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!
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:
- 1â…“ 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!
So obsessed with this recipe. Tried it for the first time on a whim and immediately fell in love!
Damn! It’s looks so delicious and yummy recipe. i will definitely try this home. Thanks for sharing wonderful information. https://www.socialastrologer.com/
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.Â
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?Â
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.
What tip did you use to pipe these?
Hi Lesly, I used the Ateco #827 (you could also use a Wilton 1M)!
Thank you so much! These look beautiful, I will be making them soon.
Simply amazing! Made mine jumbo and cut the frosting in half. Gave one to a coworker and word got around fast how good it was. Looks like I’m making a big batch soon or all my coworkers. Â Good that the ingredient are cheap!
Omigoodness, these sound SO good! Can I move next door to you?! But there would have to be gym nearby too… <3
Brought these to work today. They got rave reviews! Flavor and texture of cupcake is perfect!
I am a notorious comment reader on recipe blogs because I always want to see if a recipe really works, or tastes, like the creator says it does.. And I have to say, these cupcakes are amazing. I made these for a party I was hosting for a friend who loves PSLs and they were a hit with everyone. The cupcake is perfectly pumpkin spice, and the frosting is to die for. I hate frosting (I am the kind of person who throws away a solid 90% of the frosting on a cake) and even I loved it. Neither the cupcake, nor the frosting, was too sweet, Everything came out perfect the first go-round, even though I doubled the cupcake recipe (PS: I didn’t double the frosting recipe and had just enough to frost every one with just a smidge left over). Thank you so much for this recipe, it will definitely be a keeper for me.
Hey, I had a quick question. I have made these twice and on both occasions, the frosting was WAY too runny. I had to add more sugar and cream cheese to thicken it up before I could even think of trying to pipe it. It turned out FABULOUS, but I was wondering what could be possibly happening?
Hi Laura, Oh no! Make sure you’re beating the frosting to stiff peaks. You’re essentially making whipped cream with a stabilizer.
Sorry for the late reply, but I wanted to give you an update on my latest attempt! I took your advice (I’ve never actually made whipped cream before, so I think I was treating this as a typical cupcake frosting) and it came out PERFECTLY. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!
The frosting says to use granulated sugar. Is this a typo? I’ve only used powered sugar for frosting. Will it be gritty?
Hi Rachael, No, not a typo, and it doesn’t turn out gritty. If you’re concerned, I think substituting powdered sugar would be okay.
I made it exactly how you said and it came out AMAZING! It may just be the best frosting I’ve ever had. Thank you. I had extra and put a dollop in my coffee. Delish! I think other people are having a problem with it because they aren’t letting it whip long enough or fast enough.
Amazing cupcakes nice round tops great flavour! The frosting amazing flavour but I’m had the same result as above posters and I followed the method to the letter. Can you pretty please revisit this recipe I sure want this to work. Should we maybe whip the cream separately and fold it into the whipped up cream cheese? Use half the amount of whipping cream perhaps? I only made a half batch because I was concerned. I’ve added a cup of icing sugar and the other half of the cream cheese block and whipped the heck out of it still soupy. It’s now back into the fridge and I’ll try whipping again in an hour. Any other suggestions for how I could save this? Thank you
Hi Roxanne, I double checked the recipe above and it’s correct – I’ve used this for multiple cupcakes now and have never had an issue. Are you using low fat or generic cream cheese, by any chance? Both have the tendency to have a higher water content, which could cause the soupiness.
I made this today.It was easy to make and frosting is so yummy too. This is going to be my fall cupcake recipe.
Hi. I’d like to try to make this recipe. Sounds great! But, could you please clarify what “espresso powder” is? Is this different from ground espresso coffee? Thx.
Hi Shelly, Yes, you need to make sure you use instant, which dissolves easily.
Oh man, THIS is a cupcake. I’m not even that big on the PSL, but I’ll take it in cake form! The frosting?!!! UNREAL. Most recipes call for folding the whipped cream into the cream cheese, and it always loses so much shape- I’m going to have a hard time eating anything else on cake from now on.
