Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

Starbucks is serving Pumpkin Spice Lattes (ermahgerd!).  I guess that means it's officially fall.  In the spirit of the season, and because I had a serious craving for latte cupcakes, I decided to create a cupcake version of this tasty autumn beverage.  The cupcakes are filled with a delicious from-scratch pumpkin spice butter, which is also featured in the buttercream alongside dark brown sugar.

To make my pumpkin spice butter, I cut, cleaned, cooked, and mashed a pie pumpkin for the first time.  It's really amazing to witness the pumpkin flesh transform from a weird, stringy, unappetizing substance, to pretty much the most delicious stuff ever.

In hindsight, it was a bit cruel to make the little pumpkins watch.

I decided to use brown sugar in my Swiss meringue buttercream this time, since I thought it would go well with the pumpkin.  After the buttercream came together, but before I added the pumpkin spice, I gave it a quick taste to see how it tasted.  I was a little nervous - the brown sugar flavor was very strong, and I was worried it would overwhelm the pumpkin spice. 

I needn't have worried.  The pumpkin spice filling made my entire apartment smell like delicious for the whole day, and in the buttercream, its flavors came through beautifully.


After eating my first pumpkin spice latte cupcake, I sat quietly for a while.  After some careful thought, I turned to my husband and declared these to be the best cupcakes I've ever had in my life.  My husband's response?  "The black sesame ones were better.  But then, I don't really like coffee cupcakes."  Sigh.  He still ate five.

If you like pumpkin spice lattes, you will love these cupcakes.  The latte flavor in the cupcakes is mild, but definitely present.  Mainly, you'll taste the creamy pumpkin spice butter, both in the filling and in the buttercream.  In the buttercream, the pumpkin spice is really nicely complemented by the dark brown sugar.  Although these cupcakes are not the easiest things to make, they are totally worth it.

Pumpkin Puree
Makes approximately 1½ cups.

Ingredients
1 medium pie pumpkin (mine was a little over 2 lbs)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F.
2. Cut off the stem of your pumpkin, and then cut it in half.
3. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and strings from inside each pumpkin half.
4. Place each half cut-side down on a baking tray linked with aluminum foil.  Cover each half with aluminum foil and bake until tender (about 1 to 1½ hours).
5. Allow the pumpkin halves to cool until you can handle them.  Scoop out the tender pumpkin flesh.
6. Blend the pumpkin flesh in a food processor until smooth. 

Pumpkin Spice Filling
Warning: this will make your house smell absolutely amazing.  To be used to fill the cupcakes and in the buttercream.

Ingredients
1½ cups pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin can be used instead)
⅔ cup heavy cream
¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Method

1. Whisk together all ingredients in a medium saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thick (about 15 minutes, but may vary depending on how watery your puree is).
3. Remove from heat and cool.

Brown Sugar & Pumpkin Spice Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients

4 egg whites

1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup pumpkin spice filling

pinch of salt

Method

1. Cube the butter and leave out at room temperature (make sure you don't leave it over the dishwasher or oven or it will get too warm).
2. Whisk the eggs whites and brown sugar together in the top part of a double broiler.  Make sure that the water in the bottom part is simmering, not boiling.  Keep whisking until a candy thermometer reads 160° F.
3. Transfer to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment installed.  Whip at a medium speed until the mixture is at room temperature (the bowl feels neutral when you touch it - about 15 minutes).
4. Lower the mixing speed and add the butter, one cube at a time.  Keep mixing until there is an obvious change in the consistency of the buttercream - from soupy to much more solid (you can usually hear the mixer start making different noises).  If it stays soupy for a very long time, throw the bowl in the refrigerator for ten minutes or so and retry.
5. Add the vanilla, pumpkin spice filling, and salt and keep mixing until they are incorporated.

Latte Cupcakes
Adapted from Cook Like a Champion (originally from Cupcake Bakeshop).
Makes 19 regular cupcakes.

Ingredients
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dark roast coffee grounds
½ cup espresso (or strong brewed coffee)
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon coffee liquor (can substitute with milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and coffee grounds in a bowl.  Set aside.
3. Mix together the coffee, milk, liquor, and vanilla.  Set aside.
4. Using a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.  Add sugar and beat on medium high until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
5. Add eggs one at a time, beating in-between additions until incorporated.
6. Alternately add the flour and coffee/milk mixture to the butter/sugar/eggs mixture, starting and ending with the flour.
7. Scoop into cupcake papers about two thirds to three quarters full.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
9. Cool completely on a wire rack.
10. When cool, cut a cylinder out of the cupcake, going about ¾ of the way down.  Scoop out the cupcake cylinder with a small spoon.
11. Fill with about 1½ teaspoons of pumpkin spice filling.
12. Replace the cut-out cylinder (you may need to cut off a little bit of the bottom to make room for the filling).  Frost with brown sugar & pumpkin spice Swiss meringue buttercream.