Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
These pumpkin spice latte cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting taste like the dessert version of your favorite fall time drink! So super soft, tender, and MOIST these vegan pumpkin cupcakes are made in one bowl with simple ingredients, no eggs, no dairy, and topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting. Yum!
If you love all things pumpkin and pumpkin spice, you are going to LOVE these cupcakes!
Just like my pumpkin muffins and pumpkin snack cake, these cupcakes are bursting with tons of pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavor! There is a good amount of coffee taste as well thanks to the instant coffee, but nothing too strong, I promise! The cream cheese frosting on top perfectly balances the cupcake out, and with a dash of extra cinnamon on top, it’s the perfect dessert not just for fall but also for Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
For the full list of ingredients, complete with recipe amounts, please see the recipe box below.
- Pumpkin: Use pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix in this recipe so you can control the spices. Pie mix also has other stabilizer ingredients often added to it to aid in making a pie, not making cupcakes.
- Instant Coffee: I suggest using instant coffee over espresso powder. I found in testing that espresso powder was so strong that it just overwhelmed the entire cupcake and you couldn’t taste anything but coffee.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour helps to keep things light and airy with the heavier pumpkin. If you don’t have any cake flour, no worries, all purpose flour also works great! And if you have a gluten avoidance, you can totally make these with your favorite gluten free flour blend as well!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Use your favorite store bought brand or make your own and customize it to your liking! I always use my homemade pumpkin pie spice.
For the frosting, you’ll need:
- Dairy Free Cream Cheese: There are so many different brands of dairy free cream cheese out there right now that you can use your personal favorite. For me right now, I like the Philadelphia brand as it’s the one I can find the easiest. I used to recommend the one from Trader Joe’s however they must have changed the recipe as the last few times I’ve made frosting with it, it turns weird and plastic-y. Avoid that one if you can.
Substitutions
Need to make this gluten free? You totally can! Swap the cake flour for your favorite gluten free flour blend. I always have the best success with the King Arthur Measure for Measure.
Don’t want to make cream cheese frosting? No worries. Simply replace the 1/4 cup of dairy free cream cheese with a 1/4 cup of vegan butter, making it a 1/2 cup butter total in the recipe. Easy peasy!
Instructions
Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.
Making these cupcakes is super simple in one bowl!
- Mix the wet ingredients together. In a large bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients. Into the same bowl, add the dry ingredients at once. Switch to a spatula and mix well.
- Transfer to the baking pans and bake. Fill each cupcake about 1/2 way to 2/3 of the way full. Bake them for 22 to 24 minutes and let them cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting. While the cupcakes are cooling, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to mix together the cream cheese frosting. Decorate with a piping bag and tip (I used the Wilton 2D for these) or just a simple dollop on top with a spoon!
- Decorate and enjoy!!
Top Cupcake Tips
- After placing the cupcakes in the oven, don’t open the door for at least the first 19 minutes of baking!! The first part of baking is the most critical for cupcakes. This is when the baking powder reacts to the heat in the oven and lifts the cupcakes up. If you open the oven (even just a bit!) to check on them, the hot air will rush out and can cause the cupcakes to fall flat and sink. Then they won’t bake no matter how long they are in the oven.
- What’s the difference between pumpkin muffins and pumpkin cupcakes? Although they are similar, there are some structural differences between muffins and cupcakes. Muffins are a lot more moist, dense in texture, and heartier. Cupcakes are lighter, have a softer crumb texture, and a bit sweeter.
How to Store
Make Ahead: Cupcakes can be made a day in advance and kept in an airtight container on the countertop until decorating.
Countertop: Since these cupcakes are made with a cream cheese frosting, I don’t recommend storing them on the countertop for more than a few hours.
Fridge: Cupcakes are best kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be kept in the freezer in a freezer safe container for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before serving after freezing.
More Pumpkin Recipes
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Equipment
- muffin tray
- Mixing bowls and spoons
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
- cupcake liners
- Piping bag and tips
Ingredients
Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes
- 3/4 cup plant based milk
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup plant based yogurt
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/2 cup pumpkin pure pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee
- 2 cups cake flour or all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice mix
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/4 cup plant based butter
- 1/4 cup plant based cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons plant based milk as needed
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C and line a cupcake tray for 15 cupcakes with paper liners. Set this aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the plant based milk, brown and granulated sugars, plant based yogurt, oil, and pumpkin and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients. Now add the cake flour (or all purpose flour or gluten free flour if using), along with the instant coffee, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. I like to switch to a spatula at this point to help scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Fill. Transfer the batter to the cupcake liners, filling the liners about ⅔ of the way full. You should get 15 cupcakes.
- Bake. Bake the cupcakes uncovered for 22-24 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake should come out clean or with a crumb or two on the toothpick.
- Cool. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes in the hot cupcake tray. After 5 minutes, transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack until they are fully cooled.
- Make the buttercream frosting. Once the cupcakes are cooled, begin the frosting. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix the room temperature vegan butter and vegan cream cheese until creamy. Add in the vanilla. Mix again until incorporated. Finally, add the powdered sugar. Continue to mix the frosting on medium to high speed, adding in 1-2 tablespoons of dairy free milk to help combine the sugar into the butter if needed. The buttercream will be light and fluffy when finished.
- Frost and serve. Using a knife or a piping bag with a tip, cover the cupcakes in frosting. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
More Cake Recipes
Welcome to the Vegan Cakes + Cupcakes index, where adding sprinkles is always an option! From classic chocolate cake to spicy carrot cupcakes, these desserts are easy to make but always super impressive.
