If pumpkin is your thing then these Caramel Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Filling will be your new favorite way to indulge! Modeled after my uber popular Pumpkin Caramel Cream Cheese Poke Cake, these cupcakes are loaded with flavor and deliciousness!
Caramel Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
These Caramel Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Filling could possibly be the ultimate fall treat! Filled with salted caramel and a whipped cream cheese filling, these cupcakes are beyond amazing.
And if that wasn’t enough, these pumpkin cupcakes are topped with more cream cheese frosting and drizzled with caramel. Uber moist, the perfect pumpkin flavor making the most amazing cupcake!
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My all-time most popular recipe on my blog is my Pumpkin Caramel Cream Cheese Poke Cake. It’s been Pinned and Google’d millions of times and continually goes viral every fall. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say this cake may have a cult following!
I’ve been asked countless times to turn that popular pumpkin cake recipe into cupcakes. Ask and you shall receive!! I’ve replicated that glorious pumpkin poke cake recipe into cupcakes, and they turned out even more amazing than the cake!
Here’s how to make these Caramel Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Filling
Step 1: Start with a spice cake mix as your base
Just like my original poke cake recipe, this recipe start with a simple spice cake mix. I’ve discovered that using cake mixes for poke cakes and cupcakes helps keep the recipe pretty fool-proof.
You’ll add pumpkin puree to the mix, along with eggs, water and oil (I prefer flavorless coconut oil).
Step 2: Pour batter into prepared cupcake pan with liners
For this specific recipe, I recommend using paper cupcake liners. They will come in handy when the cupcakes are filled with the caramel and filling after baking. Thanks to the liners, the caramel sauce will stay inside the cake and not leak out.
Here are some simple white paper cupcake liners (Amazon Affiliate Link) that I use often.
Step 3: Bake, cool & poke holes into the cupcakes
You’ll bake the cupcakes for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean and crumb-free.
Remove from the oven and then let cool to room temperature. Once cooled, begin poking holes into the cupcakes. I used the end of a chopstick to poke 4-5 holes into each cupcake.
Step 4: Pour Caramel Sauce into the holes
On each cupcake, drizzle the caramel sauce into each of the holes. I used 1-2 tsp. of sauce per cupcake.
Like my original pumpkin poke cake recipe, I actually used a simple store-bought caramel ice cream topping.
Step 5: Make the Whipped Topping Cream Cheese Frosting & Filling
This is basically cream cheese frosting, but better! Like my original poke cake recipe, I combined whipped topping, cream cheese and powdered sugar to make this cream cheese frosting extra fluffy. The flavor and fluffy texture of the frosting is perfect as both a filling and frosting.
I used a piping bag filling with the whipped topping frosting. The tip I used was a Wilton (size 16), which was perfect for filling the holes of each cupcake.
Step 6: Top the cupcakes with the remaining frosting & caramel
Once you’ve filled the holes of the cupcakes, you can then frost the top of each cupcake. I used a Wilton 1M cupcake frosting tip. You can use whatever tip you prefer, OR simply frost each cupcake with a knife. I will say that using a piping bag fitted with a frosting tip goes very quickly. Actually quicker than hand-frosting each cupcake.
Drizzle the top of each frosted cupcake with a drizzle of the remaining caramel topping. And yes, they taste just as amazing as they look!
The recipe will render about 22-24 cupcakes, so having a couple of these Non-Stick Muffin Pans will come in handy. These pans actually come in a two-pack from Amazon!
These cupcakes are fantastic to take to a classroom Halloween party, fall party or pot-luck. Be prepared to be asked for the recipe!
Love cupcakes? Check out some of my other fun cupcake recipes:
- Very Cherry Cupcakes
- Pina Colada Cupcakes
- Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes at It is a Keeper
Pumpkin Spice Cupcake FAQ’s:
- I don’t really like spice cake. Can I use a different flavored cake mix? Answer: Yes, definitely. A yellow cake mix would work great. Keep in mind that it will have a different flavor without the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, but still delicious none the less.
