Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Whipped Cream

I shared a Chocolate Pumpkin Cake last year and have gotten such a wonderful response!  You all are so sweet.  One of the most common questions I get is, “Can I make this into cupcakes?”

Yes.  Yes you can.

How to make Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

To modify the original recipe into cupcakes I did this:

Prepare muffin pan with cupcake liners.  Bake for 18-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Prepare ganache and dip the top of the cupcake into ganache then set aside to allow it to set.  (You can also chill cupcake at this point.)

Prepare pumpkin whipped cream and place into a pastry bag with an open star tip.  (I like 1M or 2D)  Pipe out a cloud of pumpkin awesomeness and cover in sprinkles.

Tips for making the perfect Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcake

For the cupcakes pictured above, I actually used a freestanding cupcake liner.  I think I got them on Amazon, but you simply place them directly on a cookie sheet and fill with batter. My entire pumpkin chocolate cake recipe makes 9 cupcakes since they use a bit more batter.  I also baked these for about 30 minutes in my convection oven.

After cupcakes have cooled to room temperature, dip them in the ganache.  If you need to make these ahead of time or set aside for any reason, the ganache will lock in moisture and will prevent them from drying out.

Since the pumpkin whipped cream is from scratch you will want to pipe these cupcakes immediately before serving.  I had left a couple of cupcakes sitting on the counter overnight and noticed the whipped cream was “melting” a bit.  You may have better success if refrigerated.

Make your own Buttermilk! I have a few options here.

Ingredients

▢1 cup brown sugar▢1 tsp. baking soda▢2 tsp. baking powder▢2/3 cup cocoa▢1 1/2 cups flour▢4 Eggs▢3/4 cup softened butter▢1 tbsp. vanilla▢1 cup canned pumpkin▢1/2 cup buttermilk▢1 cup granulated sugar▢1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

Heat oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl combine buttermilk and pumpkin. Just mix together until incorporated.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a mixer, beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla together until light and fluffy.

Add in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated.

Alternating, add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the sugar mixture. Beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Mix for 1 minute on low until fully combined.

Using an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup, place batter in prepared cupcake pan.

Bake for 18-22 minutes. Cupcakes are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.