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Platter of Halloween pumpkin cupcakes with orange frosting and candy eyes on a speckled counter

2-Ingredient Pumpkin Cupcakes for Halloween

Spice cake mix and pumpkin puree make moist 2-ingredient cupcakes, finished with orange cream cheese frosting and candy eyes for Halloween. Makes 18.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Cooling 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 18 cupcakes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

2-ingredient cupcakes
  • 1 box (15.25 oz) spice cake mix dry mix only; or yellow cake mix
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
Halloween frosting and decoration
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • orange gel food coloring as needed
  • 36 candy eyeballs 2 per cupcake
  • Halloween sprinkles optional

Equipment

  • Muffin Tin
  • paper liners

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with paper liners for 18 cupcakes.
  2. Stir the dry cake mix and pumpkin puree in a large bowl until completely smooth. Do not add oil, eggs or water.
  3. Scoop batter into liners, filling each about ⅔ full.
  4. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then cool completely on a rack.
  5. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar, vanilla and orange food coloring until fluffy.
  6. Frost cooled cupcakes, add candy eyes and optional Halloween sprinkles.

Notes

Cupcakes alone are 2 ingredients; frosting is optional decoration. Yellow cake mix works with 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice added. Store frosted cupcakes in the fridge up to 4 days.