Skinny pumpkin cupcakes, perfect for Halloween parties, Thanksgiving or anytime you want a low fat pumpkin treat.
This recipe couldn't be easier, I used a box of Golden Vanilla cake mix, some canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and water. No oil, butter or eggs added and the results were amazing!
These cupcakes are delicious naked, without frosting, but I thought creating a pumpkin spiced cream cheese frosting would be the perfect topping. If you want to get fancy and pipe it on like I did in the photos, you may have to make a little extra frosting, maybe 1 1/2 batches. But if you are making them for yourself and using spatula to smear some on, the amount listed here will be enough.
Pumpkin Cupcakes (no frosting)
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 24 • Serving Size: 1 cupcake • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 2 pts
Calories: 84.2 • Fat: 0.8 g • Protein: 0.6 g • Carb: 18.5 g • Fiber: 0.3 g • Sugar: 9.9 g
Sodium: 140.9 mg
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Frosting
Servings: 24 • Serving Size: 1 cupcake • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 121.1 • Fat: 2.8 g • Protein: 1.4 g • Carb: 23.2 g • Fiber: 0.5 g • Sugar: 13.9 g
Sodium: 142.3 mg
Ingredients:
- 18.25 oz Betty Crocker Golden Vanilla Super Moist Cake Mix*
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup canned 100% pure pumpkin
- 1 cup water
- 8 oz Philadelphia 1/3 fat cream cheese (do not use fat free)
- 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (canned is fine)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 5 tbsp packed brown sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake wrappers.
Combine cake mix and pumpkin spice in a large bowl. Add pumpkin puree and water, mix about 2 minutes.
For the frosting, combine the cream cheese, pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar until smooth. You can use a spatula to ice the cupcakes or pipe them which may require making more frosting.
Makes 24
*Betty Crocker has reduced their cake mixes, so read the labels on your box. Dunkin Hines still carries 18.25 oz boxes.
These look delicious!!! Perfect for a light fall treat!
ReplyDeleteI like that the frosting uses pumpkin as well. I love baking with pumpkin, but most of the time the other portion of the can goes to waste!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. My stomach just let out the BIGGEST growl at work. These look amazing! I can't wait to make them this weekend!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this recipe! I love pumpkin treats in the fall and have been drooling over all of the recipes I've found online. A WW friendly recipe is a miracle!
ReplyDeletei love cooking with pumpkin and it is the BEST fall flavor! i am having trouble finding it in the stores though. i live in michigan- has anyone else found this to be a problem? and is there anything i can do to substitute?
ReplyDeleteWhen I have leftover pumpkin, I put it in a ziploc bag in the freezer and lay it flat. It defrosts quickly for the next use.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAre you using a regular cupcake pan, or the mini one?
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Angie
They look absolutely great! And they don't have much calories what is their main advantage ;)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great recipe that I've used many times!!! Subbing the Vanilla cake mix with Spice Cake mix is very good...and using canned sweet potato is a good sub if you can't find the pumpkin.
ReplyDeleteThese are regular sized cupcakes, if they were mini I would certainly mention that. Hope you all enjoy!
ReplyDeleteAnd now to take this and convert to gluten free...Yummy! Thanks for the great idea. I can't wait to make these.
ReplyDeletewhat size can of pumpkin?
ReplyDeletePumpkin is my favorite. YUM!!!
ReplyDeleteYum, definitely making these asap! Love your blog :)
ReplyDeleteGina...I love you. Lol!
ReplyDeleteI love you and your blog. Thank you for teaching me how to cook. I am forever grateful for you and your amazing recipes that my whole family enjoys.
ReplyDeleteMust. Make. These. Tonight
ReplyDeleteLove it and thanks for sharing!
this sounds AMAZING!! and thanks to AJ above mentioning sweet potato for a substitute!
ReplyDeletePlease put together a cookbook. You will make millions! We will all buy a copy as well as copies for our friends and family!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYUMMY! These look great Gina and I can't wait to make them! This weekend I am going to make your pink lemonade cupcakes for the last time(summer is almost officially over) but I will be making these next and looking forward to all your yummy Fall recipes! Pureed pumpkin with boxed chocolate cake mix is amazingggg also! so moist and chocolate fudge-like! These must be so delicious too, love the pumpkin spiced cream cheese icing! you're the best, thank you Gina!!
ReplyDeleteWow, I am so happy Gina to find this recipe, we are on no sugar summersize diet, and having a sweet tooth doesn't help....yesterday I crashed the diet with 2 large superstore bought cupcakes.. felt so guilty but so good...now no reason to feel that guilty if i crash again LOL
ReplyDeleteThese look delicious...can't wait to try them!
ReplyDeletethese look amazing! i will definitely be making these this weekend!
ReplyDeleteOkay, seriously, I don't know which pumpkin recipe to make first! I love this time of year and fall is by far my favorite season. Btw the apples, pumpkin, and all the other wonderful fruit that's in right now.
ReplyDeleteOh baby, I'm making these tonight. I love your website :)
ReplyDeleteI love the pumpkin + cake batter combination. It's the best. So moist and delicious.
ReplyDeleteA 15 oz can of pumpkin would be enough.
