Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
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This post is sponsored by Javy Coffee. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
‘Tis the season for PUMPKIN! Oh gosh I love pumpkin! Well, I do love it, but I feel I don’t really show that I love it! Pumpkin is an underrated ingredient for me, and I do tend to only eat it when it’s pumpkin season. But if you’ve got a craving for pumpkin, then I’ve got lots of other pumpkin recipes! From Pumpkin Puree Stove-top Oats to a Skillet Protein Chocolate Chip Cookie, pumpkin sure is a versatile and fun squash to work it! I believe it is my favourite! Confession time: I’ve never made a pumpkin pie though! That needs to be in the works!
So why am I sharing these cupcakes today? If you’ve been following the blog for awhile, you know that desserts have been an area that I’ve been lacking in. I never really got into desserts until probably this year, or the end of last year! I thought desserts were meant for special occasions, and I always used the excuse that I was too tired after cooking dinner to make desserts. PSA: The secret is to make your dessert in the afternoon before your entree!
While we’re in pumpkin mode and while it was Canadian Thanksgiving, I thought it would be amazing to bring the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte to my home, but to eat it! Last week, I shared how to make the perfect Starbucks Cafe Mocha replica on the blog! I’ve also recently shared how to make the perfect Starbucks Mocha Chocolate Syrup recipe, and Coffee Chocolate Pancakes, all inspired by the Starbucks mocha drink! The Cafe Mocha recipe is my all-time favourite coffee beverage to make at home, and in fact as I’m writing this I’m sipping on that same mocha! The mocha is my favourite drink to order at Starbucks, but when it’s pumpkin spice latte season, I don’t want to miss out! I’d say it’s a close second or third to the mocha!
Javy Coffee is a company that specializes in liquid coffee concentrate. It’s an instant coffee but in liquid form! They were kind enough to reach out to me to use it in my mocha-inspired recipes, and I had a lot of fun! I have to say that it’s some strong stuff, but easily adjustable based on what you need! They’ve recently released new flavours, and offered for me to try one out. I thought pumpkin spice would be perfect for the season!
I didn’t feel like making another drink with the instant coffee, but I do love to cook with coffee (or at least, I’ve recently learned that I do!). What’s fun and festive? Cupcakes! I’ve only made cupcakes once before and it was almost two years ago, but I’m always up for a good challenge! As you can see, this was a successful mission! Woohoo! I’m beyond proud of these cupcakes, and I’m sure you’re going to love them as much as I did! Whatever the occasion, or if you’re just in the mood to bake some cupcakes, then give these a shot! Trust me - they’ll disappear really quickly! Let’s get baking!
Ingredients for pumpkin spice latte Cupcakes
We’ll go over what we’ll need for the cupcakes themselves, the homemade pumpkin spice (if using), and the pumpkin spice latte whipped cream frosting. Remember, the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD with all ingredient quantities is at the bottom of this post! You can easily scale this recipe to make as many cupcakes as desired!
For the pumpkin spice, you can make it yourself or buy it from the store. I’ll be making my Perfect DIY Pumpkin Spice in for these cupcakes, so if you want more details on it, be sure to check out the full recipe! The whipped cream is also a variation of my classic Homemade Whipped Cream, so I recommend you check out the full recipe for details to ensure that you have the perfect whipped cream, and what to do with leftovers!
For the Cupcakes
Flour: I’m using all purpose flour here. This is the base, and it’ll make for a perfectly soft, fluffy and moist cupcake batter!
Vanilla extract: I think it’s a must! There’s some great flavour that comes out of a little bit of vanilla extract!
Pumpkin puree: I’m using canned pumpkin puree here. You could use puree from a fresh pumpkin if desired. Don’t use pumpkin pie filling because that’s already sweetened! Look for a label that says “Pure Pumpkin” and you’re good!
Baking soda & baking powder: A combination of these ingredients helps the cupcake batter to rise and form perfectly shaped cupcakes!
Eggs: Ideally at room temperature.
Sweeteners: I’m using a combination of regular white sugar and brown sugar.
Vegetable oil: You could use butter if you want.
Cinnamon: A little extra touch for that pumpkin spice coziness!
Pumpkin spice: Store bought or homemade. See below for homemade.
For the homemade pumpkin Spice
For the Pumpkin Spice whipped cream
Heavy cream
Powdered sugar
Javy Pumpkin Spice Instant Coffee (click that link for 15% off your order!)
If you don’t have the Javy Pumpkin Spice instant coffee, then you can still make this Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream! Simply use powdered instant coffee or espresso powder and add 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin spice. Adjust according the amount of pumpkin spice according to your preference.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
For the pumpkin spice
To make the pumpkin pie spice recipe, all you need to do is mix all the spices together in a plate or shake the ingredients together in an airtight jar.