Made these tonight, and they were absolutely AMAZING!! I doubled the cupcake recipe to make 24, and one recipe of the frosting was enough to make a high swirl on all the cupcakes. Thanks for a delicious recipe!!
This website is absolutely fantastic. I’ve made them twice in the past week – once for a work event and again for a bridal shower. They are moist and unique and the icing is actually heaven. Thank you for sharing!
What is espresso and where do I get it? Is it different than espresso beans ground up?
I can’t wait to try these. Caramel on top? Sounds like heaven!
Hi Mel, Espresso powder should be instant, meaning it will dissolve in liquid, so ground up espresso beans will not work. You can sometimes find it at grocery stores, I know my local Italian grocery store carries it, and you can also buy it at places like Amazon, King Arthur Flour, Penzeys, etc.
Instead of cupcakes can I make a 9 x 13 cake? Doesn’t seem like it would be a problem, or would it?
Hi Jackie, Yes, you could, you’ll need to double the recipe though, and increase the baking time a bit.
You are using granulated sugar in the frosting not powdered?
Yes.
OMG so i made these last night at like 2AM. They are delicious, and even better tasting today. Wish I could share a picture of mine! Thanks for this great recipe.
Made 210 of them for my daughters wedding. Froze them for 3 weeks and then frosted them the wedding day. Very good with one person confessing to eating 3. Added 1/2 teaspoon of ginger to batter and next time will add some grated lemon for a flavor boost
Just made these this weekend. Although I’m not fond of coffee, I just had to try one. To my surprise, I actually liked them. Excellent soft, moist texture. The coffee flavor was, surprisingly, not objectionably obvious. I ate half in the evening and the other half in the morning. The morning half presented an even more diffuse coffee flavoring than the first half, which didn’t hurt my feelings at all. The presence of pumpkin was undetectable. The most apt description is that of a mild spice cupcake with hints of coffee overtones. The cream cheese frosting was light and luscious. Judging from all the glowing feedback, I expected to be blown away, but no one to whom I served them seemed to be overly excited. One was a major espresso fanatic, and whereas he liked them, he didn’t wax poetic, as he often does when I bake. As for me, I’d prefer a regular spiced pumpkin cupcake, laced liberally with the spices here plus ginger, and a dash of cayenne to up the spice quotient. Oh, yeah. And this frosting! Final consensus: Very good, not great.
Measurement wise how much pumpkin are we using here?
What size can of pumpkin did you use……..Thanks
Hi Paule, It’s not quite half of a 15-ounce can.
Since Starbucks recently came out with their PSL instant powder at home, I decided to try it in this recipe to take the whole pumpkin thing to the next level. I used half the espresso powder the recipe called for + about 1/2 the packet of PSL. I save the other 1/2 and added it to the frosting. This cupcake was pumpkin bliss! Freezes very too.
*freezes well too!
How many coatings of coffee do you typically apply? I want the coffee flavor, but I’d hate to end up with a soggy cupcake.
Hi Ross, I use up all of the coffee – it’s not that much divided between 12 cupcakes, and it definitely won’t make the cupcakes soggy.
I bake often and typically love your recipes, but the icing doesn’t work. I just wasted ten bucks worth of ingredients and dumped it into the trash. Back to the store I go…
I made theese a couple a months ago, and they are AMAZING! My collegues said it was the best cupcake they have ever had! The cupcakes are full of flavour and so light in texture, yum! The frosting is the best frosting i´ve ever tasted. I will be making theese again for sure.
Hi
I LOVE pumpkin so these would be perfect to make but where I live we don’t have pumpkin in a can, can you substitute with boiled pumpkin well drained? PS made your red velvet and ultimate chocolate cupcakes for a party last week and turned them into a crocodile cupcake birthday cake and they were perfect so thank you:)
Hi Lyndsey, Yes, you can use homemade pumpkin puree; I would use this as a basis to make sure it is the correct consistency: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/10/exactly-how-i-make-my-homemade-pumpkin-puree/
I’m just wondering here, what icing tip did you use on these cupcakes? I LOVE cake and cupcake decorating, and baking just as much! Thank you so much for posting all these recipes. (I have to say though, your frostings are so rich I can’t help but snitch some! Then of COURSE I have to have a cupcake to!!!!!)
