Pumpkin Pie Frosting - Handle the Heat
Filed Under: Cake | Cakes & Cupcakes | Dessert | Fall

Pumpkin Pie Frosting

By Tessa Arias
  |  
November 4th, 2011

Pumpkin Pie Frosting is creamy, smooth, and silky. Perfect for topping off cupcakes!

Yield: 1 recipe makes enough frosting for 12-18 cupcakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook: 55 minutes

Tessa's Recipe Rundown...

Taste: Sweet with a spicy warmth and pumpkin goodness. Texture: The frosting is creamy, smooth, and silky. Ease: Definitely different from your average frosting, but in the best way. The pie takes way more time to bake than it does to actually make or even frost. Also, you can make the pie ahead of time. Appearance: Use a pastry bag and a decorating tip for prettiest results. How fun is it to tell people that's not any old frosting, it's literally pumpkin pie frosting! Pros: Fun, creative twist on classic fall flavors. Cons: None. Would I make this again? Yes.

Pumpkin Pie Frosting is creamy, smooth, and silky. Perfect for topping off cupcakes!

Pumpkin Pie Frosting from HandletheHeat.com

Pumpkin Pie Frosting

Don’t let the title of this post fool you. This post features a recipe for pumpkin pie frosting, literally. You bake a crust-less pumpkin pie, let it cool, then stuff it in a piping bag. It’s awesome. Sadly I can’t take the credit for this stroke of genius. The idea comes from Cupcake Project, a blog you probably already know about and if you don’t, go check it out!

You may have noticed a little lack of regular posting this week here. It’s because I was busy buying a new(er) car. Yay! A car that doesn’t have chipped paint or broken power locks. It’s nice to have nice things. Although I’m a little sad to retire my first and only car, the car that drove me around safely for the last four and a half years, I’m definitely happy to have something nicer and newer. Not sure I’ll be as happy when the bill comes in the mail, though.

P.S. – the cupcake recipe I used to test this frosting was this chocolate one. It tastes fabulous with pumpkin.

How to make
Pumpkin Pie Frosting

Yield: 1 recipe makes enough frosting for 12-18 cupcakes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Inactive Time 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours
Pumpkin Pie Frosting is creamy, smooth, and silky. Perfect for topping off cupcakes!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 2 large eggs
  • 15 ounces pumpkin puree
  • 12 ounces evaporated milk

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a small bowl combine sugars, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat eggs. Stir in sugar-spice mixture and pumpkin puree. Slowly add evaporated milk. Beat to combine.
  3. Pour filling into prepared pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely at room temperature for about 2 hours. Can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge; let come to room temperature before filling. Once pumpkin pie is cooled, remove to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for thirty seconds.

Recipe Notes

Course : Dessert
Cuisine : American
Tessa Arias
Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Tessa Arias

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Find Tessa on  

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Recipe Rating




  1. #
    Sook — November 24, 2011 at 1:11 am

    Oh wow, these cupcakes look so divine! Yum!

  2. #
    auntlolo — November 17, 2011 at 3:44 am

    Oh my goodness…YES. This looks amazing!! Pumpkin Pie is Mom's favorite…and her birthday is coming up. 😉

  3. #
    spiffycookie — November 7, 2011 at 9:46 pm

    Mmm wow I would just eat this with a spoon

  4. #
    overtimecook — November 7, 2011 at 2:23 am

    Such a smart idea- looks absolutely delicious!!

  5. #
    Tessa — November 7, 2011 at 12:46 am

    This would be such a fun idea for a non-pie Thanksgiving dessert. Congrats on the new car!

  6. #
    Lauren @ KeepItSweet — November 6, 2011 at 3:22 pm

    Yum! I kind of want to make this and put it on everything or just eat it with a spoon!

  7. #
    Sindy — November 6, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    I have a left over (unfrosted) Gingerbread cake from a pumpkin trifle that is Screaming for this frosting!

  8. #
    SL — November 5, 2011 at 2:22 pm

    Love this idea! Would have never thought to do this!

  9. #
    Anna — November 5, 2011 at 2:51 am

    Heard some nerves rattling when you said the procedures are “not the average frosting”…
    I really want to try this out. That is what is good about working in the kitchen, great or not so great, you can have your pie and eat it too…Thanks for sharing this post!

  10. #
    Connie — November 4, 2011 at 8:53 pm

    I've seen a lot of pumpkin recipes in the last month, but this is the first one for frosting. Love it!

  11. #
    Candy — November 4, 2011 at 7:00 pm

    What a fun idea! Love the little pedestals too.

  12. #
    Jessica — November 4, 2011 at 6:14 pm

    I think I love you. Wait, scratch that, I love you. This sounds amazing Tessa!!

  13. #
    Brigitt — November 4, 2011 at 3:53 pm

    This is so clever! I've seen pumpkin flavored cupcakes (and pretty much everything else), but I've never seen pumpkin frosting. Your photo is so pretty too.

  14. #
    Lauren — November 4, 2011 at 3:48 pm

    Whoa! This looks insanely good!!

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