How to make Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes! That sweet, spicy Autumnal hot drink in cupcake form. Soft and moist coffee-spiked pumpkin spice cakes topped with softly whipped cream and dusted with cinnamon sugar.
Pumpkin spice fans put your hands up! This recipe is just for you.
Pumpkin spiced coffee cupcakes topped with softly whipped cream, dusted with cinnamon sugar and topped with a cute little fondant pumpkin. These cupcakes scream Autumn!
I have a teeny tiny obsession with pumpkin spice and I’ve been desperate to try a cupcake recipe with all the flavours of that delicious, sweet, festively spicy Starbucks drink.
pumpkin spice cupcakes
It took me a few attempts, but I finally found a recipe I was happy with. I found it quite difficult to get the right balance of flavours without the spices over-powering everything – you don’t want to overdo the ground cloves, trust me! A little of that stuff goes a very long way.
I pondered for a while on what to top the cupcakes with – I thought about making a spiced buttercream, but I figured there was enough pumpkin spice going on already.
I almost went for a Biscoff cream cheese icing (which I use in my gingerbread latte cake) but in the end I realised I was over-thinking the situation and settled on a cinnamon-dusted whipped cream topping. I wanted the cupcakes to be almost a carbon copy of the famous drink, so what else could it be?
It was 100% the right decision. If you’re pumpkin spice crazy like me, then why not make yourself a homemade pumpkin slice latte to enjoy with these cupcakes?
tips for Making Pumpkin Spice latte cupcakes
- This is a really easy cupcake recipe – there is no creaming butter and sugar together! It is simply a case of mixing the dry ingredients and wet ingredients together.
- Take care not to over mix the batter or you could develop gluten and your cupcakes will be tough. Stop mixing as soon as everything is incorporated.
- Depending on your oven and the size of your cases, the cupcakes will take between 18-20 minutes to bake.
- While the cupcakes are baking, I make a quick coffee soaking syrup. Then I brush the syrup over the cakes while they are still warm.
- I decorated the cakes with a cute little fondant pumpkin, but a drizzle of caramel sauce is also very good.
- Just one word of warning – if you’re using the candy pumpkins, don’t add them until you’re ready to serve the cupcakes – the colour bleeds into the cream after a couple of hours. This might not be much of an issue, but it’s good to bear in mind if you want your cakes to look pretty for a while!
- Here’s a photo of the cakes drizzed with the caramel sauce – just so you can see the effect.
storing pumpkin cupcakes
These cupcakes will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the fridge. The pumpkin purée and oil in the cakes will ensure that the cakes won’t dry out.
The undecorated cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months.
All you need then is a cosy blanket and the Gilmore Girls on Netflix to reach ultimate Autumn cosiness factor…which is exactly what’s needed right now!
If you love baking with pumpkin puree, you must try this Starbucks copycat pumpkin loaf and my best pumpkin spice muffin recipe.
More pumpkin recipes to try
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes! That sweet, spicy Autumnal hot drink in cupcake form. Soft, moist spiced coffee spiked pumpkin cupcakes topped with a pumpkin spiced whipped cream topping.
Ingredients
- 175g self raising flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 100g (1 cup) soft light brown sugar
- 100g (1 cup) caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 210g pumpkin purée
- 60ml (1/2 cup) vegetable or sunflower oil
- 60ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk
- FOR THE COFFEE SYRUP
- 50ml (3 tablespoons + one teaspoon) freshly brewed coffee
- 50g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
- FOR THE TOPPING:
- 300ml fridge cold double (heavy) cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons icing sugar
- Ground cinnamon or pumpkin spice for dusting the top of the cupcakes
- Caramel sauce for drizzling on top of the cupcakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160Fan/350F. Line a 12 hole cupcake tin with paper liners.
- Whisk dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Set aside.
- Combine wet ingredients: In a medium bowl or jug, stir the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.
- Make the batter: Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the pumpkin mixture. Using a whisk, mix everything together until the mixture is smooth. Don't overmix. The batter will be a little runnier than you would expect for a cupcake mixture.
- Pour the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them no more than 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until they are risen and spring back when lightly pressed.
- When the cakes are in the oven, make the coffee syrup. Place the coffee and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then immediately turn down the heat and simmer on a medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and looks syrupy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add the soaking syrup: Place the cupcakes on a wire cooling rack and while they are still warm, brush the tops with coffee syrup. Allow the cakes to cool completely before adding the whipped cream topping.
- To make the topping, place the cold whipped cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and whip to soft peaks. You don't want to overwhip the cream, but you need it to be firm enough to prevent it from sliding off the cupcakes.
- Place the whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a nozzle - I used a plain round 3cm nozzle (but use whatever you have)- and pipe the cream on top of the cupcakes.
- Using a tea strainer, dust the top of each cake very lighly with ground cinnamon, cinnamon sugar or pumpkin spice and top with a fondant pumpkin. If you don't have the pumpkins, a drizzle of caramel sauce is nice.
Notes
I used these fondant pumpkins for decoration.
The cupcakes should be kept in the fridge after decorating so the cream doesn't spoil. They will keep for up to two days.
I wouldn't recommend adding the fondant pumpkins until you are ready to serve the cakes - the colour bleeds into the whipped cream!
The undecorated cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 145Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 224mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 2g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only