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Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting…autumn in a sweet cupcake, and so good. Extra pumpkiny, chai-spiced pumpkin cake cupcakes made with warming spices and brown sugar. Each cake is generously frosted with the most delicious creamy cinnamon brown sugar frosting, and finished off with a sprinkling of chai sugar. Sooo much to love here! You can’t beat these cute little latte cupcakes for dessert.
I’ve been waiting to share these cupcakes for weeks…and weeks. Originally, I was going to share a version of this cupcake back in September. The first version didn’t include any pumpkin. But then, me being me, I began to play with the addition of potential ingredients in my head. I started to wonder about adding pumpkin to my chai cupcakes. Once the idea of a pumpkin chai latte cupcake was in my head, there was no going back.
It sounded way too good and way too perfect for fall. I had to make these cupcakes.
But not in September, because we all know how I feel…apples in September, pumpkin in October and November. So, here we are today in mid-October. We have a couple of weeks left before Halloween and about a month and a half before Thanksgiving. It’s the heart of fall and the perfect time for the sweetest little chai pumpkin latte cupcakes. Or at least that’s my thought, I hope you guys are all on the same page!
And really, it’s Friday (whoop, whoop). Fridays need something sweet, and today that something is going to be these cupcakes. I couldn’t love them more. If you could see me, I am smiling ear to ear. Something about these cupcakes, they’re just fun and make ya feel good…cheesy, but true.
To make these Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes…
You need pumpkin, vanilla, and a good amount of warming autumn spices. Plus butter…lots of butter.
For the cupcakes, I knew I really wanted the pumpkin flavor to shine. To achieve this, I used a whole lot of pumpkin, and a whole lot of chai spice. The chai spice highlights the sweet flavor of the pumpkin, while also adding that extra special touch that makes these little pumpkin cakes better than any other. And if you’re curious about the inspiration to mix pumpkin with chai? Well, of course…Starbucks.
We all love their pumpkin spice latte and we all also love their chai latte. Combine the two and you get the very best of both.
Before you start the cupcake batter, make the chai spice mix. It’s a blend of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, all-spice, cloves, and the tiniest bit of black pepper. You’ll be using half of the spice mix in the cupcake batter and the other half is mixed in with the sugar to make a chai sugar. The chai sugar is used for topping each cupcake.
Now, make the batter, it comes together in no time. This is a one-bowl kind of cupcake batter. Once poured into molds just bake and wait patiently. The smells coming from the oven will have you so excited. It’s like Thanksgiving, with cozy scents of pumpkin mixed with hints of sweet sugar wafting throughout your kitchen.
Each cupcake is incredibly moist, so soft, and perfectly sweetened. The secret is truly in all that pumpkin. It makes for the best sweets.
On to the frosting…
This frosting is everything and has to be one of my favorites. I drew inspiration from a few of my older recipes, but especially from these sweet brown sugar cookies and also these butter pecan frosted fudge brownies.
There are two simple secrets to this frosting.
One, use a mix of brown sugar and powdered sugar. Powdered sugar adds practically zero flavor. The brown sugar adds hints of warm molasses and really deepens the flavor to create a frosting that’s perfectly rich and sweet.
The second secret, vanilla and cinnamon swirled throughout. SO GOOD. Think creamy, buttery, and hinted with brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Honestly? It’s addicting, and you should slather on more than you think your cupcakes will actually need. Because people always want more.
It’s the perfect pairing with the warming chai spices.
Now, frost, decorate…and eat.
I didn’t do anything fancy here. I simply dolloped a generous swirl of the brown sugar frosting, then sprinkled with that sweet chai sugar. Finish off each cupcake with a cinnamon stick (my favorite fall decoration has got to be cinnamon sticks) to mimic our favorite fall beverage…that pumpkin spice latte.
And that’s it. Honestly, these are really pretty simple to put together. The frosting is a little annoying because you do need to melt the brown sugar on the stove, then let it cool before using, but it’s all still very easy.
And so very good. Each bite is filled with sweet pumpkin and light, fluffy frosting. Best kind of autumn weekend cupcake.
I know it’s hard to believe, but Halloween is two weeks from Saturday and Thanksgiving is only getting that much closer. I’m thinking ahead and already planning to include these on my Thanksgiving menu.
My recommendation? Bake these cupcakes this weekend, then again on Halloween. Then one more time in November. Yes, these cupcakes will be perfect for Thanksgiving too! Fall is always such a short season, live it up while it’s here and enjoy every sweet minute of it…preferably with a cupcake in hand!
