Once the pumpkin craze hits the Internet starting sometime in August (it’s still SUMMER for crying out loud!); I feel more inclined to hide than participate. Can I be honest? I just don’t get it. I admit, I enjoy the requisite pie on Thanksgiving but that pie had better have plenty of sugar and bourbon in it and a healthy dose of whipped cream (with more bourbon) on it. This year I’m thinking a creme brulee top with crumble on top of that. You know; to sort of disguise the fact that I’ve just made a pie from SQUASH!!
I’m all about the caramel and apple and more apple and maybe caramel AND apple and OK some dark rum or bourbon too. But waxing poetic about pumpkin is just genetically impossible for me. So in the same vein, I simply do not get the absolute devotion to this drink of which hordes line up for at the neighborhood Starbucks that is known as a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Haven’t we all added a touch of cinnamon to our coffee at some point; could adding some nutmeg and ginger make it THAT much better? Because that’s what it is. Not so much a pumpkin drink but a drink that includes the spices most often associated with pumpkin pie; there is not ONE drop of pumpkin in that coffee drink. Or really sort of coffee drink; there is sure a lot of other stuff in it including caramel coloring! I won’t get into the nutritional (or lack thereof) components because my hypocrisy would be evident when you spot me in line for an Eggnog Latte. Been told they don’t have them this year? That wrong is being righted as I type and most stores should have that option November 17; consumer demand won out…yeah us!
A bazillion recipes exist for the liquid elixir that is added to coffee to recreate this drink at home and I was tempted to do my own; you know, without the pumpkin that shows up in the others. But I had an epiphany of sorts and couldn’t help myself…wouldn’t a cupcake be more fun and certainly easier to share with neighbors and friends. So I was on it. And the resulting Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcake with Caramel Sauce is sooooo good; not at all a pumpkin flavored cupcake but a coffee flavored cupcake with just a hint of spice. This was one of those times when the first go around was an abject failure. Wait – I take that back. Not a failure if you love spice cake (which I don’t) but I was looking for that coffee flavor to be prominent. As I experimented it was clear after my first test that to get what I wanted I not only had to cut back on the spices but also had to REALLY boost the coffee. And that was the key. Not looking for mocha either, nope, no chocolate in sight. Just a real coffee flavored cake with a warming hint of seasonal spice. Oh and maybe a decadent mascarpone and whipped cream frosting with some more espresso too with a caramel drizzle for good measure. Now we’re talkin’ folks.
I thought it would be fun to showcase this creation in a Starbucks coffee cup but that was easier said than done. I didn’t want to bake them in the cups because I knew this cake recipe should make 24 cupcakes and that number would be halved with too much cake to frosting ratio so I just staged one and I have to admit, I love how it turned out.
Thanks to my friend Sandy’s son Jake for providing me with a supply of cups. Much easier to have someone who worked at Starbucks give you the cups instead of trying to abscond with an assortment. I’ll get some cupcakes delivered to you hopefully today as a thanks Jake! A funny tidbit about Jake? I met him briefly at his parents home a couple of months ago; amidst meeting a handful of their other kids and grandkids. Not long after I went into a Starbucks close to my new home that I had never been in before. The young man who waited on me was so sweet and even asked how I was doing and his graciousness was just perfect. I thanked him and walked out to my car with my drink and it hit me. That was Sandy’s son! I had not put the two together until almost too late but I had a reprieve; going back in and apologizing for the error of my ways was easily done. Jake has since moved on to a new job but I’ve heard his demeanor was like that with everyone. Doggone it Jake, now I’m going to miss you when I get that eggnog latte!
I actually did the frosting for these in two batches; one-half according to the recipe and the other half without the dried espresso. I sort of figured that parents of kids I gave them too would appreciate that. These brothers; Tyler, Mason and Nolan are so cute. They always come visit together and when I answer the door; they ask, ‘Do you need any help?’ Why yes boys I need help sometimes with cookies and cupcakes. They are willing warriors in that effort. Love them!
'Pumpkin Spice' Latte Cupcakes with Caramel
- 1 cup hot brewed coffee
- 3 tablespoons instant espresso
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon (check recipe paper for spice amounts)
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ginger
- 4 large eggs at room temperature, separated
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) butter, chilled and cut into cubes
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- ⅓ cup white chocolate, grated
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 8-ounce containers chilled mascarpone cheese
- Caramel Sauce
- Cinnamon
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line 24 cupcake forms with paper liners.
- Combine the brewed coffee and espresso powder in a glass measuring cup and let cool.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and spices together in a bowl.
- Beat the egg whites in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer (use a whisk attachment if available) on high speed until soft peaks form. Scoop the egg whites into a separate bowl and set aside.
- Dry the inside of the bowl thoroughly with a paper towel. Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter in the mixer on high speed until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar until incorporated, then add the vanilla and beat, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the mixture is very light in color and texture, about 4 minutes.
- Beat in the egg yolks, 1 at a time until thoroughly mixed.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture a third at a time, alternating with half of the cooled coffee, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until smooth after each addition.
- Using a spatula, stir about ¼ of the egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Fill the cupcake molds ⅔ full and bake 15-20 minutes until the tops spring back when gently pressed and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Gently remove them from the form and allow to cool completed before frosting.
- Bring 1 cup cream to boil in small saucepan. Slowly pour cream over espresso, whisking until espresso is dissolved. Add grated white chocolate and stir until smooth. Add remaining ½ cup of the whipping cream and sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours. Can be made one day ahead; cover and keep chilled.
- Add mascarpone to chilled mixture; Using electric mixer; beat on low speed until blended and smooth. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until mixture is thick and medium-firm peaks form when beaters are lifted, about 2 minutes (take care you don't over beat or mixture will curdle).
- Pipe or dollop onto the top of cupcakes.
- Drizzle with Caramel and sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon.