ReplyDeleteDana, I will have to try it with chocolate!
I love you all too!! : )
My sis would flip out for this recipe. We do a pumpkin week every year on our blog (twin-tables.com) and I think I might just have to borrow your recipe (with full credit of course) for this year. Of course I might just make them and eat them too! YUM
ReplyDeletelooks delicious.
ReplyDeleteThese look so yummy! I love to bake to your website has helped me out a lot. I'm glad I read this while I was eating lunch or my stomach would be growling.
ReplyDeleteI sooo can't wait to try this I have bible study tomorrow night and usually bring something. This sounds like just the right cupcake to bring and get everyone ready for fall.
ReplyDeleteGina she is right. The chocolate ones are TO DIE FOR. So good. Just a can of pumpkin, devils food cake mix, no water or anything. DELICIOUS.
ReplyDeleteDo you have to refrigerate them after you ice them since the frosting has cream cheese in it? I never bake but will bend my rule for these!!
ReplyDeleteI really wish I knew where to buy canned pumpkin. Here in Holland it's not something we usually have in the shops! Maybe at the expat store... I simply HAVE to try these cupcakes!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to make these!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your blog! I recommend it to everyone! Even if I don't try all the recipes, just seeing your great pictures and ideas pop up in my google reader each day makes me happy - especially the pumpkin cupcakes today!
ReplyDeleteThanks...these look and sound delicious. I have some pumpkin puree in my freezer from last season. I know this tends to be more watery than canned pumpkin. Any idea how I might adjust the recipe proportions of canned pumpkin/water to keep the cupcakes the right consistency? Maybe just 2 cups of the puree? or 1½ cups puree and ½ cup water? I'm really not a good judge at adjusting recipes. LOL!
ReplyDeleteMaking these soon...they look fab, especially the icing! ;)
ReplyDeleteOh wow...these look great! I am so making them this weekend. There really is nothing like a pumpkin dessert that is LOW CAL!! Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteI popped a batch of these in the oven as soon as I saw them. Just in time for an after school snack! I didn't have enough time for the frosting so we just put some canned whipped cream on top, delicious! I love being able to give my kids a treat that I can feel good about. My 12 year old daughter loved them Thanks for another great recipe!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gina! I'll be giving these a try this weekend!
ReplyDeleteI just made these for my family and me. LOVE THEM! So tasty and moist. This will be a go-to recipe for sure.
ReplyDeleteLove pumpkin and can't wait to try. But I know a few that don't like pumkin, do you think this would work with applesauce?
ReplyDeleteCan you freeze these cupcakes? If so, frosted or unfrosted? Love your recipes and blog. Thanks, Marianne
ReplyDeleteAH! I was just wondering how I would satisfy my usual pumpkin/cream cheese craving this fall and stay on track. These will be perfect!
ReplyDeleteAs always, you are amazing!
OMG. Gina, you're my hero!
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog and I am so glad I did because low-fat pumpkin cupcakes? I.MUST.HAVE!!
ReplyDeleteOOH these look so so good! Thank you for posting this recipe! I have been dying for a healthier pumpkin spice cupcake recipe!
ReplyDeleteYummy!!! Cant wait to try!!!
ReplyDeleteI saw these and had to go to the store to pick up the ingredients after work. They are delicious! The frosting is so good. I made a double batch of the frosting and had leftovers, but that's okay with me!
ReplyDeleteYour blog helped get me back on track! I made these today with some dark chocolate chips instead of the icing. Easily one of the best things I've ever tasted. Thanks so much for this blog!
ReplyDeleteAlready made the frosting, tomorrow will finish the rest, Gina you have to make this into a bundt cake when you get time, thanks again for all you do and the delicious recipes.
ReplyDeleteThank you for these recipes -- especially for the pumpkin cream cheese frosting! Can't wait to try it.
ReplyDeleteI just made these as an early birthday surprise for my hubby...oh my gosh they are amazing! So moist and full of spice and pumpkin goodness :)
ReplyDeleteGadzooks, Gina! These look great! My 8 year old is a cake nut, so I'm thrilled to find a healthy AND tasty cake treat for him..He has not been a spice cake fan so far, but perhaps these pretty cupcakes with the fun fall theme will change his mind. I can hardly wait for the weekend when I'll have time to whip these up. Shhhhhhh.... Don't tell the kiddies that they're healthy!
ReplyDeleteI love that you also gave the frosting a pumpkin flavor. These are adorable the way you decorated them!
ReplyDeleteOkay, you're making me doubt my birthday cake ideas...pumpkin cupcakes would work too! I officially have two full days to make up my mind. And plan. And buy. And make. So yummy!
ReplyDelete@ Nicole, Not sure where you are from in Michigan, but I have had better luck at smaller grocery stores as opposed to Meijer. I live in metro Detroit, and the smaller Spartan stores have a lot of pumpkin, in fact in many different sizes of cans!
ReplyDeleteGina- my husband is on his second cupcake, I made these tonight to take to work tomorrow for my birthday!
