In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and confectioners sugar together for 3 to 4 minutes, until light, fluffy, smooth, and creamy, scraping down the bowl once or twice as needed.

Scoop the filling onto a large rectangle of plastic wrap, shape it into a log about 1 1/2 inches wide, wrap it tightly, twist the ends closed, and freeze for at least 2 hours, or a little longer if needed so it slices neatly.

When you are close to baking time, line two muffin tins with paper liners for 24 muffins.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the eggs, 2 cups white sugar, pumpkin puree, and canola oil until well combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 3 cups flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, kosher salt, and baking soda, then add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix only until just combined.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the batter in the refrigerator for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2/3 cup white sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon, then add the chilled cubed butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Remove the chilled cream cheese filling from the freezer and slice it into 24 equal pieces.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of pumpkin batter into each muffin liner, place one slice of frozen cream cheese filling in the center of each cup, and divide the remaining batter evenly over the tops, filling the liners almost to the top and covering the filling as best you can.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of crumb topping over each muffin, then bake at 425°F for 6 minutes before reducing the oven temperature to 350°F without removing the pans and baking for another 15 minutes.

Let the muffins cool in their pans for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack and let them cool almost completely before eating because the cream cheese center stays hot.