Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
Pumpkin spice latte cupcakes are a quintessential fall cupcake flavor. These cupcakes are made with moist and tender pumpkin spice cupcakes, swirled with coffee buttercream frosting, and dusted in instant espresso powder. Add this pumpkin spice latte cupcake recipe to your fall baking list!
Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Pumpkin pie spice – A combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Check out this blog post on how to make your own pumpkin pie spice or you can purchase pumpkin pie spice premade!
- Salt
- Pumpkin puree – Canned pumpkin puree. The only ingredient should be pumpkin. Do not use pumpkin pie filling.
- Milk – Room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – You can also use canola oil or another neutral baking oil.
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract adds great flavor.
Coffee Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
- Instant espresso powder – Be sure to use instant espresso powder as opposed to ground espresso coffee.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract adds a subtle underlying vanilla flavor to the frosting.
- Salt – To contrast the sweetness of the buttercream.
- Heavy cream – Helps the buttercream become smooth and creamy.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
- Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Make the cupcake batter: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add the wet ingredients (milk, vegetable oil, egg, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree) into the flour mixture. Whisk until the batter is combined and smooth.
- Bake the cupcakes: Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the coffee buttercream: Whip the unsalted butter until light and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add in the instant espresso powder, vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream. Whip the frosting on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble the cupcakes: Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 2D piping tip with the coffee buttercream. Pipe a generous swirl of buttercream onto the cupcakes. Use a fine mesh sieve to dust the tops of the cupcakes with instant espresso powder and garnish with coffee beans and a cinnamon stick, if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Check out my baking tips blog posts on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes and 10 Tips for Making Perfect Buttercream to learn simple tips and tricks to make the most out of this recipe.
- Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling for the recipe.
- Use store-bought pumpkin pie spice or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the cupcakes?
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days or in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Can I substitute instant coffee granules for the instant espresso?
- Unfortunately, instant coffee does not make a great substitution in this recipe. The instant espresso powder adds a ton of coffee flavor and easily dissolves in the buttercream frosting.
How do you make the ruffle swirl pattern?
- To make the ruffle swirl with the buttercream, use a Wilton 2D piping tip. As you are piping the frosting, use a good amount of pressure and wiggle the piping tip to create the ruffles.
- Check out this baking tutorial to learn more and see exactly how to pipe a ruffle swirl.
Other Pumpkin Recipes You Will Love
- Pumpkin spice cupcakes
- Frosted pumpkin cookies
- Pumpkin pie bars
- Pumpkin spice whoopie pies
- Mini pumpkin spice cheesecakes
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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Pumpkin spice latte cupcakes are a quintessential fall cupcake flavor. These cupcakes are made with moist and tender pumpkin spice cupcakes, swirled with coffee buttercream frosting, and dusted in instant espresso powder. Add this pumpkin spice latte cupcake recipe to your fall baking list!
Equipment
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp (1 tsp) baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp (1 tsp) pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ¾ cup (184 g) pumpkin puree
- ½ cup (118 ml) milk room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 (1) large egg room temperature
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
Coffee Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp (5 g) instant espresso powder
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp (0.2 tsp) salt
- 2 tbsp (30 g) heavy cream
Additional Ingredients
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) instant espresso powder
- 12 (12) cinnamon sticks
- 1 tbsp (15 g) coffee beans
Instructions
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add in the pumpkin puree, milk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk until the cupcakes batter is combined and smooth.
- Portion the cupcake batter into cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop (about ¾ full). Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back when gently touched. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Coffee Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the room temperature butter for about 5 minutes until it is light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed setting until fully combined. Then, add the instant espresso powder, vanilla extract, and salt and mix on low speed until combined. Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream while mixing on low speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure the frosting is well mixed.
- Increase the speed on the mixer to medium and whip the buttercream for about 3 to 5 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix the buttercream for several minutes to remove any air bubbles. *Note: If there are undissolved instant espresso granules, continue to mix the buttercream on low speed until they are fully dissolved.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 2D piping tip with the coffee buttercream frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes. Use a fine mesh sieve to dust the tops of the cupcakes with additional instant espresso powder and garnish with coffee beans and cinnamon sticks, if desired.
Notes
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Made This Recipe?
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
Hi Lauren! If they were a little doughy, my inclination is that they were likely underbaked a tiny bit. Oven temperatures can be a bit different – if your oven runs a bit cooler, it may require a bit longer of a baking time.
Hi tried this recipe and the cupcakes came out looking a little doughy like on the inside…not sure what I did wrong. Looking for advice on how I can fix it? Other than that cupcakes turned out great and flavor is 10/10!
Hi Lauren! If they were a little doughy, my inclination is that they were likely underbaked a tiny bit. Oven temperatures can be a bit different – if your oven runs a bit cooler, it may require a bit longer of a baking time.
Delicious and super easy. Only used 1 stick of butter in the icing and 1 tablespoon of cream, came out perfect. One bowl!
Hi Giulia! Thanks for trying the recipe! Glad you enjoyed it! I love how easy the cupcakes are to make!
Can I make a cake with this recipe??
I haven’t tested it for a cake so I can’t say for sure! I do have a recipe for pumpkin spice cake under my cake section and a recipe for the coffee buttercream in the frosting section! Just to be sure I’m giving you correct advice, I recommend using both those recipes for best results!