Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cupcakes Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

ByAnn Drake October 14, 2020May 2, 2023

These pumpkin snickerdoodle cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are perfect for fall gatherings. They start out with a cake mix, and couldn’t be easier!

Hello everyone! Elizabeth here, and today I’m welcoming you into my kitchen! For those of you who might not know, I’m Ann’s daughter, and I occasionally visit my mom’s blog to share a recipe, or something I’ve done around my house. I love all things snickerdoodle, and all things pumpkin, and these cupcakes are the perfect combination of both. They are also extremely moist, and have just the right amount of spice.

Ingredient Notes + Variations

Using a box cake mix and canned pumpkin is such a time-saver, and these cupcakes taste like they are made from scratch.
This recipe can also be made into a pumpkin cinnamon chip cake. Prepare a bundt pan, pour in the batter, and bake according to the directions on the cake box. If you don’t want to make the cream cheese frosting, here are two other options. Heat a container of store-bought vanilla frosting in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Stir in one teaspoon of cinnamon. Drizzle over the cooled bundt cake. Or simply dust the bundt cake with powdered sugar.

About the Cinnamon Chips

Hershey’s cinnamon chips can be found in the baking aisle of your grocery store. They usually appear in September, and disappear after Thanksgiving. If you can’t find them, you can order them online.

If you can’t find the cinnamon chips, and don’t want to order, just leave them out. These pumpkin snickerdoodle cupcakes are still very tasty! A reader left a comment below saying that she used butterscotch chips, and that they were delicious.

These pumpkin snickerdoodle cupcakes are perfect for fall gatherings. They start out with a cake mix, and couldn't be easier!

How to Make

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Put first six ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl.
Beat according to directions on cake box.
Add cinnamon chips. Mix until combined.
Place cupcake liners in the vessels of a muffin pan or spray each vessel with Baker’s Joy.
Using a large scoop, fill vessels with batter.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
Add the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and cinnamon to the bowl of a stand mixer.
Mix on medium-high until well combined.
Add half the bag of powdered sugar. Mix well. Keep adding powdered sugar until the frosting is the desired consistency. You will have about 1/4 of the bag left.
Top cupcakes with frosting. Store in an airtight container.
Refrigerate leftover frosting for up to 2 weeks.

Perfectly Sized Cupcakes

To get the perfect size for your cupcakes, and one that looks beautiful with the frosting, use a large scoop. The scoop should not be overfilled. The cinnamon cream cheese frosting that goes on these cupcakes is delicious…and it really adds so much flavor.

pumpkin snickerdoodle cupcakes with butter cream frosting

How to Pipe a Cupcake

Using a spatula, fill your piping bag (fitted with a tip) about ¾ of the way full with frosting.
Squeeze the frosting down towards the tip of the bag, and then twist the open end to close it. It’s important to make sure that there is no air inside.
Hold your bag with the tip in the middle of the cupcake.
Squeeze your bag, and move the tip in a circular motion around the cupcake – I like to move clockwise.
Once you’ve piped a complete circle, continue to pipe smaller circles on top until you have your desired amount of frosting on the cupcake.

pumpkin snickerdoodle cupdake on mini pedestal no text

*Some links lead to shops or websites where my mom is an affiliate. Click HERE for her full disclosure.

More Pumpkin Recipes

Favorite Baking Supplies

There is nothing better than the smell of pumpkin combined with cinnamon baking in the oven. If you are in the mood to bake, I highly recommend these pumpkin snickerdoodle cupcakes. They will definitely put you in the mood for Fall!