Autumn is my favorite season. I find comfort in snuggling up with a blanket, and a good book while sipping on a hot latte with warm spices. I’ve created that same warm feeling into these pumpkin cupcakes.
Every fall, I patiently wait for Starbucks to come out with their Pumpkin Spice Latte. Once it hits the menu, it’s the unofficial start of the fall holiday season even if the temperature outside is much like summer weather.
Nothing beats warm coffee with pumpkin flavor and warm fall spices and that’s where the inspiration for this recipe came from.
Last week I bought a few pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks for the family and headed home to make my first batch of Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes. After thinking about Starbucks pumpkin spice latte ingredients, I put together this easy recipe. The first batch I made didn’t have much of a coffee flavor and paled in comparison to the Starbucks latte in my hand but I quickly got the recipe right and it’s perfect to share now.
I finally found a pumpkin patch near me after years of searching. Having lived in the Midwest most of my life, pumpkin patches were everywhere. About 10 years ago, my dad started growing his own pumpkin patch on his land and I’ve always had an abundance of pumpkins for the season.
I can’t imagine life without pumpkins. There is nothing like warm spices, sugar, and pumpkin cheer up a brisk autumn day!
If you can’t get outside to visit a pumpkin patch this season, then this Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcake recipe will suffice. Just visit your local grocery store and pick up a can of pumpkin puree. There are times where it’s perfectly acceptable bake the whole season away and fall and winter my times!
These Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes are full of pumpkin coffee flavor with cream, caramel sauce, warm spices, and buttercream spiced frosting.
If you love Starbucks Pumpkin Latte, then you’ll fall in love all over again with these pumpkin cupcakes!
Looking for more delicious cupcakes recipes? Try these Maple Bacon Cupcakes or these Caramel Apple Cupcakes. I love this Maple Bacon Crack, too!
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3 large eggs
- 15 oz. canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- ¼ cup coffee
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee
- ¼ cup half and half or full-fat milk/cream
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Frosting
- 9 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 6 oz. cream cheese soft
- ½ cup shortening
- 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2½ cups powdered confectioners’ sugar
- gingersnap cookies
- green straws
- caramel sauce see notes for recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cupcakes liners; set aside.In a large bowl whisk together combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.In a separate bowl, whisk eggs. Add in pumpkin puree. Brew a hot cup of coffee and measure out 1/4 cup coffee. Add instant coffee to 1/4 cup coffee then stir to dissolve. Add half and half or milk/cream to coffee. Pour mixture into pumpkin mixture. Add in vegetable oil to wet ingredients. Whisk everything until thoroughly combined. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients until everything is combined.Add 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) pumpkin batter to each cupcake liner. Bake in oven 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting.To make the frosting – 1. Meanwhile, make the frosting. In a bowl fit with a mixer, beat butter, powdered confectioner’s sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Once smooth, turn mixer up to medium and beat in chunks of cream cheese and shortening. Mix frosting until smooth.2. Fill pastry bag with a cupcake tip and frost each cupcake. Frosting may need to be chilled in pastry bag to create same design as photos. Also, I used a Russian Ball Tip to frost each cupcake. See notes on where to buy, otherwise, any cupcake tip will do.3. Top each cupcake with a gingersnap cookie, straw, and drizzle with caramel sauce.5. Cupcakes need to be chilled until 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If cupcake sticks to liner, place them in a ziplock bag for a few hours. Alternatively, you can spray a little vegetable oil on the liners to prevent sticking.
- Caramel Sauce Recipe – https://www.swankyrecipes.com/caramel-sauce-recipe.html
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate and it’s accuracy is not guaranteed to be exact.
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17 Responses
just made this recipe for a friends birthday, and the cupcakes are okay, not really much of a coffee flavor and can’t get it out of the paper to save my life, but the pumpkin is good. but the icing?!? major ick – i was hesitant to put the shortening in and boy was i right – it was awful. i had to dump it and try another icing recipe. i don’t know if you used a different kind of shortening or what, but even my husband wouldn’t touch it. curious if anyone else who reviewed it actually made it, and where i went wrong!
I’m sorry to hear that the recipe didn’t turn out as expected. Let’s address your concerns step by step:
Coffee Flavor: To enhance the coffee flavor, you can consider increasing the amount of instant coffee or using a stronger brewed coffee. Another option is to use espresso powder which has a more intense coffee flavor.
Cupcakes Sticking to the Liner: This can be frustrating. A few tips to help prevent this in the future:
Ensure the cupcakes are completely cooled before trying to peel the liner.
As mentioned in the notes, placing them in a ziplock bag for a few hours can help. The trapped moisture can make the paper easier to peel away.
Spraying the liners with a non-stick spray can also help.
Icing Issues with Shortening: Shortening can give frosting a distinct taste and texture which isn’t to everyone’s liking. It’s often used in frostings because it’s stable and can hold shape better than butter, especially in warmer temperatures. If you dislike the taste, you can:
Substitute shortening with unsalted butter. This might make the frosting softer, so you may need to adjust the powdered sugar or refrigerate it to achieve the desired consistency.
Some brands of shortening have a more pronounced taste than others. If you’re open to trying again, you could try another brand to see if it makes a difference.
Lastly, don’t be disheartened. Baking is as much an art as it is a science, and sometimes recipes need a bit of tweaking to fit personal preferences. Your feedback and experience can help you (and others) achieve better results next time.
I love this recipe! The best cupcakes I ever had! Even if you don’t like pumpkin you will love these. The icing is to die for ! Thank you for sharing :).
So glad you enjoyed them =)
These look absolutely perfect. I have some PSL-obsessed friends who would go totally crazy for these.
The flavor of these sound so good but the look of them is even better! You photos capture just how delicious they will be!
These little Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes look lovely. They have all the tasty fall flavors. Can’t wait to make a batch.
I’m on the total opposite spectrum as you…I’m not a fan of pumpkin 🙂 So for these cupcakes, I would do like I did with sweet potato pie at Thanksgiving…eat the topping only!!
A beautiful dessert! I love that it’s filled with fall flavors, and perfect to serve during the holidays.
Wow!! These look amazing! I’m not a fan of the famous PSL but I am definitely a fan of these! They look delicious and I can’t wait to make these x
Yes yes…and yes! These cupcakes are beautiful! Your piping job makes them look even more delicious. I’m a big pumpkin spice lover, these have everything.
Haha, I totally agree. I judge the season by the Starbucks drinks 😉 These look so good. Pinned for later!!
WOWOWWOOW! That perfectly piped frosting, the fluffy muffin, the syrup drizzle and a gingersnap cookie on top? I mean, you had me at pumpkin spice latte but these are really ticking all the boxes! A dessert dream!
You had me at pumpkin spice! This recipe is absolutely mouth-watering and I need to make them asap!
I could sip on these cupcakes all day long 😉 They look so yummy! I love that frosting and the drizzle over the top! YUM!
these look amazing!!! I love the added crunch on top with the ginger snap!!! These would be so perfect for a fall dinner party!
OMG! I really wish I could smell these and eat them right through the computer! That cream with the caramel sauce dripping down is KILLER! These are truly incredible! 🙂