They were amazing!!! My 2 year old even loved them. I agree that you need to make a cookbook I would buy them all. Thanks to you I now enjoy cooking and with weight watchers you are an ANGEL. I am preggo and have to limit my fatthanks to my gallbladder so your recipes have really helped me to have all the yummy foods i am craving
ReplyDeletethanks again and get cracking on those books lol
I made these tonight and already sampled one. They are absolutely delicious and will be a favorite fall treat for a long time to come! Thank you, Gina!!!!
ReplyDeleteI too usually make the canned pumpkin puree with the devil's food cake mix....and was wondering if I could mix it with any flavor cake! So that's a definite yes :) I think I will make these and add in some mini chocolate chips as someone else mentioned instead of the frosting, but the frosting does look so good. I just make your pumpkin dip for some apples!! LET PUMPKIN WEEK BEGIN haha
ReplyDeleteYou have outdone yourself here Gina. YUM! You make it so easy to eat skinny.
ReplyDeleteWill be making these this weekend
These look so delicious! I absolutely love pumpkin muffins (and you know, cupcakes can really just be considered muffins ;). I think I'll bake them and bring them in to school one morning to share with everyone :) Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to make these. I bet they smell devine too! I may just make them as muffins without the frosting. Yum.
ReplyDeleteOH MY! those looks so good and cute! I need to have a party and make some of these :)
ReplyDeleteLove that these actually aren't that bad for you. They sound so good!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to serve it during party! delicious!
ReplyDeleteWe're having a canned pumpkin shortage in Maryland. I need it for cooking, and also for my little mini-dachshund who has to have it every day for her special medical diet. Is the shortage happening everywhere? Does anyone know where I can find some?
ReplyDeleteOh, I just love this! These cupcakes sound super yummy!
ReplyDeleteOMG! I'm making these today!! :) Question, though...if I make 1.5 servings of the frosting, would I have to bump the points to 4?
ReplyDelete-Stephanie
Is golden vanilla the same as a white cake?
ReplyDeleteI think Golden Vanilla it's the same as yellow or butter cake. White would work too, but golden vanilla was better imp (I tried both).
ReplyDeleteWow, so many comments I woke up to this morning, I see you all love pumpkin!!
ReplyDeletePeople who don't like pumpkin don't like the pumpkin pie spice, I bet they would love them if you left that out and used cinnamon instead.
I would freeze them without the frosting.
Once frosted, they should be refrigerated. I would only frost the ones you plan on eating right away, keep the rest of the frosting in the refrigerator for when you are ready to eat the rest.
Happy Birthday Wendy!
Rose, I can easily find organic pumpkin at the organic store, Libby's is really hard to find at the moment.
STephanie, 4 points would be safe to say for extra frosting.
I just joined this website - is there a way to print the recipes without all of the pictures yet include all of the instructions? I tried the pdf and it still included everything. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite way to make cupcakes! Sometimes I will mix it up and put in some chopped nuts and fruit (like crasins or dried cherries) and make them more like muffins. SO delicious. I will have to make them frosted for the next party at work! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteDD just emailed this to me. They are going in the oven shortly. YUMMO!!
ReplyDeleteBTW; thank U SO much for the points on each recipe. Nina
didnt know they made a GOLDEN VANILLA CAKE MIX. will look here on Long Island. dont remember seeing it on my store shelves.
ReplyDeleteI check your site daily for new recipes!! I made these cupcakes last night...delish!! I couldnt finde the golden vanilla cake and used french vanilla instead...yum!! thanks for all your great recipes!!
ReplyDeleteFOR YOUR INFORMATION:
ReplyDeleteBetty crocker is in the process OF DOWNSIZING ALL CAKE MIX BOXES.
THE GOLDEN VANILLA WILL GO FROM 18.25 ounces to
15.25 ounces soon.
NOT SURE HOW THIS WILL AFFECT RECIPES.
Diane
I SPOKE WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE TODAY AND SHE INFORMED ME OF THIS.
ReplyDeleteDiane
These look so yummy. Going to make a batch to share with my coworkers Monday :)
ReplyDeleteThese sound amazing and are so low in points! I've only been able to find Libby's at Pathmark...my local Shop Rite does not have it. I went to the Libbys site and did a product search and it only came up in select supermarkets near me. Try searching near you. I have about 3 cans at home right now just in case I have trouble finding it again.
ReplyDeleteCan you used all-spice instead of pumplin pie spice?
ReplyDeleteThey are already in the oven... this is the hardest part- waiting for them to bake!!! Thanks for the great recipe:)
ReplyDeleteGina,
ReplyDeleteI searched this morning and found the Vanilla cake mix for the recipe. Earlier I wrote that Betty Crocker was downsizing their product for the vanilla from 18.25 ounces to 15.25 ounces and that is all they had on the shelf...
Would this change the recipe?
Please help as I would like to make them soon.
Diane
I have them baking away in the oven, and cannot wait to try these! Couldn't find the same cake mix, so I used something else, hope it doesn't change the taste much!
ReplyDeleteLove your site, haven't had a recipe I haven't liked yet! Thanks Gina!
You should have an option of shutting the photos off when you print. If you are having issues, email me.
ReplyDeleteYou can make them without pumpkin spice if you're not a fan, any spice you like would work.
