The perfect balance of espresso and pumpkin spice make these pumpkin spice latte cupcakes completely irresistible.
Freaky for fall. It’s the phrase I love most when I first notice the weather begin to cool down. I count down the seconds until I can finally break out my boots and sweaters. I long for the time when I can stroll through the park tripping out over how beautiful the trees look in vibrant shades of red, yellow, and orange. I not so patiently wait for the very first time all the fall-inspired food and drink are released. And yes, I am talking about the pumpkin spice latte.
I admit that I am so into pumpkin spice. To an extent, I mean. Things like pumpkin spice granola, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, or pumpkin shrubs are all amazing. But I draw the line at things like pumpkin spice candy corn (which are terrible already without the added potpourri strength of the spice), or dog treats. So making something like these pumpkin spice latte cupcakes were a long time coming.
I took a favorite pumpkin cupcake I used to make and added a healthy dose of espresso so there is a sweet balance of warm fall spice and coffee kick. To top the cupcakes, I didn’t want to do a traditional frosting for these pumpkin spice latte cupcakes. Instead, I wanted to give it a more “latte” feel by using a whipped cream topping to which I added a touch of cream cheese for stability and added flavor. Then, of course, there is the caramel drizzle. You can use any caramel you like, but for these particular cupcakes, I actually used cold brew caramel I had from Fat Toad Farm to amp up that coffee flavor just a touch more.
These super moist pumpkin spice latte cupcakes are so good, you’ll have a hard time stopping at just one – promise!