Easy Sunflower Cupcakes

You can make these Easy Sunflower Cupcakes with a spice cake mix and decorate them with gingersnaps and candy corn. It’s a quick and easy fall dessert!

I’m already thinking ahead to Thanksgiving dinner and trying to come up with a few easy desserts. I know we’ll have pumpkin pie, but I like to have more than one thing on the dessert menu just so that there’s some variety. And some people, especially my kids, aren’t big fans of pumpkin pie. But, I made these Easy Sunflower Cupcakes this weekend, and I think they’ll be perfect for Thanksgiving!

I’ve always had a thing for sunflowers. I just love them, and honestly, I’d rather have a big bunch of sunflowers than a bouquet of roses. Actually, roses make me sneeze, so the Hubs gets to save some cash when he buys flowers for birthdays and anniversaries!

I try to have sunflowers on the table or in the room for Thanksgiving, so I thought it would be fun to have them on the cupcakes too. And instead of making the flowers out of icing, I took the easy way out and used gingersnaps and candy corn, instead.

I also used a spice cake mix, but I made the peanut butter cream cheese frosting. So these cupcakes are semi-homemade, but I think sometimes, especially when you’re entertaining, it’s perfectly fine to take some sanity-saving shortcuts!

The additional cinnamon is optional, but if you know me, you know how much I love this spice, and it just adds a little bit of extra flavor.

And if you really want to save some time, you can even use a jar of frosting instead of making your own. There isn’t that much frosting on the cupcakes, and it’s mainly there just to hold the cookie and candy in place.

But honestly, the peanut butter cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement to the spices in the cookies and cupcakes, and the flavors go very well together. Plus, the frosting isn’t that sweet, so if you have a chance to make your own frosting, go for it!

How To Make Easy Sunflower Cupcakes

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Easy Sunflower Cupcakes

By: Dee

Easy spice cake mix cupcakes that are perfect for fall dessert

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes

Total Time: 38 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ Ingredients for Easy Sunflower Cupcakes
• ▢ 1 box spice cake mix
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ ½ cup all-natural applesauce
• ▢ 2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 3 ounces cream cheese softened
• ▢ ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
• ▢ 2 tablespoons milk
• ▢ Candy corn and gingersnap cookies for garnish

Instructions 

• Make the cupcakes according to directions on the package, but use the applesauce in place of the oil, and add the cinnamon for extra flavor.
• Spoon batter into a muffin tin lined with paper cups, and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Let cupcakes cool completely, then frost.
• For the frosting, mix the peanut butter, cream cheese, milk and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy, and then spread a thin layer on each cupcake.
• Top each cupcake with a gingersnap, and then add candy corn around the cookie.
• Makes 24 cupcakes

Nutrition

Calories: 156kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 24mg, Sodium: 189mg, Potassium: 45mg, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 75IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 55mg, Iron: 0.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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These easy sunflower cupcakes pretty much scream fall, from the colors to the flavors. And if you think about it, you get three desserts in one small package — a cookie, candy corn and a cupcake! 

Are you thinking about Thanksgiving dinner yet?

Have a super day!

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