Any yellow, butter, vanilla cake mix should work. Downsizing their cake mix? THAT IS SO ANNOYING! It's a sneaky way of raising prices, I prefer they just raise the price! I've made this with 1 1/4 cups pumpkin and 1 1/8 cups water and they turned out fine, so I don't think it would hurt them.
ok so using the decreased cake mix size is ok? just leave all the other ingredients as you listed them?
ReplyDeleteDiane
You are correct, there is a remove images options (learn something new every day)! Thank you. I love your website and am thrilled you included WW points!
ReplyDeletehow come so many are having trouble finding PUMPKIN???
ReplyDeleteDiane
I WILL be making these this weekend- perfect fall treat for the fall weather that just rolled in :D
ReplyDeletei made these today! i love pumpkin. they are great!! and easy. mine stuck to the paper liners a little bit, but otherwise no problems. next time ill have to spray my cupcake liners to prevent then from sticking. still delish tho!
ReplyDeleteyummy i made these last night, half with mini chocolate chips and half without! these are sooooo good :) i even ate 3 for breakfast lol
ReplyDeleteFall is in the air - cannot wait to try these! Nothing like cinnamon and pumpkin to brighten my day. :)
ReplyDeleteLove that these are skinny even with a boxed mix!
ReplyDeletemy sister found the pumpkin at Walmart- in 30 oz cans!! i also found a recipe to make my own pumpkin puree... haven't tried it yet, but i am excited to :)
ReplyDeletefor those of you who will want to know, the recipe for the pumpkin is avaliable at http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/10/make-your-own-pumpkin-puree/
Gina,
ReplyDeleteLove your recipes and make them constantly. Quick question, how many pints do you think they would be without the frosting?
And for a previous poster, how many dark chocolate chips did you put in. I wonde what the point value is then?
Duh, sorry, I meant points not pints.
ReplyDelete@ pst1969...at top of recipe GINA says how many points without frosting....
ReplyDelete: )
I made this this afternoon and my, my, my they are awesome. I only had a Pillsbury SF Moist Deluxe Yellow Cake on hand so I used that. Not sure how different from your original it tasted but the ones I made tasted wonderful. WW leader told me SF cake mix was 4 PP for 1/12 so I counted these as 2PP as well since I made 24. Did not trust myself having that awesome frosting on hand so just using SF cool whip to top..yummy, thanks Gina!!
ReplyDeleteFor those wondering where all the canned pumpkin has gone, it's due to wet muddy conditions during harvest the past two years. 75% of Libby's canned pumpkin is grown in Illinois and they have had all kinds of rain in fall 2009 and 2010. Libby's is the major supplier of canned pumpkin in the country, so there you have it. Keep your fingers crossed for 2011.
ReplyDeleteI just made these! Can't wait to have them after dinner!! :) We used almost the same cake mix - Betty Crocker Moist Mix Vanilla. :)
ReplyDeleteMaria
Looks so yummy! Perfect for fall!
ReplyDeleteJust made these tonight - used the box of golden vanilla - it was only 15 oz instead of the 18oz you listed! So I only added 3/4th cup water and the 15oz of pumpkin - they turned out PERFECT. Loved the frosting too - Over on dollarstorecrafts blog tonight (http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2011/09/mind-blowing-cake-decorating-tip/) - she shared a clever trick to using plastic wrap in your icing bag to easily pipe it on. The amount of icing you had listed was MORE than enough to cover the cupcakes once i used this trick so none went to waste in the icing bag. and cleanup only took 30 seconds! So good GINA! I hope you make a cookbook soon I would rather have them all in a beautiful book then have to print everything out! I LOVE it all!
ReplyDeleteThese look so darn good! Can't wait to try them! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI made these yesterday afternoon. They are sooooo yummy!!! Next time I think I'm going to cut down on the pumpkin pie spice. I only used cinnamon in the frosting. I love the frosting so much, I think I will just make it for my bagel thins. How many points is the frosting alone?
ReplyDeleteDo you think you can make this into a loaf? Since frosting isn't an option in my house I was thinking it might make a great breakfast bread.
ReplyDeleteMade these last night! Accidentally used Fat Free cream cheese for the frosting, but it turned out fine anyway :)
ReplyDeleteThese are very tasty. I brought some to my Weight Watchers meeting to share with the staff!
Babe.....these were yummy....
ReplyDeleteGlad so many liked them too
Luv you
Hubby
Aww, my hubby left a comment :)
ReplyDeleteThese should be ok in a loaf, why not. Gotta check out the tip on the frosting and plastic wrap, thank you!
I'm glad you all liked them!! I make my own pumpkin puree, it's simple! I guess since there is a shortage, I should post this.
YES! Was looking for yummy pumpkin recipes in time for Halloween, these look incredible. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteJust made this, they came out great! I did let the frosting cool a bit in the fridge before putting them onto the cupcakes. Fantastic without the frosting as well! Thanks so much, Gina!
ReplyDeleteI have no boxed cake mix right now, but I am in need of these cupcakes, do you have a recipe for a homemade cake mix?