Hi Margaret, I used the Ateco #827 tip on these. Enjoy!
I love love these cupcakes. I have literally baked hundreds of them and they are phenomenal. I have never taken the time to brush them with coffee, yet they are still absolutely superb. Sometimes I make them with a salted caramel frosting and that is a great combination too. Thank you for the recipe!
I can’t wait to bake these! I just made the chocolate-chocolate cupcakes and they were divine! Thank you so much for posting these recipes there delicious. (I love coffee and pumpkin so I think I will love these!)
Hi!
I just made these for Thanksgiving tomorrow and I was wondering if I could do the frosting tonight and keep it in the refrigerator overnight, in order to pipe it on tomorrow? Or would it be better to do it right after making it..
Hi Antonia, I think you could keep it in the fridge overnight without a problem. I found that the frosting held up really well.
These looked so amazing I went out and got all the ingredients right away, unfortunately I didn’t read all the comments. I picked up low fat cream cheese and now the frosting won’t stiffen. Any way to save this? And I used my regular ground coffee but very finely ground, i see specks so assuming that they didn’t melt. :( Also, any tips on how to use the rest of the can of pumpkin puree?
I’ll have to try it again soon but hopefully you can help me figure out how to save the frosting. Thanks.
Hi Dee, I’m sorry you ran into some problems. I’m not sure what can be done for the frosting; you could try adding a few spoonfuls of powdered sugar to see if it will stiffen up.
PSL is my favorite holiday drink so I had to make these, over and over again! So ridiculous delicious. I’ve made these 4x for different parties and they’ve been a big hit. My coworker brought one back for his pregnant wife and she asked him if he was hiding more and if not why he didn’t bring more home. This recipe is definately a keeper. Thanks Michelle!
I bought Madaglia D’oro Instant Espresso Coffee at the Italian store in the Strip. Can I use this and do I adjust the amount I use? Would espresso powder be in the spice isle or coffee isle? Thanks.
Hi Ally, You can definitely use that (it’s the instant espresso powder I use), no adjustments necessary.
These look amazing! Can you substitute the spices for an according amount of pumpkin pie spice? Thanks and I love your blog!
Hi Lilly, You could substitute ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
I made the cupcakes and they are excellent. But today was my 3rd attempt at the frosting. The taste is incredible but I am having exactly the same problem as Rachel. As soon as the cream cheese (full fat Philadelphia) is added it goes runny, I definitely couldn’t pipe it. I followed the instructions to the letter, I even tried variations of the recipe with similar results and I tried whipping it in the kitchen aid and a hand whisk both on high . I used 2 different brands of heavy cream both with minimum 36% fat. Very frustrating because its a perfect combination with the cakes, my husband has been eating it with a spoon!
Hi Bella, I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble with the frosting. I’m not sure I follow you though – you say as soon as you add the cream cheese, it gets runny. The cream cheese is the FIRST thing that should be beat, along with the sugar and vanilla. You then add the heavy cream, increase the mixer speed, and beat to stiff peaks.
I actually tried this frosting and it was delicious – perfect taste for what I was looking for….however, I had some MAJOR issues getting it to a piping consistency. Like, I tried twice and never saw success. Maybe you could tell me what I did wrong? I beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla for a few minutes then added the cream slowly while beating…however, it just got really soupy and never whipped up. I then just whipped some cream and added some of the soupy frosting to sweeten it, but immediately it all got soupy again. Could I be whipping something the wrong amount of time? I used heavy whipping cream… Thanks. :) I’d really like to conquer this one!
Hi Rachel, Did you use low-fat cream cheese? If so, that could be the problem. Due to having higher water content than full-fat cream cheese, it can often cause frostings to be runny. Also, be sure you are beating at a high enough speed once you add the cream. It will need to be around medium-high to be able to achieve stiff peaks.
I used regular Philly cream cheese and was beating it at medium high too! I also tried the second time to whip the cream first, then whip in some of the soupy whipped cream, but that just made it all soupy…I just don’t understand! Ended up just using sweetened whipped cream since the cream by itself was whipping fine. It was the cream cheese combining with the cream that suddenly made it weird. Idk.
