3D Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes without a Mold

3D Mini pumpkin spice cupcakes using an easy 2 bowl method. Stable at room temperature and perfectly portioned for Halloween and Thanksgiving parties.

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I really wanted to make mini 3D Pumpkin Cupcakes for our Halloween party this year. After hosting several holiday parties last year, I realized that I preferred our dessert table to have mini-sized treats that were room-temperature stable in order to provide perfect portions for our guests and ensure food safety.

These mini pumpkin spice cupcakes were adapted from a recipe on my blogger pal and cake master, Olivia's LivforCake site. I tend to make lighter, more airy Asian-style baked goods like Japanese cake rolls and Asian bakery fruit cakes. I knew that these stand-alone pumpkin cupcakes would need a sturdier construction and I thought of Olivia's specialty right away: layered cakes. Her original Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake recipe adapted wonderfully for these mini cupcakes. I'm excited to showcase these on our dessert table this Halloween (and possibly Thanksgiving dinner too). Try it and let me know how it goes, I would love to hear from you.

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy - Using the 2-bowl Method, simply, stir, pour and bake.
• Delicious all on its own - no need for big heaps of frosting
• Festive - cute 3D pumpkin look that you can use as gifts and table settings.
• Party portioned - perfect size for Halloween parties & Thanksgiving dinner
• Stable at room temperature - great for dessert tables, school and gifts.

What Do These Pumpkin Cupcakes Taste Like?

These cupcakes are full of pumpkin and spice flavors. It has a moderately-strong sweetness level (stronger if using the optional caramel sauce). The texture tends towards the dense and moist side. The flavor and texture help it work as a stand-alone cupcake, as a loaf cake or in a layer cake.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes

• All-purpose flour - is a versatile flour with a mid-rage protein content between 10-12%. It can be substituted with cake flour, the cupcakes will be softer and looser.
• Baking powder - leavening agent
• Ground cinnamon - All the spices together can be substituted with pumpkin pie spice in equal amounts.
• Ground ginger - see above
• Ground nutmeg - see above
• Ground cloves -see above
• Fine sea salt - highlights the flavors in the cake. It can be substituted with most other fine salts in equal amounts.
• Unsalted butter, melted & cooled - microwave it at 15 second intervals until almost fully melted. Stir to melt the remaining amount. Cool before using.
• Neutral flavored oil* - examples: canola, grapeseed, avocado oils.
• Granulated sugar - adds sweetness and tenderizes the cake.
• Light brown sugar - adds sweetness and tenderizes the cake.
• Pumpkin puree* - do NOT use pumpkin filling. See below.
• Egg, room temperature - large size

Pumpkin Decorations

• Pretzel sticks - I used Tomato Pretz sticks here, you can get similar results with this brand shipped to your house.
• Powdered sugar, sifted - a.k.a icing sugar.
• Butter, room temperature - ensure it's at room temperature, otherwise, it will be very hard to cream by hand.
• Green gel food color - gel colors are a form of potent food coloring that won't add excessive moisture to baked goods. I prefer this brand.
• Optional: caramel sauce - I used the one from Trader Joe. It is thick and not too runny, perfect for this cupcake. The buttercream decorations hold up well on top of this sauce.

Supplies

• Regular kitchen tools PLUS:
• Mini cupcake pan (24 cavity)
• Mini cupcake wrappers
• Piping bag - I prefer these heavy duty piping bags, they don't break easily when piping thick buttercreams like the one in this recipe.
• Coupler - Using a coupler with a piping bag allows you to switch between different tips while using the same bag of frosting.
• Piping tip #352 (leaf)
• Piping tip #2 (fine round)

What Kind of Pumpkin Filling Should I Use?

Use canned pumpkin puree in this recipe, it is made from a pumpkin that has been cooked and processed to a smooth consistency. The ingredient label will say, "100% pure pumpkin". There's a lot of discussion that the pumpkin puree found in canned pumpkins isn't really pumpkins but different types of squash. This is because of the looser restrictions allowed on labelling this product, read this Epicurious article on What's Really In Canned Pumpkin.

I used a simple canned pumpkin and found the pumpkin taste to be just fine with me. I would not recommend using homemade pumpkin puree in this recipe due to the excess moisture that might be left in the puree, it can make the cupcakes too wet. Do not use "pumpkin pie filling" since it contains other ingredients that will alter the taste and texture of this recipe.

What Flavors Pair with Pumpkin Cupcakes?

It pairs well with salted caramel, mascarpone cream cheese frosting, or Olivia's original pairing with coffee buttercream. I would use the first two as pour overs or fillings respectively since they are lighter.

I prefer the ready-to-eat salted caramel sauce I purchased from Trader Joes. It's thick and not runny which makes it ideal for keeping the decorations on top dry and in place.

Can I Use Royal Icing or Fondant to Decorate?

I tried several ways to decorate these pumpkin cupcakes before I settled on the final one provided in this recipe. I first tried fondant and then royal icing because they were easier to prepare. They both quickly absorbed the moisture in the cupcake within several hours of application, resulting in a goopy mess. I would not recommend it for this recipe specifically unless you are sure that all your cupcakes will be consumed immediately. I finally settled on the "decorating" American buttercream because it held up it's shape for over a week, even over the optional caramel sauce.

Can I Bake It in a Different Sized Pan?

Yes, the texture of this cake is sturdy enough for use as a layered cake. For two 6" cake pans, DOUBLE this recipe. For three 6" cake pans or two 8" pans, TRIPLE this recipe. Bake it for 35-40 minutes until it springs back in the center and a skewer inserted comes out clean. It can also make 6-7 regular cupcakes. Please note that the texture of this cake is better suited for cupcakes, loaf cakes and layer cakes. If you want to make a fluffier cake roll, you'll need to use a cake that is more pliable like in this recipe: Asian-style Pumpkin Cake Roll.

How to Store & Make in Advance

These pumpkin cupcakes should be kept in the fridge in an air-tight container to prolong it's freshness. It will stay fresh for up to 4-5 days. However, they are perfectly stable at room temperature for the duration of the event if you need to place them out on a dessert table for the day. They make really great edible displays for Thanksgiving dinner and Halloween parties!

To make in advance, just wrap only the cupcakes (cooled) in plastic and freeze for up to 3 months. The assembled cupcakes can also be frozen but you'll need to be careful to place them in a dedicated air-tight cupcake container that won't cause them to smudge. Place them in the fridge to defrost overnight before serving.

Step By Step Photos

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the dry mix to disperse ingredients evenly.

In a separate large mixing bowl, with a whisk, stir together the wet mix until homogenous.

Add the dry mix into the wet mix. Stir with a whisk until just combined.

Transfer batter into mini cupcake pan lined with paper wrappers. Do not fill completely, leave a bit of room for expansion (fills around 20 cupcakes). Rap the tray once on the counter to level out the batter. Bake for 15-17 min. until the center springs back and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave in pan for 5 min. and then transfer to cooling rack.

With a spatula, cream the room temperature butter in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the sifted powdered sugar and continue creaming the mixture until all the sugar is incorporated and the buttercream looks airy. Add gel color and blend until desired color is achieved. Transfer buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a coupler and the leaf tip. Break off some pretzel sticks and insert it into the center of the cooled cupcake to resemble the stem.

With the piping bag fitted with the leaf tip, pipe the leaves starting from the stem. Change the piping tip to the fine round tip, use it to pipe the vines. Read on how to store and make these pumpkin cupcakes in advance.

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