Espresso and pumpkin spice come together to create warm and comforting flavors in these pumpkin spice latte cupcakes.

Fall Favorite Starbucks Drink

Pumpkin spice is a fall favorite blend of spices and it’s easy to make at home using your every day pantry spices. It’s also one of Starbucks ‘ most desired drinks when the cooler weather begins to set in.

Cinnamon, allspice, ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves blend together to create a flavorful homemade version of pumpkin pie spice.

Another fall favorite is pumpkin and either a homemade puree or store bought canned pumpkin works for this recipe. If purchasing the canned variety, make sure to buy 100% Pure Pumpkin and not the pumpkin pie mix variety.

RELATED: Pumpkin Gingerbread Cupcakes

What Ingredients are in Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes?

• Butter – Unsalted and softened
• Granulated Sugar
• Eggs – Room temperature is best
• Pumpkin Puree – Pure Pumpkin is best
• Pumpkin Pie Spice – Cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda – leavening agents
• Buttermilk – Creates light and fluffy texture
• Espresso powder and coffee

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream Cheese– room temperature
• Confectioner’s sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Heavy Cream – to create a light whipped texture

Homemade Caramel Sauce

• Brown Sugar
• Unsalted Butter
• Heavy Cream
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Iced Pumpkin Spice Loaf

How to Make Starbucks Inspired Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes

Prepare the oven and muffin tins- Preheat the oven to 350° and line muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners.

Combine the wet ingredients- Cream together the softened butter and the granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time until light and fluffy. Finally, beat in the pumpkin.

Combine the dry ingredients- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin spice mix, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Make the coffee espresso mix- Warm 1/4 cup of coffee and add 2 tbsp of espresso and mix well.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together- Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Alternate with the buttermilk and the coffee to avoid overmixing. You want the batter to be moistened and not overmixed which will result in a dense dry cupcake.

Fill the liners- Equally fill 24 muffin liners with the cupcake batter.

Bake the Cupcakes- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure they are done before removing them from the oven. All the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

How to Make Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Start with room temperature ingredients- Beat together the room temperature cream cheese and the confectioner’s sugar until smooth.

Add in the liquids- Beat in the vanilla extract and beat in the heavy cream until the frosting becomes thick and peaks begin to form.

Decorate and store- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes using a cupcake decorating piping bag and a piping tip. Drizzle with homemade salted caramel sauce.

Making Pumpkin Cupcakes

To create a light and fluffy cupcake one of the most important things to do is to not overbeat the mix.

Buttermilk also plays another roll in this recipe as it creates a moist and soft cupcake. If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can substitute the buttermilk for a combination of milk and lemon juice.

To make the substitute, combine 1 TBSP of lemon juice and 1 cup of milk. Allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes before combining it with other ingredients.

Room temperature eggs are important as well. That way they beat easier and quicker than using cold eggs.

I use canned pumpkin because of the convenience. I purchase canned pure pumpkin versus pumpkin pie mix. The pumpkin pie mix has a blend of spices that can throw off your baking – canned pure pumpkin is simply just a blend of winter squashes.