This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
Helloooo, beautiful! These Pumpkin Spice Hi-Hat Cupcakes are filled with salted caramel, topped with a swirl of pumpkin spice frosting, and dipped in the most gorgeous glossy chocolate topping!
Thank you to International Delight for sponsoring this post. This year I’m pleased to partner with them to bring you fun and creative dessert recipes.
FREE HALLOWEEN DESSERTS E-BOOK!
Subscribe to the SugarHero mailing list and get a free recipe book!
13 Scary Sweets and Creepy Candies the whole family will love!
Pumpkin Spice Hi-Hat Cupcakes
As a frosting enthusiast (some would say frosting freak), hi-hat cupcakes are my weakness. My ideal frosting:cake ratio is pretty much 1:1, so you can see why cupcakes topped with towering swirls of frosting would appeal to me! And the beautiful, shiny chocolate glaze that covers the frosting is a delicious bonus.
Traditional hi-hat cupcakes are chocolate cupcakes topped with marshmallow frosting, but you and me, we’re sugar heroes. We don’t need to follow those rules. Besides, I spotted 2 orange leaves on my front bush this morning, which obviously means fall is imminent and we need to lean into pumpkin spice season HARD. To the pumpkinmobile!
So these cupcakes are all pumpkin, all the time. We’re making a moist pumpkin cupcake, stuffed with salted caramel filling, and topped with smooth and creamy pumpkin spice frosting. After a nice dip in semi-sweet chocolate, the cupcakes are finished with your choice of decorations. I went with fun fall sprinkles, but toasted pecans or gingersnap crumbs would also be really good!
Flavored coffee creamer is one of my favorite shortcuts to creating custom delicious cake and frosting flavors. I used International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer in both the cupcakes and the frosting, and it added just the right amount of pumpkin spice flavor!
I also changed up my usual buttercream recipe, and came up with a new frosting recipe I think you’ll LOVE. It’s stupidly simple, with just a few ingredients, and it’s also a little bit magical. It has waaaay less powdered sugar than traditional American buttercreams, so it’s not teeth-chatteringly sweet, and it doesn’t crust over or get crunchy. It’s also smooth as silk, and the pumpkin spice flavor really shines through. Give it a try and tell me what you think!
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Hi-Hat Cupcakes
Hi-hat cupcakes have 2 signature components: a big ole swirl of frosting on the top, and the chocolate glaze that covers the frosting. The frosting is pretty self-explanatory–just use a large tip (a round tip or star tip both work well!) and make sure you give yourself some height when you swirl, so the hi-hats live up to their name.
The chocolate glaze on hi-hat cupcakes may look fancy, but it’s honestly very simple to pull off. The most important thing to know about making hi-hat cupcakes is that you want the frosting to be cold, cold, COLD before you glaze them.
The frosted cupcakes either need to spend 20 minutes in the freezer or 30-40 in the refrigerator before they get dunked, so that the frosting doesn’t melt into the chocolate or fall off the top of the cupcake! If you’re starting with a well-chilled cupcake, I guarantee they won’t lose their hats in the chocolate bath.
The chocolate glaze is made from semi-sweet chocolate and vegetable (or coconut) oil. I strongly recommend using chopped chocolate as opposed to chocolate chips, since chocolate chips can be quite thick when melted and just won’t give your cupcakes the best flavor or texture.
The oil in the chocolate makes it thinner, so the chocolate shell on the cupcakes is delicate and not overwhelming. It also means that the chocolate will get soft and tacky when left at room temperature for long periods, so these cupcakes are best stored in the refrigerator until shortly before serving.
I filled my cupcakes with salted caramel, for extra autumn vibes, but if you’re not a caramel fan you can omit it or swap in chocolate ganache or hot fudge sauce instead. Just be sure that your filling hole is fairly small, so the cupcakes are still stable enough to support the frosting and chocolate glaze.
Enjoy, and let me know what you think if you give them a try!
Pumpkin Spice Hi-Hat Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes:
- 1 Spice cake mix, or carrot cake mix
- ½ cup International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 8 oz pumpkin puree, (1 cup), not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, or cinnamon
For the Pumpkin Spice Frosting:
- 12 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 18 oz powdered sugar, (4.5 cups)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Orange and yellow food coloring, I used Americolor brand
To Assemble:
- 3 cups thick salted caramel sauce, (the thick kind in the jar, not the squeeze bottle)
- 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 TBSP vegetable oil
- Decorative sprinkles, if desired
Instructions
To Make the Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes:
- Fill 24 cupcake cavities with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Combine all the ingredients for the cupcakes and mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, then scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl well. Scoop the batter into the cupcake pans, filling each about 2/3 full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 20-22 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Cool completely before decorating.
To Make the Pumpkin Spice Frosting:
- Combine the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix them together on low speed, then gradually raise the speed to medium and beat it for 4 minutes, until the mixture is white and fluffy.
- Add the salt, creamer, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until the liquids are incorporated. It is normal for the mixture to look separated (and, frankly, weird and chunky) at this stage. Once the liquid is mixed in, gradually raise the speed to medium and beat for another 4 minutes, until the frosting has come together, is smooth and glossy, and holds firm peaks.