ReplyDeleteI really liked the cupcake part. I made the frosting too, but I thought that it was too strong or something. So I scraped it off and just ate the cupcake part. I love this site!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds amazing but I think I'd prefer a non-pumpkin cream cheese icing. Do you have suggestions for that? Just leave the pumpkin out?
ReplyDeleteI made these with a spice cake mix instead.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what happened but the frosting was very runny for me. I tried piping it but it didn't work because it wasn't thick enough. I followed the recipe perfectly - no idea why it did this! Regardless, the cupcakes tasted wonderful - I highly recommend this recipe! My grocery did not have Golden Vanilla, so I had to use Butter Yellow. I put it a little extra cinnamon and it worked out fine. So yummy!
ReplyDeleteI have the first batch in the oven right now and they smell AMAZING! I remember there was a pumpkin shortage last year because of a bad growing season. Maybe the shortage in some areas right now is still an overhang from that. I'm going to have to go buy a few more cans to make sure I don't run out. Thanks for the recipe Gina. I can't wait until these cool, so I can frost and eat one.
ReplyDeleteThese are absolutely wonderful! I just made the frosting, frosted one and gave it a try. Yumm! Although I'm usually not a big frosting fan, I love this. It's not sickly sweet like most frostings. THANKS GINA!
ReplyDelete@ Diane - I made these with the 15.25 oz cake mix and still used 1 cup of pumpkin and 1 cup of water and they came out fine. I just found that they made less than 24 cupcakes... mine made about 18...maybe I put too much cake mix in the cups - although it looked like 2/3 and the came out like the pic.
ReplyDeleteYou are a culinary genius! Tried two of your recipes today and they were amazing. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteJust finished making these! Wow, Gina! These have the moist texture of an uber-decadent fat bomb without the guilt! Tasted so rich that I was well satisfied with eating just one. I think I may put just a smidge less than 1/2 cup of pumpkin in my frosting next time. It was just a little heavier and wetter than yours looked in the picture. My husband actually wants MORE pumpkin pie spice in the cake! Guess he likes it spicy-hot.... Thanks for the superb recipe! Can't wait to show it off at work on Monday!!!
ReplyDeleteHey Gina! I LOVE YOUR BLOG!!!!
ReplyDeleteHey about these- the only thing I can find at the store at the moment is Pumpkin Pie Filling- it seems to have all the spices already in there- should I not use the pie spice or less of it, maybe
~Amanda
Made these and unfortunately they didn't come out right. I think my oven doesn't work right. My husband and I ate the tops off the cupcakes as thats all that would fully cook and they were DELICIOUS! I will write a review after maintenance comes and fixes my stove and I try these again. I LOVE your blog, your have great recipes!
ReplyDeleteI wish canned pumpkin was readily available here in Switzerland... it's one of the American products I miss the most!
ReplyDeleteI think I love you! These look so amazing and easy. Your site is one of my favorite that I visit everyday. Thank you for making cooking fun and easy and most of all healthy!
ReplyDeleteI made these today, and let me give a big fat YUM rating to these. So very good Gina! I love you and your site. I have made many of your recipes, and every single one is absolutely fabulous!! You rock girl! :)
ReplyDeleteI lose track of time when I come to your web site. Thank YOU for taking your time to dedicate to this amazing journey!
ReplyDeleteI tried to skim through the comments to see if anyone else has asked this question but I don't think so. I was craving a Pumpkin Spice Latte yesterday so I went back to last fall's posting & mixed up your pumpkin butter. LOVED the latte so much I made your whole wheat pancakes & smothered them in the pumpkin butter - YUM YUM!!!!
Now my 5 year old daughter saw your Pumpkin Cupcakes & has requested them but my can of lonely pumpkin is made into pumpkin butter! I am wondering if you think the butter mixture could be substituted for the canned pumpkin? Perhaps a little tweak in the recipe? What do you think?
Keep up the great work, Gina!
Kimberly
Your recipes are so great! I've tried the Rice Krispy Treats, the Low Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies and the Skinny Taco Dip (all of which were HUGE hits)!! I'm really looking forward to trying the Pumpkin Cupcakes!
ReplyDeleteI linked your recipes to my Pinterest and my blog (www.kinsleyandadam.blogspot.com) so others can enjoy your delicious recipes!
Gina,
ReplyDeleteDo I prepare the cake mix first than add pumpkin to it or is it just the pumpkin and water to the powder? Sorry, I'm a little confused.
I made the cupcakes (without the frosting) today and they are insanely delicious :-) Thank you for the fantastic recipe!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am totally going to make these today! I found some Libby's pumpkin puree at my local Target in the baking section next to the pie fillings. They only had the large cans though. :)
ReplyDeleteI just made these and the cake mix was 18.25 or 5, I can't remember and we already took the garbage out.
ReplyDeleteThe cupcakes turned out perfectly. Light and fluffy. We had to use "butter yellow" as we didn't have golden.
