Homemade Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins – A Fall Baking Favorite!
Moist pumpkin spice muffins with a tangy cream cheese center and fluffy cream cheese frosting. This Starbucks-style copycat is perfect for cozy fall baking and tastes even better made at home.
Equipment
- 12-cup muffin tin
- Paper cupcake liners
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Wire rack
- Ice cream scoop
- Piping bag (optional)
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk large
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract pure
Pumpkin Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs large, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract pure
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract pure
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prep & Filling: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium bowl, beat 4 oz (113g) softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup (50g) sugar until smooth. Scrape bowl, add 1 large egg yolk and 1/2 tsp vanilla; mix on low just to combine. Set aside (refrigerate while making batter).
- Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups (190g) flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ginger, and 1/4 tsp cloves until evenly combined.
- Wet Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk 1 cup (200g) sugar, 1/2 cup (110g) brown sugar, 1 cup (225g) pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup (120ml) oil, 2 large eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth.
- Make Batter: Fold dry mixture into wet with a rubber spatula just until combined (do not overmix). A few small lumps are fine.
- Assemble: Fill liners about 1/2 full with batter. Add a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese filling to the center of each cup. Cover evenly with remaining batter to about 3/4 full.
- Bake: Bake 18–22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cake part (not the filling) comes out clean. Cool in pan 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (do not frost warm muffins).
- Frosting: Beat 8 oz (226g) softened cream cheese with 1/2 cup (113g) softened butter until smooth and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. With mixer on low, gradually add 3–4 cups (360–480g) sifted powdered sugar. Mix in 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/8 tsp salt, then whip 3–4 minutes until light. Spread or pipe onto fully cooled muffins.
Notes
Tips: Use room-temperature dairy and eggs for a smooth filling and frosting. Do not overmix the batter to keep muffins tender. Sifting powdered sugar ensures a lump-free frosting. For a bakery look, garnish with a pinch of cinnamon sugar or pumpkin spice. Store frosted muffins covered and refrigerated up to 3 days; bring to room temp before serving. Unfrosted muffins can be frozen (up to 2 months).