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!
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!