Pumpkin Spice Latté Cupcakes
Pumpkin spice has become the most popular flavor of the holiday season. Celebrate autumn with standard or mini white cupcakes topped with highly spiced frosting. I add coffee flavored cream to the frosting so that it tastes just like your favorite latté.
Prep batter: 35 minutes
Bake: standard cupcake 13 to 14 minutes or mini cupcakes 8 to 9 minutes
Bake at: 350°F
Pan: standard or mini muffin pan
Prep frosting: 25 minutes
Yield: 14 to 15 standard cupcakes or 46 to 48 mini cupcakes
Difficulty: intermediate
Ingredients
White Cupcake Batter
- 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon clear or standard vanilla extract
- 3 drops white gel food color (optional)
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- Mini or standard baking cups
Pumpkin Spice Buttercream Frosting
- 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee crystals or espresso powder
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, room temperature
- 2 cups (224 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Making the White Cupcake Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a medium mixing bowl.
- Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the butter and 1/4 cup of the buttermilk for 2 to 3 minutes until the ingredients are smooth and blended. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and white food color, if using, and beat for 2 minutes.
- Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat on low until the ingredients hold together, about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining flour in two parts until it is fully incorporated.
- In a separate medium bowl, beat the egg whites until medium peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter until no streaks remain.
Baking the Cupcakes
- Line standard or mini muffin wells with cupcake liners. Fill each cupcake liner halfway with batter.
- In a preheated 350°F oven, bake standard cupcakes for 13 to 14 minutes or mini cupcakes for 8 to 9 minutes. The tops will be very pale, but firm to the touch. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes before turning them out on a wire rack to cool completely.
- White cake needs to be fully cooled before you can peel off the liner, so make sure you wait long enough before serving.
Making the Pumpkin Spice Buttercream Frosting
- In a small saucepan, gently warm 1 1/2 tablespoons cream. Remove the pan from the heat and add the instant coffee crystals or espresso powder; stir until the crystals or powder fully dissolve. Pour the cream mixture into a small bowl and let it cool.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer at medium speed to cream together the butter and shortening until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Turn down the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Increase the speed to medium and beat the mixture until it is fluffy and not at all grainy, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the cream mixture, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt to the frosting. Beat until the ingredients are completely incorporated. Add cream or powdered sugar to adjust the consistency.
- Pipe or spread the frosting on the cupcakes. For standard cupcakes, a 2D piping tip is a good choice and for mini cupcakes, I like a 6B piping tip.
Tips
- If you don’t keep pumpkin pie spice on hand, use the following individual spices: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice.