The warm spices in these pumpkin cupcakes (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove) pair perfectly with the tangy yet sweet cream cheese icing. The cake itself is tender and moist, thanks to cake flour, sour cream, brown sugar, and, of course, canned pumpkin. When the leaves are changing and the temperatures are falling, nothing could be better than this handheld treat.
Preheat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the center position. Line a standard muffin pan with baking cups.
To make the cupcakes: In a small bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment or working in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, combine the pumpkin purée, sugars, sour cream, oil, and egg into a homogeneous mixture, about 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine, just until no streaks remain.
Portion the batter evenly into the 12 baking cups, filling each well about halfway.
Bake the pumpkin cupcakes for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick or paring knife inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool in the pan for a few minutes, or until just cool enough to handle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the icing.
To make the cream cheese icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment or working in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until well combined, about 30 seconds.
In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, Instant ClearJel, and salt. Add it to the bowl with the cream cheese mixture and beat smooth and fluffy, about another 30 seconds.
Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with an open star tip. Twist the wide end of the bag to close it and pipe a spiral of frosting on each cupcake. If you're not using Instant ClearJel in your frosting, chill the filled piping bag fitted with your tip of choice for 45 to 60 minutes before piping to help the frosting hold its shape. (Alternatively, the icing can be spread directly onto the cupcakes with a small offset spatula.) Serve the pumpkin cupcakes at room temperature.
Storage information: Store leftover pumpkin cupcakes in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days.
No cake flour? Substitute 1 cup (120g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour for the cake flour. The cupcakes will be slightly less tender; no other ingredient adjustments are required.
No pumpkin pie spice? Make your own with 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon clove, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.