The icing, as some others have mentioned, turned out runny. I'm not sure if it's because I had to use canned pumpkin instead of homemade puree or what. I did use less than a half cup, just by a bit. To help thicken the icing, and since I assumed that I'd need to make a double batch to use my frosting tips, I just added a second 8 oz of 1/3 Philly and about 5 T of brown sugar and about a 1 t of cinnamon. That helped to thicken it up. It still tasted strongly enough of pumpkin and spice so it turned out really well. Very delicious. Thanks so much for posting this recipe Gina! My hubby said it tastes like a Pumpkin Spice Latte ;)
I meant to say-- adding that extra cr. cheese made a LOT more extra icing. We'll probably freeze it and find something else to put it on. Shouldn't be hard to do as everything on your site is fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI am having a really tough time finding canned pumpkin. The closest I've found is a can of pumpkin pie mix from Libby's. I am hoping that the only difference is that I won't need to add the pumpkin pie spice. We'll see what happens!
ReplyDeleteOnly 2 pp!? Fantastic!
ReplyDeleteLibby's pumpkin pie mix works just as well I think. I was able to find a 30 oz. can and that was more than enough for the cupcakes and the icing. I left out the pumpkin pie spice, assuming it was already in the mix. The icing wasn't as solid as I'd like, maybe I'll add more than the 8 oz of cream cheese next time. Overall, they are perfect! A big hit at our house!
ReplyDeleteThese came out heavenly! I can not believe there is no oil in them. I decided to be bold and used a spice cake mix and they came out perfect. My daughter couldn't stop raving about them. She especially adored the icing. I have said it before--YOU are a cooking goddess. Thank you for the fantastic recipes and the gorgeous pictures.
ReplyDeleteWOW made these last night! I have seriously never ever made any "cake" formula that was this moist.. had to use a little extra brown sugar as the amount called for was a little too cream cheese tasting.. DELISH!!!
ReplyDeleteI made these yesterday and they turned out awesome! My hubby doesn't like cream cheese, so instead of icing I threw in some chocolate chips. So good!
ReplyDeleteGreat cupcakes! Thank you, my family loves them!
ReplyDeleteMy family loved these. Much better than a previous recipe I used. I must have done something wrong on the icing. Didn't care for it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting such a great and simple recipe.
Made these on friday - SO MOIST and delish! I actually preferred them without the icing, and better on points! YUM!
ReplyDeleteAnyone try making these with Betty Crocker Vanilla GLUTEN FREE cake mix? dying to try these but would have to be gluten free. My mouth is watering!
ReplyDeleteJust made these and they are so delicious no one even knew they where healthier, thanks for all your recipes they are helpful in the ww department
ReplyDeleteI just made a batch of these too- YUM! And as happy as I am that they are healthy, I can't thank you enough for the cupcake ideas without eggs- my daughter has an egg allergy so most cupcakes are off-limits for her. She has eaten 2 of these already and I'm pretty sure she's going to be begging for a third :)
ReplyDeleteI just made these and they are delicious! Would you please publish a cookbook? I keep using up a lot of paper printing all your recipes.
ReplyDeleteI made these with the 15.25oz box of cake mix, which worked just fine! Very moist and such a hit!!
ReplyDeleteMy 6 year old son wants me to make these for his Birthday Party next month! Pumpkin is one of his favorites and when he saw these on the screen, he knew they would be perfect! Thanks for the recipe, I cannot wait to make them.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely amazing as always Gina...love these plain and with the icing. Even my 3.5 year old loved them...he was eating the batter! :)
ReplyDeleteOMG so very good! I love frosting and can't believe I am saying this....thes were GREAT without it! Great with it too. Made many of your recipes and I always love them!!
ReplyDeleteI cannot figure out how you get 24 cupcakes.
ReplyDeleteI stretched this as far as I could and made 16.
Had they been any smaller they would not have filled the muffin liners and they would have been "mini" sized.
What did I do wrong?
Kim, how many oz was the box of cake mix?
ReplyDeleteHow would it taste without the pumpkin pie spice?!?! I don't have any, can't run to the store..and want to make them right now!! :) I do have the pumpkin and cake batter..
ReplyDeleteJenny: Maybe you could use cinnamon and nutmeg?
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to make these!! I am having a hard time finding pumpkin though.. Went to 4 stores today and no pumpkin.. Gonna hit walmart otherwise I am trying them with sweet potatoes..
ReplyDeleteDebi
I made these tonight with my son! They are delicious!!!
ReplyDeletejust made these and they are great! I used white cake mix though, and maybe would use a spice mix or a butter pecan cake mix next time for more flavor!
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Though I did fill the cups a little more than two-thirds, so it yielded 19 instead of 24 cupcakes. Oops! But I ended up with a lot of extra frosting. So that balances out to 3 PointsPlus still, right? ;)
ReplyDeleteThese are really good, i actually like them better w/o the icing...who ever thought a cupcake could be awesome even without frosting!?!
ReplyDeleteBETTY CROCKER HAS CHANGED THE OUNCES IN THE BOXED CAKE MIXES...SURELY IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE OUTCOME...
ReplyDeleteALL CAKE MIXES HAVE BEEN DOWN SIZED...
DIANE
These look amazingly delicious and simple!
