Next Post
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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
Made them for work and they went wild over them! Love your recipes and this will be on repeat! Am thinking of trying to make it into a loaf with a swirl of a chai cream.
Oooo yum! I am really glad you enjoyed these, Stephanie! xTieghan
Do they need to be refrigerated once complete, since the icing has cream in it?
Hey Kelli,
Nope, you can store in an airtight container on the counter. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
SOOO GOOOD! I am not a huge pumpkin person but these cupcakes may have turned me into one ? they are so yummy and the perfect amount of sweet & warm fall spiciness! This is new fav recipe of the season for sure!
Thank you so much Erin! I am really glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
I substituted the coconut oil for butter and it turned out great. Mine was a little dense but that was probably because I overcreamed the butter and sugar. The frosting is out. of. this. world.
Love that!! I am so happy you loved this recipe, Rivka! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I really must have missed something while reading because I cannot seem to figure this out: what do you cook over the stove with the spices? The coconut oil? If I did just the dried spices in the pot, it wouldn’t yield a liquid? I feel so silly having to ask but I read the recipe many times! I know often times bloggers will have a “jump to recipe” button as you do but I’m surprised it didn’t mention cooking the spices on stove in case anyone didn’t read the full blog. Thank you so much for your help! Really excited to get these in the oven ?
Hey Charli,
Are you referring to making the frosting in step 5? You are not cooking the spices in this recipe. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! Do you think you could swap out gluten free flour for these?
Hey Dani,
Yes, GF flour will work well here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Really tasty, but mine did not rise nearly enough. Both the baking powder and soda were fresh. Any thing else that could have caused this?
Hey Kate,
So sorry about this. Did you adjust the recipe at all? What kind of flour did you use? Did you change anything about the baking method? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Hi Teighan!
If I wanted to bake these in a mini cupcake pan do you know what the temp/time would be for them? Thank you!!
Hey Erin,
You can keep the oven temperature the same, just reduce the baking time and check for doneness at 15 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi TIeghan! I’m lactose intolerant and what do you suggest I replace heavy cream with? Is it fine to use coconut cream? Looking forward to try this recipe! Thanks a lot 🙂 xo
Hey Kat,
You can use coconut cream in place of the heavy cream. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I’m lactose intolerant so what do you suggest I substitute the heavy cream with? Thanks a lot! Looking forward to try this recipe 🙂 xo
Hey Katrina,
You can use full fat canned coconut cream in place of the heavy cream. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can I make this recipe into a cake instead of cupcakes? Would it change the baking time or any of the instructions?
Thank you!! These look amazing 🙂
Hey Alicia,
Yes you can do that. I would keep the baking temperature the same but just keep an eye on the cake:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I just made these but replaced pumpkin puree for sweet potato puree and made sweet potato cupcakes instead and it turned out great! These were definitely a hit with family and friends. Thank you!
I am really happy to hear that, Nina! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
These are so delicious! I added a teeny bit of heavy cream to the frosting because it was a little dense, probably due to cooler butter, and it came out just perfect. Great recipe.
Hi there… really looking forward to making this recipe. Do you know if it makes enough batter for a layer cake? Or should I double it up?
Love your recipes!
Hey Randi,
It depends how many layers you want to make, I would probably double the recipe! I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These look delicious! Do you think the frosting would still work if I subbed coconut milk for the heavy cream? I have a dairy allergy ( I can sub out plant based butter for the rest)
Hey Jenn,
I would use coconut cream, it just might not be as fluffy. I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan