Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

Hello! It's going to be full-on FALL over here for the foreseeable future. For the last three years beginning in September, I would start travel for work until November. To give you a good idea of what this week looked like last year, I left on Sunday for Northern Virginia, was home for a weekend and then left again for 4 solid weeks. While it was fun to eat my way through Virginia for 3 months, I'm happy to say that I now have the ability to do some fall baking, go to my barre class, and GO ON VACATION! It's going to be a great fall and I am prepared to take full advantage. 

What better way to start off fall baking than with the most basic of fall treats: a PSL cupcake! Now, lets talk about PSLs.....for years I refused to get in on the PSL trend mainly because (don't tell anyone) I don't really like Starbucks' version of the PSL. Dunkin' Donuts Iced Pumpkin Macchiato on the other hand is something I can get behind. It's not overly sweet and it is extra creamy with a hint of spice and pumpkin. What more could a girl ask for? 

Actually, what a girl could ask for is an iced Toasted Graham Latte from Starbucks. Does anyone remember those? I drank 456 of those over three months as I was traveling in 2015. That drink is my favorite Starbucks drink of all time. Please bring it back! 

Anyway, back to these cupcakes. What we have here is a deliciously dense, spiced, pumpkin cake topped with the fluffiest coffee buttercream of all time. Seriously. I gave one of these to a friend and he thought it was whipped cream. So. Fluffy. 

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

recipe from The Whole Bite

For the cakes

3 cups flour

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon ginger

2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

1 cup oil

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and fill 2 cupcake pans with liners. 
• In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients and set aside. 
• In the bowl of a stand mixer combine eggs brown sugar, pumpkin, and oil. 
• Add dry ingredients to the mixer on low speed until wet and dry ingredients are totally incorporated and smooth. 
• Using a medium batter scoop or spoon evenly distribute batter between the 2 prepared cupcake pans and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 
• Remove cupcakes from pan and place on a wire cooling rack until ready to frost.

For the Coffee Buttercream

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons instant coffee granules 

pinch of salt

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat room temperature butter until smooth and creamy.
• Add powdered sugar and beat until just combined.
• Add vanilla and salt and beat on high until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• In a small measuring cup combine coffee granules with 1 tablespoon water and stir until the granules have dissolved. 
• Add coffee mixture to the buttercream and mix on medium speed until just combined. 
• Bump mixer up to the highest speed and beat until frosting gets lighter in color and super fluffy, about 2 - 3 minutes.
• Frost completely cooled cupcakes and top with cinnamon before serving. 

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