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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.
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.
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.
hi! thank you so much for uploading this beautiful recipe– i’m so excited to try it! however, do you know what the proper storage method for these cupcakes would be for say, about ~20 hours? thank you!
Hi there,
I would just keep them in an airtight container on the counter:) I hope you love the recipe! Happy Saturday! xT
I love these cupcakes! I make them every year, but this time I want to make it as a 3-layer 6-inch cake. Would I need to change any proportions on the ingredients?
Hey Mariah,
Fantastic!! 🍁🍂 I am delighted to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! Unfortunately, I don’t think this would work well as a layer cake, the frosting is too soft! xT
Soooo delicious!!
Quote from my son: “how have I lived 14 years without this cupcake!?”
Hey Nona,
LOL awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out tasty for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
These are literally THE best cupcakes I have ever had. I love that the cake part is not too sweet. Also the recipe was super easy. I did run out of frosting – next time I’ll do 1.5 x … or double the cake recipe and triple the frosting, I’m bringing them to work and they are going to go so quickly!
Hey Hannah,
Happy Monday!! 👻 I am so glad this recipe was tasty for you, thanks a lot for trying it out! xT
Ummmmm, I just made this recipe yesterday and these are hands down THE BEST cupcakes I’ve ever made!!! And I’ve made a LOT of cupcake recipes. These are so moist and so flavorful and you can bet I’ll be making these again and again. AMAZING!
Hi Lucas,
Happy Monday!! 👻 I am so glad this recipe was tasty for you, thanks a lot for trying it out! xT
I couldn’t even wait a week to make these again, they went so fast! Eveyone RAVED! Thanks again.
Lol that’s awesome!!
These were outstanding! Just adorable with the cinnamon stick too. It melts in your mouth!
Hey Julie,
Happy Wednesday!!👻 I truly appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed:)
My frosting came out brown, does that seam right ?
Hey April,
Like dark brown? Or just a brown tint? The brown sugar definitely makes the frosting a brownish color. Let me know!! xT
Hi Tiegan!
Is the batter supposed to be relatively thick? I am making this cake and the batter is not at all runny. I re-read the recipe but feel I may have missed a step!
Hi Nia,
The batter should not be runny:) I hope they turn out great! xT
These are wonderful! My only question is that in the ingredient list for the icing, it says 1/4 tsp cinnamon. In the directions for the icing, it doesn’t mention it. Is cinnamon supposed to be included in the icing?
Hey Elizabeth,
Happy Friday!👻 Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try and sharing your review! I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Yes, sorry, you can add that in step 6. xT
Can I bake this as a cake?
Hey Grace,
Sure, I bet it would work well in a 9×13 baking dish. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
This is the third time making these cupcakes as everyone devours them. They are the perfect sweet treat for a friend and has the perfect fall mixture in a cupcake. This is a definite keeper! Thanks Tieghan for another delicious recipe. You are making me be known as a good cook and baker😉
Hey Kara,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for trying it out! Thanks so much for your kind message! xT🍂
So tasty! I made a batch for my family and my mother in law loved them! I didnt have the normal size muffin pan only the mini and I baked that for 18 min. And it came our perfect! Now I’m making a batch to bring to work! Thank you for this recipe.
Hey Carmela,
Happy Monday!🎃 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xx
These are currently in the oven ☺️ So excited! Love all your recipes.
For these cupcakes I’m making them to be served in like 1-2 days. I was going to make the frosting and then store it until I serve them. Or if I just frost them now Should they stay in the fridge?
Hey Corie,
Thanks for making the recipe! I would wait to frost these until you are ready to serve. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Is there any way to make a frosting without heavy cream? As a person who is more sensitive to heavy dairy products.
Hey Kate,
You can try using coconut cream, it might not whip as well, but it’s worth a shot! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xx
Hello I was wanting to make this recipe but without the pumpkin would i need to adust any of the other ingredients for thia to come out right?
Hi Shania,
You would need to use something in place of the pumpkin like bananas or applesauce, but I haven’t tested this recipe with either of those ingredients. Considering these are pumpkin cupcakes, I would probably choose another recipe. Here are some others you might like:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chocolate-bourbon-pecan-pie-cupcakes-butter-pecan-frosting/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/the-best-chocolate-birthday-cupcakes-with-fudgy-chocolate-buttercream/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chai-latte-cupcakes/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx