Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes gives you the flavor of a moist and tender pumpkin spice muffin with a latte twist. Coffee lovers will rejoice at this incredible pumpkin spice latte cupcake recipe.
These cupcakes were almost a no-go with a recent frosting fail. Luckily, I was able to improvise! I thought I’d try a new frosting recipe that I found online. I should have known something was off by looking at the ingredients though. They had originally said 2+ cups of heavy cream and a 1/4 cup icing sugar. Maybe the author had some success with it, but I sure didn’t. It was like frosting soup! From now on, I’ll stick to my tried-and-true frosting recipes and trust my gut instincts.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
Even frosting-less, these Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes would still be tasty! You can taste the hint of coffee mixed with pumpkin in each bite. I used brewed coffee since I know not everyone has an old fashioned coffee maker that gives you ground coffee. If you have one, you can use the ground coffee in the mix. I saved a bit of my morning coffee to use in the recipe.
Can I Swap with Store Bought Frosting for Pumpkin Cupcakes
If you wanted to use a store-bought frosting to save time, go right ahead. Try French Vanilla, Vanilla or Cream Cheese flavoured. Yum! Or skip the classic frosting and reach for whipped cream instead!
I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into one of these guys. I’m not one to lick the frosting off first and then eat the cupcake. Instead, I take a big bite and get the whole experience of sweetness and texture.
My picky kids even liked them. Olivia brought one in her lunch. She’s fussy with food – even dessert! It made me happy to see her enjoying my baking.
All the coffee shops have their pumpkin baked goods out right now. I think this recipe is even better. Plus, it’s a lot cheaper to make your own!
Easy Ways to Dress Up Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes
Want to elevate the presentation value of these tasty cupcakes? Add a drizzle of caramel over the top or dust on some cinnamon or pumpkin spice. It will completely transform the look and add incredible flavor to your already delicious homemade pumpkin latte cupcakes.
I went plain with mine, but if I am doing a bake sale or serving up to guests I will dust with pumpkin spice seasoning to really add a whole new element to the cupcakes.
Ground Coffee or Brewed Coffee
Either work! You could even use espresso in this recipe to elevate the coffee flavor. If you want a stronger coffee to add a few more grounds into the mix to elevate the flavor.
Craving more pumpkin spice? Try my Pumpkin Spice Cake Cups!
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
Start by preheating the oven and lining your cupcake pan. Then start to work on the cupcake batter. You will then spoon the batter into your cupcake pan and then bake accordingly. You will know when your cupcakes are done as you can stick a toothpick in them and it comes out clean.
Allow the cupcakes to cool and then work on your frosting. You can pipe it on or spread with a spoon or fork if you don’t have great piping skills. Then sink your teeth into these incredibly moist and delicious cupcakes.
Pumpkin Puree vs Pumpkin Pie Mix
You will want to use pumpkin puree for this recipe. This is canned pumpkin where pumpkin pie mix has other ingredients in the can, and it won’t work in a recipe like this. So make sure you buy just straight canned pumpkin puree.
Searching for more pumpkin recipes
- Pumpkin Spice Latte | Check out my homemade latte recipe. Pair this next to these cupcakes for a pumpkin spice latte overload in flavor!
- Pumpkin Ribbon Bread | If you love a quick bread this is the recipe to make. Incredibly moist, stunning presentation and don’t even get me started on how delicious this tastes.
- Easy Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies | A great excuse to eat pumpkin for breakfast! These cookies are easy to whip up, store great and are freezer friendly.
How to Store Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes
Because of the frosting, you will find that these cupcakes store best in the refrigerator. You can store your cupcakes for up to a week in the fridge.
How to Freeze Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
You can freeze these cupcakes for later. Just place in a proper container and the store in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge or quick thaw on the counter. I love tossing what we won’t eat in the freezer so when I get a sweet craving I skip the bakery and reach for a dessert in my freezer.
You’ll also love these Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes, Caramel Apple Cupcakes or Snickerdoodle Cupcakes.
Are you baking lots of pumpkin spice items this month?
You’ll also like this Pumpkin Bread Pudding.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcake
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 3 tbsp ground coffee or brewed coffee
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup milk
- 4 large eggs
Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp salted butter softened
- 2 tbsp milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners in your cupcake pan.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.
- In another bowl, add pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, milk, coffee and oil. Beat together until combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time to the wet mixture, beat well after you add each egg.
- With the mixture on low speed, add the flour mixture in two halves, mixing just until well mixed.
- Fill cupcake liners with batter about ¾ way full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Let cool for 20 minutes in the cupcake pan. Then move them to a wire rack to continue to cool. Once they have cooled, top with the frosting.
- To make the frosting, add all your ingredients to a large bowl. Beat on medium until smooth.
Equipment
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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These look amazing! Visiting from Chic on a Shoestring.
Shelley
I need this recipe. Thanks for sharing. We were just talking about making pumpkin recipes soon. My daughter & I love to bake together.
lol by the sound of it, it was probably supposed to be 1/4 cup of the heavy whipping cream and 2+ cups of the icing sugar…maybe she accidently mixed them up? So glad that you could salvage your icing though. These look fantastic (wonderful pictures)! Thank you for sharing!
What an awesome flavor combination. My favorite! Sorry about your frosting fail. Glad you were able to make it work. They look fabulous!
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Miz Helen
I was wondering if the milk in the frosting is plain milk or heavy cream.
I used just regular milk.
Ok I have what’s probably a dumb question… What am I adding the flour mixture to in step five? I figured it was the wet mixture that I would have just added to eggs to, but then step six says to add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, so now I’m completely confused and I feel like I’m missing something…?
Not a dumb question at all! Actually thanks for pointing that out. I had an extra sentence in there that was confusing! I took it out and it should make better sense now. Sorry for the confusion!
Oh! Ok. That makes me feel better, haha! Thank you for clarifying. So excited to make these! They sound amazing. Thanks so much for the recipe =)
Ok two more questions… 1. Did you make your own pumpkin puree or did you use a can? 2. What roast was your coffee?
No, I used canned pumpkin puree. Any roast of coffee is fine!
Great. Thanks again! I promise I won’t bother you with anymore questions, haha.
These look great and Im going to be trying them soon! Â About your comment on the “soupy frosting” with the 2 cups heavy cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar…. this is the way to make a stabilized whipped cream for cupcakes. Â I love doing it this way because its so much easier than a method with gelatin (which I never tried since this is so easy!). You just whip the cream to soft peaks with the whisk attachment to your stand mixer, add the powdered sugar and continue to whip a minute or so. You may need to add a bit more powdered sugar. Try it, its a beautiful topping for cupcakes!Â