Pancake Mix Recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting



Hi there, Friends! Today I'm sharing the recipe for the pumpkin spice cupcakes I featured with my fall tablescape in the garden. They are so simple to whip up and the cake portion only has two ingredients--pancake mix and milk! They are topped with a delicious cinnamon buttercream frosting that complements the subtle flavor of the pumpkin spice, just right! Ready to get baking?


pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting


Have you ever heard the proverb Necessity is the mother of invention? Well, maybe cupcakes aren't a necessity, but I certainly felt like I needed something sweet. At the same time, I'd spent the lazy Saturday in my pajamas taking photographs of the tablescape all morning and really did not want to make a trip to the grocery store. As I hunted for ingredients, I remembered that I had some pumpkin spice pancake mix. Hmmm....Sure enough, by searching "baking with pancake mix" on Pinterest, I learned I could make cake by using two parts pancake mix to one part milk. For these mini cupcakes, mix 2 cups of pumpkin spice pancake mix and 1 cup of milk, until the batter is smooth. 


pumpkin spice pancakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting


I know I mention this little cupcake baker every time I bake muffins or cupcakes, but I really do love the convenience--no heating up the kitchen, or baking pans to prepare or clean! Plus, the cupcakes bake in around seven minutes. While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting. Just blend these ingredients until creamy:

  • 1 stick softened butter 
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon


pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting!


Now for a true confession about frosting. Over the years, I've piped frosting quite a few times, but I can't say it's something I really enjoy. I've tried some of the hacks, but for me, it's always messy and time consuming. After a morning of staging photos and last minute baking, I really wasn't feeling inspired to pipe frosting but I did want them to look nice in my photographs. I have noticed at some cupcake shops really pretty frosting that didn't appear to be piped--have you? When I searched Pinterest, I had a hard time finding any cupcakes without piped frosting. However after searching Google, I found a very helpful post by a blog called Layers of Happiness. They mastered the prettily-frosted-but-not-piped technique I was hoping to find, by using one of my favorite kitchen gadgets--a cookie scooper. I originally bought mine for making truffles, and use it all the time for cookies and now it will be my go-to-gadget for frosting cupcakes. Just scoop an ample dollop of frosting onto the center of the cupcake....


pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting!


...then use a plastic knife {works best for mini cupcakes} or a small spatula {their suggestion} to push the frosting to the edges as you spin the cupcake. Believe me, it's easier than it sounds. Like I said before--no more piping for me! 


pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting


I remember when it was popular to bake with Bisquick--in fact, I still use it to make dumplings. Though this is my first time to bake with pancake mix, the ingredients are pretty similar.  Let me know how you like the cupcakes and if you try the alternative frosting technique! 


pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting
This post contains affiliate links for suggested supplies. See full disclosure here.






My Thrift Store Addiction


pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting


My Thrift Store Addiction signature



Party link

Would you like to comment?

  1. Sounds like a brilliant idea for frosting a small cupcake. I don't pipe frosting either, unless I am decorating with swirls or lettering. I use an offset spatula and just dollop it on and smooth it out. I'll try your scoop method next time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds like fun Cecilia ... have never seen the cupcake baker. I love pumpkin pies ... bet I would like these. Our daughter brought over a single serving, chocolate cake mix in a packet ... put it in a cup, stir in two tablespoons water or milk ... microwave for one-minute-ten-seconds and you have a nice cup full of chocolate cake. I topped with some German chocolate frosting mix and was so quick, easy and delicious.
    Have a great day.
    Hugs,
    Audrey Z.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This recipe sounds great; don't have ps pancake mix but adding ppspice wouldn't tax my talent!! Adding a few choc chips doesn't sound too hard either!!!! Al's brother makes him an annual batch of pumpkin choc chip cookies for Christmas;mine aren't as good.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cecelia,
    These look so good!! Thanks so much for stopping by as often as you do!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  5. These look so good! I am not a big baker, but my mom and my sister, both very talented in this area, always frosted with a plastic spoon...so that's how I have always done it too! Funny...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Who knew? That's good to know when needing a quick snack. I will have to give the frosting trick a try.
    Trying to catch up after this past week.
    Hugs
    Cecilia

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think these cupcakes are calling my name! They look so yummy! I'll be pinning this to save for later! Have a great Tuesday!

    -Natalie A

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh I have got to try this, I could eat all those cup cakes right now LOL

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great frosting hack! As much as I love to bake and make pancakes from scratch sometimes I want a shortcut. I'm looking forward to making these and eating a few while in my jammies. Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story and we hope you will join us again next week.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I so pinned these!! Sounds amazing!!

    I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

    ReplyDelete
  11. These cupcakes and frosting sound so tasty, Cecilia! Thanks for sharing this yummy Fall treat!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Absolutely love this!

    Thanks for linking up to Waste Not Wednesday!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. It would never have occurred to me to make cupcakes with pancake batter, but it looks like it's a winner! That's a trick I'm going to have to remember. I sure wouldn't have wanted to make a trip to the grocery store either. Those cupcakes look great!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I really like your thinking Cecilia. You can experiment with all sorts of mixes and alternative ideas but to me it all looks delicious! I also like your frosting idea. Will share with my daughter who is always baking up a storm.

    ReplyDelete

I absolutely love to read your thoughtful comments and enjoy responding to each one! I will respond to your comments here. You may check back to see my response or check the "notify me" box. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!