ReplyDeleteThese are fantastic! I think I like them better without the frosting, which is saying a lot. (However, I am pregnant again and my taste buds are doing crazy things!!!) My husband was convinced they were not "diet food". He even took some to work today to share. Thanks, Gina!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I used Duncan Hines Butter Yellow as the ounces were the same as posted in the recipe. Turned out great!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited to try this. I love pumpkin!!! But everything that I love...I feel so guilty about. YAY for almost guilt free pumpkin cupcakes!!
ReplyDeleteI made these over the weekend and they were very good. I had the same problem that others are mentioning with the frosting though. It was SO runny. I tried to pipe it on and it just came running out of the bag. I ended up having to just spread it on with a butter knife and then refrigerate the cupcakes to get them to set up a little. They were very delicious, but I am leery to make them again because of the icing issue-any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteI made these last night - wow! they are sooo good! Thanks for posting! I can't believe they are so few point plus for something so yummy! - Oh, and my frosting came out perfect!
ReplyDeleteI apparently followed the advise online last year about there being a pumpkin shortage - because I found 7 cans of pumpkin in the pantry! I'll be making your pumpkin butter and swirled cheesecakes later this week. Keep those pumpkin recipes coming! :o)
I'm not a huge pumpkin fan, but I'm making these! 3 PPV with icing...YES!
ReplyDeleteI made these and took them to work, and they got gobbled up! One question, though. I couldn't get the frosting to set up right. It was way too thin and runny - more like a glaze than a frosting. What did I do wrong?
ReplyDeleteThe cake part was amazing, though :)
No pumpkin spice use nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon instead.
ReplyDeleteSusan, good for you :)
Frosting: Maybe your pumpkin puree was too wet? I would put it on a paper towel to soak up any excess moisture. Make sure you DONT use fat free cream cheese, that would be very watery and could be the problem.
It needs to be cold, refrigerated before you pipe it. I kept it in the fridge till I was ready.
@Gina
ReplyDeleteYeah come to think of it, I think it was a smaller box.
made these tonight! the frosting does taste WAAAAAY cream-cheesy. i actually only frosted 6 cupcakes and threw the rest away. should i try making it again using less cream cheese and more of the other ingredients? i promised, i followed the measurements EXACTLY, but the frosting is just not sweet enough.
ReplyDeletethe cake is REALLY good though.
Made these tonight and the cupcakes are AMAZING and perfect! I too could only find the 15.25 box, so cut the water down to 3/4th with everything else the same. I messed up the frosting though, it was runny and rather nasty tasting, lol, but I just saw your tips and I did everything wrong! OOPS! SO I'll be remaking the frosting for sure! :) I had used fat free cream cheese as I already had it on hand and my canned pumpkin was VERY runny, so will definitely use your tip for that too! Thank you again so much for the amazing recipes! I live off your recipes and just LOVE them! Thank you!
ReplyDeletei didn't have any issues with the frosting being runny, it is true you just need to keep it in the fridge.
ReplyDeletei just looked at your recipe for the skinny red velvet cupcakes -- you made the cream cheese frosting differently. I'm wondering if i just did that and added the pumpkin spice it would taste better (since it contains a whole cup of powdered sugar)?? my big issue with the frosting is it tastes too cream cheesey...hmm.
by the way, the man just got home and HE LOVES THE CUPCAKES. frosting and all. WIN. he usually hates desserts!!
Just made these. Delicious! The frosting is on the thinner side, but definitely not runny. It is not sweet in the way regular frosting is, but on these cupcakes it is perfect. I don't think I would even like a traditional frosting on these.
ReplyDeleteI've made many of your recipes since joining WW, but not too many desserts yet. Now with Fall beginning, I want to try some healthier desserts for school lunches and after-school snacks for the kids. Can't wait too surprise them with these later today.
Thanks for this great website!
*to
ReplyDeletei made these for a church tag sale and one thing though. do NOT putt too much pumpkin in it. use the exact amount or else it will be too moist to where it tasted uncooked. Also it will help if you spray the cupcake liners with non stick spray. My cupcakes stuck to them :o(
ReplyDeleteThe frosting was good as well!! But it is a MUST to follow the amount of ingredients or else you will get pumpkin overkill.
oh and i made the mistake of using canned pumpkin for the frosting. it overpowered the cream cheese flavor.
ReplyDeletePerhaps that's why my cupcakes came out too moist? I had used the kind of canned pumpkin that is use for the pie filling. i had two cans of it from last thanksgiving.
I love cream cheese frosting, but you could always add more sugar to it if it's not sweet enough, or you can just use cream cheese, sugar to taste and pumpkin spice and leave out the pumpkin.
ReplyDeleteDo NOT use fat free cream cheese, it will be runny!!
And check the size of the box, if it's smaller, use less water as others mentioned.
I have a silly question, it says combine cake mix, pumpkin pie spice, water and pumpkin for the cupcakes ... Do you also add the water and vegetable oil that the cake mix calls for?
ReplyDeleteNo no, dont add oil, eggs, or anything else.
ReplyDeleteThese did not turn out for me...a bit mushy and the spice taste was a bit off for the icing. I didn't like...but I do like everything else of yours I have tried.