Thanks so much for your suggestions though, I know it’s hard to see a problem with something if you’re not actually there. If I try again and have success I’ll let you know! :)
Loved these! They were absolutely delicious! The cake was perfect- I live at high altitude so usually all my cake products come out dry, but the brewed coffee on top made them come out really moist and yummy! Thanks so much!
Made these on Saturday for my niece’s bday – she’s a pumpkin spice latte connoisseur ;) The only thing that I did was omit the cloves because I am not a clove person at all and sometimes can’t handle the taste. She really enjoyed the cupcake and said they were so much like the drink. I’m not a coffee drinker so I didn’t know what they should have tasted like but was very happy with it. Saved one for my husband and he flipped too. The frosting was out of this world. I really liked the fact that I kept the finished product in the fridge and the frosting didn’t really harden up too much. You could take them right out of the fridge and serve right away. YUMMO!
Thank you for inspiring me to try so many things :)
Made these yesterday. I had to bake mine an extra 5 minutes to get them cooked (total of 27 min, I started checking at 20 min). The texture is more like a muffin than a cupcake, but the flavor is good, unique. I beat my frosting into stiff peaks (was afraid I was going to start making butter), but it was still very soft. I used full-fat cream cheese too. I had some left in the bowl after I had frosted, so I thought I would whip some more thinking I hadn’t whipped it enough – and that was a disaster – it turned into liquid. I added more heavy cream thinking I needed it to get it into a whipped shape, but then I just got curds (butter). I’m going to use it as a spread on bagels :-) I think if I made these again I would try them with a sweet cream cheese filling as more of a muffin than cupcake.
Made these tonight, yum!! I did double batch of cupcakes but single batch frosting and there was plenty. Not sure if I did something wrong! Thanks again!
These look incredible and I cant wait to make them. One question, did you use plain caramel sauce or did it have salt in it? I suppose either would work and its just a matter of personal preference.
Hi Mandy, That was my salted caramel recipe made without the salt, but you could use either.
Just about the only coffee-flavored thing I don’t like is actual coffee, so I’m a sucker for a good coffee-flavored dessert. These cupcakes look so amazing — especially that frosting! I shared this post/recipe with my readers on blog’s Weekend Wrap-Up, and wanted to drop by to make sure you knew and I was giving credit where credit was due. Feel free to stop by and take a look at some of the other featured posts. I hope you’re enjoying your weekend!
wrap-up: http://www.floptimism.com/2013/10/weekend-wrap-up-irrationality.html
I’ve made these twice since Thursday and plan to make them again today..they are so very good. Two of “taste-testers” said they were the best cupcake they’d ever tasted. They go together very easily which is great! Your website has become my go-to when I need a recipe I know is going to be a winner. Thanks!
Hi Michelle-
These look magnificent and I plan to make them for a work bake off on Wednesday! Do you think I should wait until the day of to frost them, or will the frosting hold up?
PS, I always get so many compliments when I make your recipes! Thank you for that!!!
Hi Brittany, You could frost them the night before if you have the space and container necessary to keep them covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight. If not, then I would wait to frost them until the day of. Enjoy!
Oh my, oh my, oh my! I just finished making these for a gathering tomorrow and ate one for a test. They are exquisite! And can’t think of any other word. I’m not a frosting fan at all but this is absolutely perfect with the cupcakes. I also made the salted carmel sauce which is the best I’ve ever tasted. I can’t wait for guests to come tomorrow. I live in France so it’s very hard to get canned pumpkin, but at this time of year stores that cater to Americans sometimes stock it for a few weeks. And French people certainly can’t imagine pumpkin in a dessert. Tomorrow, they’re going to learn different! Thank you. I’m a big fan.
Hi! Question. Can I offer to be a test subject and bite into cupcakes for you so you don’t have to go through the indignity of getting frosting onto your nose yourself? Just thought I’d, you know, be a martyr that way and stuff :) yeah. I VOLUNTEER.
where do you find espresso powder?
Hi Elizabeth, I get it at a local, small Italian grocer, but you could also order it from Amazon or King Arthur Flour.