- I don’t have piping bags and tips. What should I do? Answer: No problem. You can do this a couple of ways. 1) Fill a resealable plastic bag with the filling. Cut a very small hole in the corner of the bag, and use this to fill the holes of each cupcake. Cut a slightly larger hole in the corder of the bag, and frost the tops of the cupcakes this way. 2) You can also simply spoon a bit of the filling on top of the holes you’ve poked into the cupcakes and press gently to get the filling into the holes. Feel free to frost the cupcakes with a knife or spatula.
- Instead of cupcakes, can I just make this in a 9 x 13″ cake pan? Answer: Yes, definitely! In fact, my recipe for Pumpkin Caramel Cream Cheese Poke Cake is exactly this, just in a cake pan.
If you loved these delicious Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, then be sure to check out some of my other similar pumpkin recipes:
- Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread
- Starbucks Pumpkin Scones
- Pumpkin Bars with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Layered Pumpkin Dessert Bars
- Velvety Pumpkin Crumb Cake
- Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookie Bars
Here’s the recipe for my delicious Caramel Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes here:
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Caramel Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Equipment
- Stand Mixer This KitchenAid Stand Mixer is a must-have tool for any home baker!
- Muffin Pan This non-stick muffin pan by Wilton is ideal for any muffin or cupcake recipe.
- Piping Tips and Bags These Wilton piping tips and bags are the perfect starter-set to have on hand for decorating cupcakes and cakes. Very economical, too!
Ingredients
- 1 (13.25 oz. box) spice cake mix
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup water
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted, unflavored (I use Carrington Farms Organic Coconut Cooking Oil)
- 3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping divided
For Filling & Frosting:
- 1 (8 oz. pkg.) cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (8 oz. carton) Cool Whip thawed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two (12 count) muffin tins with paper cupcake liners. Set aside.
- With a hand or stand mixer, mix together the cake mix, pumpkin, water, eggs and oil stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until smooth. Spoon or ladle batter into the prepared cupcake pan, with each cupcake about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean, and crumb free.
- Remove cupcakes from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Once cool, poke 4 or 5 holes into the cake with a chopstick or the end of a wooden spoon.
- In a microwave safe bowl, heat up a 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce for about 20-30 seconds, just to warm (making it easier to drizzle into the holes). Drizzle the warm caramel sauce into the holes of each cupcake, about 2 tsp. of sauce per cupcake.
- To prepare the frosting & filling: With a hand or stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy. On the slowest mixer setting, add the whipped topping one spoonful at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Using a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 16 tip, pipe each hole in the cupcakes with the filling.
- Using a larger cupcake tip (I used a 1M), pipe the remaining filling/frosting on top of each cupcake.
- Drizzle the top of each cupcake with the remaining 1/4 cup of caramel sauce.
- Enjoy right away. Refrigerate any leftovers. Cupcakes will keep refrigerated for 4-5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
i love your recipe this is delicious recipe……
thank you so much to sharing……..
Mmmm, this looks so good! What a fun dessert from the fabulous Cassie!
I’m going crazy looking at all the delicious pumpkin recipes shared at Tuesday Turn About this week! These cupcakes look delectable!
These look absolutely divine! I bet they’ll be a bigger hit than the cake!
Thanks for stopping by FF Erin!!
Mollie
I like the idea of using coconut oil but I’m making these for a party and one of the guests is allergic to coconut. I was wondering if avacodo oil would work in place of coconut and vegetable oil? I use it quite a bit for other cooking. Thank you
I made thes last night. Very tasty. It a little more work than the cake version,but more party friendly. I noticed the frosting ingredients were different than the cake. Just curious as to why? I think the spice cake mix definitly makes the pumpkin “pop”. Yellow cake mix is OK, but doesn’t do it.
Hey making these now so I may not get the answer in time but I’m decent at baking so I may look at consistency and go from there but it says I can of punkin, is that a small can or big … Also if home canned … Pint?/quart?
Thanks!
Hi Regi! 1 can = 14.5 oz can of pumpkin. Thank you for asking about this. I will be sure to edit the recipe to specify. Thank you and happy holidays! -Erin