ReplyDeleteI made these last night, first time experimenting with cake mix + canned pumpkin. Not too shabby. They are very sweet and the texture is very tender/soft, but delicious plain. My frosting had a bit of a gooey texture to it and seemed too thin, so I added some powdered sugar, thinking it would thicken it. Don't. It made it "wetter." So instead we had cupcakes with creamy pumpkin spread! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes.
ReplyDeleteJust made these for hubby's birthday...L.O.V.E them! Thinking of using the frosting as a filler...yum! I have found so many amazing recipes on this site. Usually new recipes turn out to be flops in my house. So far, everything has been amazing and my husband even asks for me to make them again. I even made the Black & White Chocolate Chip Clouds for a school potluck and had many requests for the recipe :). Thanks Skinny Taste!!
ReplyDeleteIf anyone is have problems with the cupcakes being mushy, MAKE SURE YOUR CAKE MIX IS 18.25 OZ. Betty Crocker has reduced her cake mixes, Duncan Hines still carries the same weight.
ReplyDeleteAlso, FAT FREE cream cheese will not work in the frosting. It will be to wet. Refrigerate icing so that it is cold before you pipe.
Husband just said "these are the best muffins I've ever had." Which made us both laugh when I pointed out they were cupcakes. Very tastey... Just wish I had the cream cheese for the frosting!
ReplyDeleteI made these last weekend because I love pumpkin anything! I thought the cupcakes were great without the frosting. I think I was the only one in my family that didn't care for the frosting though! If I make these again, I will omit the pumpkin from the icing and just use cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla, and the spices. I'd love to see more apple recipes on here too--tis the season!
ReplyDeleteHelp! LOL! There is a difference between pumpkin pie filling, 100% pure pumpkin, and pureed pumpkin correct? Can I substitute the pureed pumpkin in the frosting with canned pure pumpkin? This question sounds funny but I can't find canned pureed pumpkin...only canned pumpkin pie filling and 100% pure pumpkin...and I know there is a big difference between the two. Thanks Gina!
ReplyDeleteOMG, these cupcakes are AMAZING! I usually haven't cared for the lo-fat dessert recipes I've found elsewhere, but you can't even tell that these ARE lo-fat!! and they were so easy! The only thing I might do differently would be to whip the cream cheese before adding the other frosting ingredients---I had some cream cheese lumps in the frosting. In all, FABULOUS recipe, a keeper!!!
ReplyDeleteCanned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same. sorry if I confused you!
ReplyDeletePumpkin pie filling is already sweetened which is different.
I like the idea of the cream cheese frosting with brown sugar!
I made these with Duncan Hines super moist cake mix since it was an 18.25 oz box. They were too moist and kind of mushy. They tasted good though.
ReplyDeleteGina,
ReplyDeleteI love your recipes. I made these tonight for my friends and they absolutely loved them. One of my friends suggested I make it into a loaf..would take longer or just 20-25 minutes like the cupcakes? Thanks
Help! I tried repeatedly to print off this recipe, using the PDF print mechanism on the page, and the only thing showing up to be printed are the comments. I'd love to be able to print the recipe....Could you please check to see if something has been disabled in the recipe printing? Thanks much!
ReplyDeleteGina- thank you for another fabulous recipe!!! love the taste and note to self...don't use dark brown sugar as it makes the frosting brown rather than orange : ) still a mighty tasty treat though!!! also, this recipe is easily converted to a gluten-free recipe using a gluten-free cake mix and just adding the spice and pumpkin (still using the box requirements as well). my dad LOVED THEM! thank you again
ReplyDeleteone quick question- how do i keep my cupcakes from sticking to the paper? am i using cheap paper or ????
I made these with a gluten-free Betty Crocker yellow cake mix. It was the 15 oz, but they don't carry a larger box. They still turned out though and they are AMAZING! I absolutely love them, the frosting is to die for. My mother-in-law makes pumpkin rolls that are a huge hit during the holidays, and the frosting reminds me so much of those! So so SO good! Thanks for the recipe--your site is incredible!!!
ReplyDeleteJust had to post a follow up to my first comment. I did remake the frosting and followed the directions this time (LOL, oops, learned my lesson that fat free cream cheese is NOT the same as the light version!) and it turned out PERFECT! Thank you again, Gina, for such wonderful recipes! I can't say enough how much you inspire me and have helped me discover the joys of homemade cooking and the extra fun of keeping it light without losing taste! I lost over 50 pounds last year and you have been such a godsend in helping me keep it off as I NEVER feel deprived!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and I just made these and they were DELICIOUS!! The only thing is that I didn't find the frosting quite sweet enough and I preferred the cupcakes without the frosting (which NEVER happens) because they were so moist. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI made these today! They are so good I brought some of them to a new mom I was bringing dinner to anyway instead of my usual brownies, they don't taste "diet" at all!
ReplyDeleteHi Gina, love your blog! So many good things on here!! I just had a couple of quick questions about this recipe... I'm in Australia, and we don't have canned pumpkin or pumpkin spice here. Can you tell me what is in pumpkin spice so I can make my own spice mix? Also, would I be able to just boil and mash my own pumpkin to make a pumpkin puree as a substitute for the canned pumpkin you've used? Cheers!
ReplyDelete