Spice Cupcakes – The perfect light and fluffy cupcakes made with a blend of warm spices. Topped with cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes are perfect for fall.

Spice Cupcakes
One of my favorite fall desserts to make is a spice cake. The warm spices scream “fall” to me and I can’t get enough of the delicious flavor that they lend to the cake. This fall, I wanted to make a cupcake version topped with the perfect cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes are so delicious and will be a new family favorite.

Common Questions About Making Spice Cupcakes
What are spice cupcakes?
Spice cupcakes are a simple cupcake made with warm spices such as cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves and topped with cream cheese frosting.
How many cupcakes does this recipe make?
This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.

How long do spice cupcakes last?
Spice cupcakes last up to two days when stored in a refrigerated airtight container.

How can I make the perfect cupcakes?
- Follow the recipe – While I totally understand dietary restrictions, if you plan on making changes to the ingredients, I cannot guarantee the recipe will work. If you are facing this problem, I will gently suggest that you may want to consider finding a cupcake recipe on a site that specifically develops for the diet you are on such as a keto baking website or vegan baking website. Too many times have I seen recipes for wrong for people because they started to adjust the recipe too much.
- Don’t over-mix the cupcakes – If you want to keep cupcakes light and airy, avoiding over-mixing is key. Mix until just barely combined.
- Let the cupcakes completely cool before frosting – This is a classic mistake that people constantly make (including me). Your cupcakes are done baking, you are ready to sit down and eat one so you touch the cupcake and say “this is most definitely cool” even though it’s only been out of the oven for like, 5 minutes. Wrong. Your frosting will just slide off the cupcake and it’ll be really sad. To be safe, I’d say give them 1-2 hours before frosting.
- Don’t over fill the cupcake liners – If you overfill the cupcake liners, you will definitely have some overflow which isn’t pretty and elegant. Stick to filling each liner about 3/4 full.
- Spin the cupcake tin halfway through cooking – An oven’s heat is generally not terribly even so a simple way to make sure all of the cupcakes cook all the way through is to spin the pan about 1/2 way through baking 180 degrees.

Ingredient Notes
- Flour is the main dry ingredient in our cupcakes. Make sure to measure using the spoon and level technique so you don’t end up with dense cupcakes.
- I like brown sugar in this recipe because it’s traditionally used in spice cakes and it gives a bit more depth of flavor. If you don’t have brown sugar, granulated sugar works too.
- Baking powder helps our cupcakes rise.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves are used to make this cake into a spice cake.
- Vegetable oil adds moisture and richness to the cupcakes.
- Buttermilk adds a bit of tang and moisture to the cupcakes.
- Egg holds the cupcakes together.
- Vanilla enhances the spice and sweetness in the cupcakes.
- Butter and cream cheese are the perfect mix in a frosting. They give you just the right amount of tang and richness. Just make sure they are fully softened so you don’t end up with lumps.
- Powdered sugar gives our icing structure and sweetness. Make sure to add it slowly or you’ll end up with a mess.

Looking for more cupcake recipes? Check these out!

Spice Cupcakes

Spice Cupcakes - The perfect light and fluffy cupcakes made with a blend of warm spices. Topped with cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes are perfect for fall.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven and line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves.
- In another bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk to combine. Mix just until no large lumps remain - you don't want to overmix.
- Fill each muffin tin 3/4 of the way full with batter - I use a 1/4 cup cookie scoop to ensure they're all the same size.
- Bake the cupcakes for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool. Make sure to cool the cupcakes completely before icing.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the softened butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Beat on medium speed until they are well combined. Then, add the vanilla and mix to combine.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and then turn the mixer to medium high speed.
- Beat the frosting for 1 minute or until it is light and creamy. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your choice of a tip (I used a Wilton 2A).
- Pipe a small dollop of frosting onto the top of each cupcake and enjoy.
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
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