- Mix in a few drops each of orange and yellow food coloring, until you get a pumpkin color you are happy with. Transfer some of the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
To Assemble:
- Use a sharp paring knife to cut a cone-shaped hole out of the top of the cupcakes. Scoop a spoonful of salted caramel sauce into the hole, coming almost all the way to the top. Cut the bottom off of the cupcake cone, and replace the top of the cupcake on top of the caramel.
- Once all of the cupcakes are filled, pipe the frosting on top in one big decorative swirl. I like to do about four loops but you can make your swirls bigger or smaller. When all of the cupcakes are frosted, place them on a baking sheet and freeze them for 20 minutes, or refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes. You just need the frosting to be very, very firm when dipping!
- While you wait for the frosting to chill, make the chocolate glaze. Combine the chopped semi-sweet chocolate and the vegetable oil in a medium bowl, and microwave in 30-second increments until melted. Whisk until smooth. Allow to cool until the glaze is barely warm to the touch, but still very fluid.
- Transfer some of the glaze to a tall, narrow glass—a measuring cup works well for this purpose. Hold a chilled cupcake by the base and dunk it in the chocolate glaze, making sure that the chocolate covers all of the frosting on top. Lift it out of the glaze and hold it over the cup, letting the excess glaze drip back into the cup.
- While the glaze is still wet, add sprinkles to the top if desired. Once all of the cupcakes are dipped, refrigerate them to set the glaze. The chocolate glaze will get soft and tacky at room temperature, so it’s recommended that you keep them in the refrigerator until shortly before serving. I do like to let them sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving, so the frosting isn’t quite so cold. Enjoy!
Video
Recipe Notes
- If you’re not a caramel fan, you can omit the salted caramel filling, or use chocolate ganache or hot fudge sauce instead.
- For the chocolate glaze, I highly recommend using chopped chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips. Chocolate chips are much thicker when they melt, so the glaze won’t be as thin and pretty. If you need to use chips, keep an eye on the texture, and add a bit of extra oil if needed to get a good dipping consistency.
MEASURING TIPS
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Click here to learn more about baking measurements and conversion.
Elizabeth, I enjoy your writing SO VERY MUCH 😀 and I yearn to try out this recipe!! I also firmly believe the cake/frosting ratio of 1:1 is astonishingly acceptable! I am intrigued by the frosting recipe and that’s just another solid reason to try this recipe. Thank you for the entertaining text and tempting pics! Rating the recipe 5 stars in advance just because I know it’s deserving!
HollyRae, you are too sweet! Thank you so much, and I can’t wait to hear how it goes if you give it a try! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
I have a question about the cake papers/liners. Where do you buy those were the foil is on the inside and the paper on the outside, I always have seen them the other way around. Thanks for your time, Eva
Hi Eva,
These are special liners that are designed to be grease-proof! They have foil on the inside so the design on the outside stays colorful and vibrant. They’re made by Wilton and are called ColorCups. I buy them at Michael’s or JoAnn’s, but they’re also on Amazon and other online stores.
Okay, these cupcakes are everything I want in a fall cupcake! Love how you used coffee creamer and the high hat is just so cool! Excited to try it!
Thank you Carissa! Coffee creamer is totally my secret weapon for adding fun flavorings to frosting. 😀 Please let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Hi Elizabeth,
What is the difference between pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling? In the UK we don’t have quite so many variants on pumpkin products here! We have a product in our supermarkets called Baking Buddy Natural Pumpkin Puree. Would that be the right thing to use? Guessing that pureed pumpkin flesh from a fresh pumpkin is going to include too much water?
Also is your coffee creamer the powdered kind? As I would need to create my own by mixing creamer with spices as we don’t have that here either!
Many thanks
Hi Gemma! Pumpkin puree is just pumpkin–which is what it sounds like your product is. Pumpkin pie filling has sugar and spices and maybe other things added, so it’s great for whipping up a quick pie but not as good to use in baking recipes since it has other additives.
The coffee creamer is liquid, but if you can’t find it, then I would substitute whipping cream in the frosting! 😀
Can’t wait to try these! Could I use the sugar-free version of the Pumpkin Pie creamer? Thanks!
Hi Anne! I haven’t tried the sugar-free version of the creamer but my guess is that it would work for the frosting? I’ve made the frosting with regular milk and cream and other flavors of creamer and all of those variations have worked. Maybe try a half batch at first to see? Please let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Thank you so much for making this holiday season a good one happy days.
Beverly, thank you so much! A happy holiday season to you as well.
Hi, as I live in Australia we don’t have all the
wonderful cooking/baking spices you have in
the USA so I would love to bake these great
looking Pumpkin Cup Cakes but I need to
know what I can substitute for the Internation
Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer or am I
able to buy it using the internet.
I notice some comments about Coffee Creamer,
what recipes is that used in?
I have only found your site today and look forward
to trying out your recipes.
Hi, thank you so much! As far as I know the creamer isn’t available in Australia so I recommend people use whipping cream in its place and adding additional pumpkin pie spices since you wont be getting the flavor from the creamer.
These look fantastic! I’ll have to give them a try!