Looking for other chai and or pumpkin sweets? Here are a few ideas:
Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Butter Bread
Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pumpkin Pie
Chai Spiced Maple Sugar Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting
Lastly, if you make these Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting
Servings: 16 cupcakes
Calories Per Serving: 300 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
Chai Spice
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon all-spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil (melted butter or canola can be used)
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Brown Sugar Frosting
- 8 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- 1. To make the chai spice. In a shallow bowl, combine the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, all-spice, cloves, and pepper. Divide the mix in half. Mix one half of the spice blend with the granulated sugar and set aside for topping the cupcakes. Reserve the remaining chai spice blend for the cupcake batter. 2. To make the cupcakes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 16 cupcake molds with paper liners. 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer) beat together the coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla, eggs, and pumpkin until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and remaining chai spice. Mix until smooth and no lumps remain in the batter.4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pan. Transfer to the oven and bake 18-22 minutes, until the tops are just set, and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool. 5. To make the frosting, melt together 2 tablespoons butter, the cream, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for one minute or until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl in the freezer (or fridge for longer) for 15-20 minutes or until cool to touch.6. Grab the cooled butter mixture from the freezer and add the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter, the vanilla, cinnamon and the powdered sugar to the bowl. Beat together until well combined. 7. Frost each cupcake and sprinkle with chai sugar. Add cinnamon sticks, if desired.
This post was originally published on October 16, 2020
The first time I made these cupcakes for my fam, my Dad swore I was trying to fool him with a bakery-bought cupcake! This is and will always be my go-to recipe for fall. Just delicious and perfect in every way!
Hi Karin,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Made these for a party and everyone raved!! They were so good. My frosting did turn out darker than pictured above… and less whipped. Wondering if I didn’t cook the sugar enough or didn’t wait until it was cool enough. Either way, still turned out good!
Hey Jessica,
Fantastic!! So great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks a lot for making it. Have a great week!? xTieghan
My frosting came out the same. Darker and more of a browned butter glaze than frosting. But it was fantastic and everyone wanted more of the “frosting”.
Made these and they were delicious! My husband said they might be the best cupcakes he’s ever had. I will take the rest to my colleagues tomorrow 🙂
Hi Audrey,
Fantastic!! So great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks a lot for making it. Have a great week!? xTieghan
Hi! I’m making this recipe for a baby shower and would love to do a three layer six inch cake. Could I convert this recipe to that or do I need to double it? If needed I could do 8 inch rounds for a doubled recipe.
Hey Bri,
You will want to double the recipe:) I hope the cake is delicious, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Oh my goodness…This recipe is absolutely delicious!!!! I can’t even explain how flavorful these cupcakes are! This will be a staple in my house every autumn?? I’m extremely excited to try out all of these delicious recipes? I’m so grateful that I came across Half Baked Harvest, keep the amazing recipes coming?☺️
Hey Cheyenne,
Fantastic!! So great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks a lot for making it. Have a great week!? xTieghan
These are fantastic! First batch was a bit under baked. I recommend the toothpick test. I made some mini cupcakes (bake for 15). I think I liked them best ?. Could use a tad more frosting because it is soooo good.
Hey Linda,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner. Thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
Haven’t tried these yet but they looking amazing! Any tips on frosting? Did you use a pipping bag and what size tip? Thanks!
Hey Kristal,
I did use a pipping bag with a Wilton 2A tip. You can also easily just use a plastic bag and cut the tip off. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I want to use this recipe to make a birthday cake for my mom, would it be ok to use the exact recipe or do I need to make adjustments since it’s for a cake and not cupcakes? Thank you in advance! This recipe sounds delicious!
Hey Jorden,
You will just need to increase your baking time accordingly to the size of your cake pans. I hope you love this recipe and Happy Birthday to your mom! xTieghan
I just tried these tonight and they were so good! I knew I would like the chai spice, and then was surprised with just how good the brown sugar frosting was! Definitely going to make this again. One note, for me, the recipe seemed to fill 18 cupcakes better than just 16, so I was wanting for more frosting to have them all have it piped on.
Hey Cassandra,
Awesome! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! xTieghan
Looking for a way to use up some pumpkin pie filling I purchased accidentally… do you think I could use it in this recipe and cut the sugar? Thanks!
Hey Elyse,
I’m assuming that would be just fine to do, although I haven’t tested it. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! These look amazing! Was wondering if dairy free butter (Earth Balance) might work for the frosting? And also is there a dairy free substitute you’d recommend in place of the heavy cream?
Can’t wait to try these 🙂
Hey Taylor,
I actually think ghee would be a great substitute and then I would do coconut cream in place of the heavy cream. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope it’s delish! xTieghan
Hands down the BEST pumpkin dessert I have ever tried! And my kids agreed!!!
Hey Kristen,
Happy Labor Day!?? Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
These cakes are dynamite…..made a batch and they are all gone. definitely making another batch tomorrow……Yum
Hey Kathy,
Fantastic! Love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks bunch for making it. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
These are the best pumpkin cupcakes EVER! Wow! The texture of the cake is perfect. The frosting is so smooth and tasty. And the spiced sugar makes them over-the-top delicious! Thank you!
Hey Corrine,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a go! Have a wonderful week:) xTieghan
These are SO GOOD!! I made them GF and they turned out fantastic.
Hey Lauren,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan