Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
I’ve made mention before that I’m not the biggest coffee fan; I’m coming around to it, but I certainly don’t crave it or make a habit of drinking it on a daily basis. However, I do love coffee-flavored baked goods. So weird, right?! It also so happens that I love pumpkin… and sky-high clouds of frosting. It’s been years since I first started seeing versions of Starbucks’ popular pumpkin spice latte in cupcake form. I finally whipped up a batch of my own this week and, seriously, I could eat the entire dozen all by myself. No help required. These taste like spiced pumpkin cupcakes spiked with a shot of coffee and topped with perhaps the most amazing whipped cream frosting to ever touch my lips.
If you’ve made my traditional pumpkin cupcakes, you know they are absolutely bursting with pumpkin flavor; it’s front and center. These pumpkin spice latte cupcakes are a little different in that pumpkin shares the stage with coffee, but the combination of the two is just fabulous together. It’s perfectly balanced and the frosting is the ultimate complement. The traditional drink is usually topped with fresh whipped cream, and while plain ol’ sweetened whipped cream is great for topping drinks, fruit and pie, I like something with a little more substance for my cupcakes.
I wanted a frosting that tasted predominantly like whipped cream, but that had some oomph to it so I could pile it high in pretty swirls on top of the cupcakes. I added cream cheese to the frosting before whipping it into peaks; this turned out to be perfect. You can taste just a hint of the cream cheese (and we all know how perfect it is with pumpkin!) and the heavy cream whipped up into wonderful billowy peaks that stayed perfectly stiff when I piped it. Success!
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Throw a little sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of caramel on top, and you’ve got a serious masterpiece.
I may have just found my favorite fall cupcake. I’m in love… and I don’t want to share!
(I totally got frosting all over my nose when I bit into that cupcake!)
One year ago: Pumpkin Seed Brittle with Vanilla Bean and Cardamom
Two years ago: Creamy Potato and Leek Soup
Three years ago: The Best Chocolate Buttercream for Cupcakes
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1⅓ cups (166.67 g) all-purpose flour
- 4½ teaspoons (4.5 teaspoons) espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- ¾ cup (183.75 g) canned pumpkin
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (109 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup (59.25 ml) brewed coffee, for brushing
For the Frosting:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (476 ml) heavy cream
To Garnish:
- Cinnamon
- Caramel Sauce
Instructions
- Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, both sugars and the vegetable oil until completely combined, making sure to break up any chunks of brown sugar so no lumps remain. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour mixture in two additions, folding with a rubber spatula until no flour pockets remain.
- Divide the batter between the baking cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. While the cupcakes are still warm, brush the tops with the brewed coffee. Let each coat soak in before applying the next. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the Frosting: On medium speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixer with the whisk attachment until smooth and completely combined, about 3 minutes. Slowly add the heavy cream, scrape the sides of the bowl, then increase speed to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form.
- Assemble the Cupcakes: Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, then sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with caramel sauce, if desired. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Delicious! I halved the frosting recipe, and it was still plenty.
So obsessed with this recipe. Tried it for the first time on a whim and immediately fell in love!
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Hi! I have a question. what kind of tip did you use for the frosting. I’m hoping to make these for Thanksgiving this year and I was just wondering!
I’d like to double this and make two 8 inch layers. About how many minutes would this take?
Make these cupcakes often in the Fall. It is a favorite.
Could these be made in a mini cupcake pan??
Absolutely! Just be sure to reduce the baking time (I’d check around 8-10 minutes).
Just made these cupcakes. I wasn’t a fan of the cupcakes themselves. Idk if it was the coffee flavor but it tasted a little off to me. But the whipped cream/cream cheese frosting was just delightful! These cupcakes are much better with the frosting. The frosting warmed up pretty quick while piping but it was easy enough to put it back on the fridge to firm up. I also had leftover frosting but it was enough to lick the bowl and a couple spoonfuls! (No shame! It’s soo good!!)
Made these cupcakes over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and they were absolutely amazing! They are so moist
and lovely. I ended up making cupcakes instead of a 9 x 13 square cake. Mine don’t look as dark as yours which I really like the look of. I put my espresso in the dry ingredients but next time I will put it in the wet so it will dissolve better. But never the less an absolute keeper recipe!
Michelle, These look so tempting. I love the ingredients in these cupcakes. They look lovely as cupcakes but have you made this recipe into a cake, say an 8X10 square? Not sure what size I would use. Do you think it would work?
Hi Fran, As-is, this would make a single-layer cake (9 or 8-inch round or square); you could double it for a layer cake or 9×13. Enjoy!
These look sooo good 🙂
Can I double the recipe?
For both the cupcakes and the frosting?
Thank you,
Diana
Hi Diana, Yes no issues doubling. Enjoy!
I just made a double batch of these, they are SO good! I really love whipped cream/cream cheese frosting because it’s so light and not overly sweet, I use it for a lot of different cupcakes. I noticed in the comments that some people have trouble with it turning soupy. I’ve made it many times and I have a few tips. First, you don’t want the cream cheese to be completely room temp, it should still be a little cool. I let it sit out for about an hour before whipping. Second, I use powdered sugar instead of granulated. Granulated works most of the time but I find it’s more reliable with powdered. If it turns soupy you might be tempted to add more sugar, but don’t! The more sugar you add, the worse it will get. What you want to do is add more cream. Lastly, cream cheese doesn’t like to be beat to death. When you’re whipping it, it will thicken to stiff peaks but there is a point where it starts to break down and turn in to soup, and the longer you whip it, the worse it will get. Again, if it doesn’t get thick enough for you, add more cream and whip it again. I use speed 6 on my Kitchenaid mixer, anything higher is unnecessary and you risk overwhipping it. Lastly, I add a pinch of cream of tartar which aids the stabilization.
Thanks so much for sharing your tips, Michael!
I didn’t find that the frosting was think enough to pipe. What could I do better?
Hi Sandra, Hmmm I’ve done this many times and the cream cheese really gives it oomph and it pipes beautifully. Did you use low fat cream cheese, by any chance? It has a higher water content and could have been an issue. If not, then make sure you are beating long enough to allow it to form stiff peaks.
I made these for Thanksgiving and my brother, who is notorious for not having the slightest sweet tooth, loved them so much that he totally bogarted the one my mother saved for herself the next day. I think that’s the highest possible compliment – it’s certainly the most flattering thing to happen to anything I ever baked!
So -it’ll be an all Brown Eyed Baker Christmas this year!
made this recipe multiple times and enjoyed it everytime and so has everyone who tried them. I really love the frosting.