goods. Beat them in on level 1, and once a few streaks of flour remain, pour in the rest of the milk. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add in the last ⅓ of dry goods. Turn the mixer to level 1 until all of the dry goods have been absorbed, then turn it to level 2 for 30 seconds.
Using a spoon or cookie scoop, evenly divide the batter between the cups. They should be around ¾ of the way full. Place one pan in the center rack of the heated oven. Bake it for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick poked into one of the center cupcakes comes out clean, flipping the pan halfway through. Repeat with the second pan, once the first has finished baking.
Allow the cupcakes to rest in the muffin pan for 5 minutes or so before transferring them over to a cooling rack.