For the cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350 F
In a bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin spice. Whisk well.
In another bowl, add eggs, oil, pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. For an extra coffee punch, add 1-2 tsp of the Javy Pumpkin Spice coffee as well. Whisk until the sugars have combined with the liquid.
Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well to combine. Be careful not to over whisk the batter.
Line the cupcake sheets with the cupcake paper and add the batter and fill the slots to 75% capacity.
Transfer the baking sheet into the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 18-20 minutes.
Take your baking tray out of the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool down. Transfer the cupcakes onto a wire rack to allow them to cool down completely.
Transfer the whipped cream into a piper and apply the whipped cream on top of the cupcakes. Design however you'd like!
Put some pumpkin spice into a sieve and tap over the cupcakes to garnish.
For the Homemade Whipped Cream
Hand whisked method
Begin by adding your whipping cream in a large mixing bowl and start whisking with a large whisk.
Keep whisking and continue until the cream starts to thicken. Your arms may try to tire at this point
Add sweetener of choice, vanilla and continue whisking until you observe soft peaks. Gradually add the instant coffee until you have the desired taste. Lifting the whipped cream with the whisk should result in peaks that eventually points down.
Hand mixer/Stand mixer method
Pour the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and start whisking with the whisk attachment at medium speed. Gradually increase the speed of the whisk until the cream starts to thicken.
Add sweetener of choice and vanilla and continue whisking until you observe soft peaks. Gradually add the instant coffee until you have the desired taste. Lifting the whipped cream with the whisk should result in peaks that eventually points down.
how much batter to put in the baking tray for each portion?
I’ve found that to get your cupcakes to rise perfectly and have that awesome cupcake shape, you’ll up want to fill up the moulds with batter up to 75% of the way up. That way, there’s enough space for your batter to rise and so that you don’t have them too small or overflowing in the mould!
Cupcakes vs Muffins? What’s the Difference?
Muffins are usually dryer and denser. A cupcake on the other hand is light, usually small (but sometimes large!), and has a fun frosting! In this recipe, we’re using the pumpkin spice latte whipped cream, a fun twist on regular whipped cream!
Can I Add Coffee in the Batter Itself?
You may have noticed that there was no instant coffee added to the cupcake batter. As mentioned earlier, the Javy liquid coffee concentrate is STRONG! To be honest with you, I actually forgot to add it in the batter! But when I was tasting the cupcakes, I really found not only a strong caffeine flavour, but a strong pumpkin spice flavour from the whipped cream alone. I feel that if you were to add the pumpkin spice instant coffee in the batter, it would overpower the cakiness of the cupcakes themselves
Tips for the most delightful cupcakes!
Let’s review a few things to keep in mind to ensure your cupcakes turn out perfectly and they taste their best!
You don’t have to over-whisk when combining the wet ingredients with the dry. Simply mix until you have a smooth texture, but some lumps are fine.
Fill the cupcake moulds leaving a 25% gap at the top so that your cupcake batter doesn’t overflow in the oven. Overfilling will also cause the cupcakes to not bake evenly, and they may be under-cooked in the oven.
Tap the baking sheet to ensure you have the batter evenly distributed and there are no air pockets in the moulds.
Your cupcakes have finished baking when you put in a wooden skewer or a knife down the middle of your cupcake, and it comes out clean.
Allow your cupcakes to completely cool down. First, let them cool down in the moulds, and then let them completely cool onto a wire rack. You must exercise some patience before adding your whipped cream or else it will melt when you add the whipped cream.
Choose your favourite tip for your piping bag so you can have fun with the design and be creative!
Lick some whipped cream while applying on the cupcakes because it’s so tasty on its own :)
How to Store Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
Store your Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes in an airtight container or what I did… a cookie jar! Be sure to place your cupcakes upright and keep the container straight so that your little cupcakes don’t fall over and get ruined! You can store cupcakes with the whipped cream frosting already topped.
Can I Freeze These Pumpkin Cupcakes?
Sure, but if you want to freeze them, don’t put the frosting on yet. Make fresh frosting when you’re ready to serve! You’ll want to place your cupcakes upright in a freezer-safe bag or in an airtight container.
To defrost your cupcakes, simply place them in the fridge and let them defrost naturally, or else they’ll dry out. However, keep in mind that once frozen and defrosted, the cupcakes won’t be as moist and fresh as when you had originally baked them. In the freezer, crystallization occurs. When you defrost it, you will naturally lose some of that moisture as a result of condensation.
Other Pumpkin Recipes You May Like!
Watch How to Make pumpkin spice latte cupcakes here:
If you liked this recipe please let me know in the comments. Tag your post on social media using #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. If you’ve tried out Javy coffee concentrate for this syrup, be sure to tag #drinkjavy in your posts too! Thank you!