Zainab, these cupcakes are absolute perfection! I’m so intrigued by the frosting (it sounds almost like no-bake cheesecake), and that caramel drizzle is so tempting! That dusting of cinnamon on top is the crowning touch. Gorgeous post; pinned!
These are amazing! I had to make them asap, brought them to work and they got rave reviews. They are even better the next day; the flavors have time to meld and deepen. The caramel sauce is the best recipe I’ve ever tried! Fabulous burnt caramel flavor (I left out the salt, my husband doesn’t like it).
I love pumpkin recipes.
I love this time of year and the abundance of pumpkin recipes. These cupcakes look amazing and I am seriously worried that if I make them I could be tempted to eat them all.
In Pittsburgh, Williams Sonoma sells the espresso powder. It’s a little pricey. To Alisha, ever think about getting a decent hand mixer with a whisk attachment/beater?
These look great! Love pumpkin spice :)
Just made these- they smell divine while cooking! Haven’t frosted them yet, but I can tell from a little piece off of the edge that are wonderful!
These look and sound delicious. I love pumpkin spice latte so I know I would enjoy the Cup Cakes! Better get baking soon!
How many times did you brush the top of the baked cupcakes with the brewed coffee? Directions imply more than once…?
I was curious on this too. I made them and did 2 heavy handed brushings and thought they were just fine. It does make them nice & moist but I was afraid to really drown them.
Whoa, these are insane!
Hello,
I am dying to make these and some other pumpkin receipes of yours!
Slight problem is that i’m from Australia and we don’t sell pumpkin in a tin (can). Any chance you would know what kind of pumpkin and how much of it i would need to cook and then blend (i’m guessing that is the consistency of canned pumpkin?)???
Many thanks!
Hi Amanda, You could make your own pumpkin puree, I saw Jessica from How Sweet Eats just posted a tutorial: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/10/exactly-how-i-make-my-homemade-pumpkin-puree/
Hi I’m in New Zealand and we have the same problem here. We don’t have canned pumpkin but we do have pumpkin soup in a can. Could I use this instead?
Thanks!
Hi Lil, I do not recommend using pumpkin soup. I would go the route of making your own puree, per the link above.
These look delicious! For the frosting in this recipe, can you whisk by hand using a wire whisk? I don’t have an electric mixer of any sort, but they are in most of the recipes I’d like to try.
Hi Alisha, I have never whipped cream by hand. While I know it can be done, it’s a little labor-intensive. Be sure to get it whipped to stiff peaks or the frosting won’t hold up on top of the cupcake.
Thanks Michelle! Would you or anyone else reading this happen to have any suggestions for a good electric mixer for someone on a budget, say around $50 – $75? A lot of the ones I’ve seen are upwards of $300, which is way out of my price range.
You can buy a handheld mixer for easily under $50 that will easily whip heavy cream and mix cake batters and frosting and the like. It’s not as powerful as a KitchenAid stand mixer or anything but it’s sure better than mixing by hand. Bottom end ones can be had for ~$20 I think
This is one of my favorite fall recipes!! I love the way you switch up the topping to make it more stable/sturdy – pure genius :)
I am exactly like you in that I don’t drink coffee, but I love a hint of coffee in drinks and baked goods! I can’t wait to try this recipe! I have one that is very similar that I’ve use for several years, but it uses less espresso. I think I’m going to like this version a lot!
This may well be my book club offering for the month! They look absolutely fabulous! Thanks!
Wow, those look incredible! I just have one question: is there any substitute to the coffee? I have never cared for the taste of it, and even order my Pumpkin Spice Lattes with cream instead. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi Louise, I think you could just omit the espresso powder and skip brushing the cupcakes with coffee.
Thanks! I’m gonna try them tomorrow. :)
I can see how you’d get frosting on your nose with that tall pile of sugary goodness! I love coffee and spice so these sound delish. Yummorama. :)
And of course your pictures are awesome as always.
Just finished making these.. amazing!..
Woo! I love it!
They are so yummy, I like the 1 to 1 cupcake to icing ratio, I used the 1M tip, The frosting at first made me nervous since it was so thin from the whipping cream, but after peaking it became thick and so easy to pipe, and it kept the shape.. I attached a pic, hopefully it worked, i had too much fun drizzling the caramel <3
I would say you nailed it with this one!!
