Pumpkin Spice Buttercream Frosting

This easy Pumpkin Spice Buttercream Frosting is flavored with pumpkin and lots of warm spices. It’s the perfect topping for fall cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more!

 

Pumpkin Buttercream For Fall Desserts

If you’re looking for a way to dress up your desserts with a fall-forward frosting, this pumpkin spice buttercream should do the trick. It’s full of flavor and can be added to so many desserts. Here’s why you’ll love it:

• So easy – When it comes to American buttercream recipes, they really couldn’t get any simpler to make. There’s no need to cook anything – just combine your butter (and shortening, if you chose to use it) with powdered sugar and add your flavorings. Easy peasy!
• Filled with pumpkin spice – This recipe is made with real PUMPKIN, a touch of vanilla, and lots of warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. It tastes like fall in every bite.
• Versatile – Pumpkin spice is the name of the game for fall baking. Just adding a dollop, swirl, or layer of this buttercream will transform regular desserts into fall desserts. Pair it with cupcakes, cookies, cakes, and sweet breads, and you’ll see what I mean!

What You’ll Need For Pumpkin Spice Frosting

Pumpkin Spice Buttercream starts with the same base ingredients as my Vanilla Buttercream Frosting plus a few extra ingredients for flavoring. Don’t forget to check out the recipe card toward the bottom of this post for full ingredient amounts.

• Unsalted butter and salt – I prefer to use unsalted butter when baking so that I can control the amount of salt. If you don’t have unsalted butter, replace it with salted butter and leave out the extra salt.
• Powdered sugar – It not only adds sweetness to the frosting, it also thickens it and adds volume. You can reduce the amount, but keep in mind you’ll have less frosting and it’ll be thinner. If you want to pipe it a particular way, the thickness could be important.
• Pumpkin puree – You can’t have pumpkin spice without real pumpkin puree! The pumpkin puree acts like a liquid in the frosting and helps determine how thick or thin the frosting will be.
• Vanilla extract – Pairs beautifully with pumpkin and warm fall spices.
• Spices – I personally love the combination of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Feel free to adjust the spices to your liking.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Buttercream Frosting

Here’s a quick overview of how to make the frosting. Full directions can be found in the recipe card below.

• Beat butter: Add the butter to a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
• Add half the powdered sugar: Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth. It’ll be too thick to stir and clump together if you try to add all the powdered sugar at one time.
• Add vanilla and some pumpkin puree: Add vanilla extract and 3-4 tablespoons of pumpkin puree. Mix until well combined and smooth.
• Incorporate spices: Add spices and mix until well combined.
• Mix in remaining powdered sugar: Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
• Get the right consistency: From here just add more pumpkin puree until you have the consistency you want.

Tips for Success

• Use canned pumpkin. I prefer to use canned pumpkin puree because it has a lower water content, and therefore, a higher pumpkin flavor. You can use homemade pumpkin puree, but the additional water moisture may mean the pumpkin flavor is less strong.
• Add a little pumpkin puree at a time. When you start adding the pumpkin puree, add 3-4 tablespoons to start with, then add more at the end until you have the right flavor and consistency. Remember – you can always add more liquid (puree), but once it’s added, you can’t undo it. Check out my post on getting the right frosting consistency, if you need help.
• Don’t reduce the amount of powdered sugar. I’m often asked about reducing the amount of powdered sugar in American buttercream recipes. I know it can seem like a lot, but it’s what gives the frosting it’s volume and consistency. I don’t usually recommend reducing it, but if you do, keep in mind that you’ll end up with less frosting and possibly one that’s too thin.

How to Store Pumpkin Spice Buttercream Frosting

This is a great make-ahead recipe. You can make it and leave it on the counter overnight, or refrigerate it for up to a month. You can even freeze it for up to 3 months. Just place it in the fridge to thaw overnight the day before you plan to use it. Bring it to room temperature before using, since it’s quite firm when cold.

More Great Buttercream Recipes

• Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
• Fudgy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
• Homemade Strawberry Frosting – Two Ways
• The Best Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
• Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
• Ermine Frosting

Print