Lovely looking cupcakes, I must bake these soon!
Wow these look amazing! And your description is making my mouth water. I may have to rush home and make these tonight! Or get a Pumpkin Spice Latte on the way home… Nahhhh baking is more fun. :)
OMG, I love these!!!
How do you keep your cream cheese frosting stiff enough to decorate (as you did in the pictures above)? Mine is always very soft and creamy.
Hi Gabby, I just made sure to beat the frosting until it held heavy peaks. It piped up just fine. Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese – low fat cream cheese has a higher water content, which can cause frostings to be runnier.
While I don’t care for pumpkin spice lattes, I love the pumpkin coffee combo in baked goods. These look amazing with all that creamy frosting and caramel on top!
Just took a pumpkin out of the oven. Now I know what to do with it. These looks AWESOME!!
These are baking now :-) I subbed G/F flour blend for the flour, coconut sugar for the dk. brown sugar and honey for the granulated sugar/oil. I knew the espresso powder we have on hand wouldn’t dissolve into the batter bur I used it “cause I had it. I tasted a wee bit of batter and it was delish so I’m thinking good things are coming from the oven today! My teens-on-the-verge-of-being-grown-ups will be super surprised when they get home…
This cupcake looks perfect! The sky high icing with a caramel drizzle – heaven!!
These look amazing! I want to make them this weekend for a party. I do have a question. None of my local stores carry espresso powder. And I don’t have time to order it. Is there any kind of substitution I can use?
Hi Jen, You can substitute instant coffee powder in its place; just be sure not to use regular ground coffee, or it won’t dissolve in the cupcakes.
This looks like one heck of a delicious ice cream, especially that frosting.. I would definitely eat it with a spoon! :)
Love the look of the light, airy frosting!
The frosting on these cupcakes look phenomenal!
Holy crappers these cupcakes look amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!! Such a beautiful presentation!!
I saw your picture of these on Instagram last night. So, so pretty. I’m a cupcake-aholic… so I need to give these a try! I just love the way the frosting looks… I wish I had your talent. Honestly. I read through this again, and I may have missed it…. but what tip do you use when piping the frosting? Not that my cupcakes will look like this, (I can’t bake to save my life).. but I’ll try anyway. It gives my family something to tease me about. :-)
I used the Ateco #827 tip – it’s a jumbo open star tip. Enjoy! :)
I totally agree with you about more frosting being better:-) These look delicious!
Wow! Michelle, these cupcakes are da bombe! Everything about them is just pure perfection! Love the cupcake flavors, the frosting with the cream cheese and whipped cream (saw similar recipe floating around at Pinterest and I can’t wait to make it). Even the topping with the cinnamon and caramel is like a Starbuck’s PSL! Girl, this is your cupcake hat-trick! Thanks for sharing. Pinning (of course)!
Yum! I love the looks of that frosting especially with the cinnamon and caramel.
The swirls look gorgeous and I imagine the cream cheese is divine. I really wanted to try the Starbucks PSL but now its on offer in cake form that might take the lead!
I never thought of putting pumpkin and latte together, but these look delicious :)
This is a 1st for me.. pumpkin & coffee together in a recipe!! I love different.. and this is definitely different.. great idea, thanks for sharing :-) Xx
i had been looking for something new to bake with pumpkin… you are always coming up with fantastic recipes.. gonna try this!
Coffee-flavored baked goods are so good, just a hint of coffee really brings out chocolate flavors especially and the fact these are PSL-flavored, I love the sounds!
And the frosting – whipped creamy-ish with just a hint of the cream cheese sounds stellar. And the caramel drizzle. Wow.
Pinned!
These look delicious! I love pumpkin for autumn, and these look literally perfect xo
That frosting looks AMAZING!! And I love the recipe – perfectly subtle, and not too sweet. These look so great.
So Gorgeous! I NEED to try these right away!:)
These look amazing! I don’t drink coffee but I love coffee flavoured desserts. I recently learned there’s no pumpkin in Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes. Made sense after I thought about it.