Name: Pumpkin Spiced Latte Cupcakes with Coffee and Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 35g unsalted butter, roughly chopped into cubes; 95g with plain/all-purpose flour; 15g cornflour; 3 teaspoons Pumpkin Spice Powder (See Recipe Notes); ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda; ⅛ teaspoon fine salt; 85g light brown sugar; 50g vegetable oil; 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 teaspoons instant coffee; 50g/50ml milk; 50g natural yoghurt; 75g unsalted butter, at room temperature; 195g icing sugar; ¼ teaspoon fine salt; 2 teaspoons powdered coffee; 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract; 75g mascarpone cheese

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Incredibly soft and fluffy coffee cupcakes infused with pumpkin spice and topped with lashings of smooth and silky coffee and vanilla mascarpone frosting. What a wonderful way to celebrate coffee week in the UK!!

Coffee is one of my favourite flavours in a cake. Or cookies. Or desserts. Apart from perhaps adding chocolate and having a mocha option, I don’t normally play around with this glorious flavour. However, having made a batch of Pumpkin Spice Mix the other day, and reading how popular Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes are at this time of year, I though I’d try the combination out. At the weekend I whipped up a loaf cake (using this same recipe) and was blown away – it was divine and disappeared so quickly! I just couldn’t stop eating it! The flavours work so well together and I really felt like I had hit the jackpot!

On Monday, I was meeting a friend for lunch whose daughter was turning 21. I wanted to make some special cakes for her and I just knew that these would be perfect. So I whipped up another batch – this time as cupcakes. This mixture makes 9 cupcakes – I had to cut one in half for the photographs – shame, another one for me!

How to make Pumpkin Spiced Latte Cupcakes with Coffee and Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting

This cake recipe is based on my Butter and Oil Cakes – Core Recipe. The only changes I made to the recipe were to use all soft brown sugar, rather than a mix of soft brown and caster, and to add the Pumpkin Spice Mix and instant coffee powder. Take a look at the Core Recipe to get lots of ideas for similar cakes.

Collect all your ingredients together for the Pumpkin Spiced Latte Cupcakes:

unsalted butter, cubed
plain/all-purpose flour
cornflour
pumpkin spic e mix
fine salt
baking powder
bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
light brown sugar
vegetable oil
large egg
vanilla extract
instant coffee powder
milk
natural yoghurt

Now make the cupcakes:

Using a microwave safe mixing bowl, melt the butter in a microwave. Leave to cool a little whilst you collect all the remaining ingredients together. Alternatively, melt the butter in a saucepan on the hob.
Add the dry ingredients: flour, cornflour, pumpkin spice mix and salt. Then add the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda directly on top of the flour.
Add the remaining ingredients: sugar
Oil
Eggs and vanilla extract
Coffee powder
Milk and yoghurt
Beat with an electric or balloon whisk until incorporated – be careful not to over-mix. It should take 30 seconds to a minute and you may need to stop half way to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
The batter is quite liquidy. The easiest way to transfer the cake batter to the cake cases is by pouring it. I use a mixing bowl with a spout or you could transfer to a jug. Fill each cupcake case ⅔ full, roughly 50g – 60g per cake – depending on how tall you like the cakes to be. I like 50g so there is plenty of space for frosting!
Cook in a preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until cooked.
Leave in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Collect all your ingredients together Coffee and Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting:

unsalted butter, at room temperature
icing sugar
instant coffee powder
salt
vanilla extract
mascarpone cream cheese, at room temperature

Now make the frosting:

I often make the frosting when the cakes are in the oven but you must not frost the cakes until they are completely cold. If you make the icing in advance, give it a good stir before frosting the cakes.

Put the softened butter into the bowl of your electric whisk and add half the icing sugar, the instant coffee powder and the salt.
Fold the icing sugar in with a spoon before whisking – this will help to stop the icing sugar clouding up and making a mess of your kitchen!
Beat with an electric whisk until light and fluffy.
Add the remaining icing sugar and the vanilla extract.
Fold in and then beat until light and fluffy – it can take 3 – 4 minutes to get really fluffy.
Add the mascarpone cheese.
Beat until mixed in thoroughly but do not over-mix.
When the cakes have completely cooled, frost them. You can either divide the frosting between the cakes and use a knife or spoon to cover the tops, or you can fill a piping bag with the cream and pipe it on the top of each cake.
Sprinkle the tops of each cake with a little Pumpkin Spice Powder.

8 When the cakes have completely cooled, frost them.
9 Sprinkle the tops of each cake with a little Pumpkin Spice Mix.

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodilkitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.

Pumpkin Spiced Latte Cupcakes with Coffee and Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting

Incredibly soft and fluffy coffee cupcakes infused with pumpkin spice and topped with lashings of smooth and silky coffee and vanilla mascarpone frosting.

Course afternoon tea, Cake, Dessert, Morning Coffee, Snack, treat

Keyword coffee, cupcakes, mascarpone, pumpkin spice, vanilla

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 9

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Spiced Latte Cupcakes:

35g unsalted butter, roughly chopped into cubes
95g with plain/all-purpose flour
15g cornflour
3 teaspoons Pumpkin Spice Powder (See Recipe Notes)
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
⅛ teaspoon fine salt
85g light brown sugar
50g vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee
50g/50ml milk
50g natural yoghurt

Coffee and Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting:

75g unsalted butter, at room temperature
195g icing sugar
¼ teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons powdered coffee
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
75g mascarpone cheese

Instructions

Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
Preheat oven to Fan Oven 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas 4
Make the Pumpkin Spiced Latte Cupcakes: using a microwave safe mixing bowl, melt the butter in a microwave. Alternatively melt it in a saucepan over a moderate heat. Leave to cool a little whilst you collect all the remaining ingredients together.
Add the dry ingredients: flour, cornflour, pumpkin spice mix and salt. Then add the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda directly on top of the flour.
Add the remaining ingredients: sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, coffee powder, milk and yoghurt.
Beat with an electric or balloon whisk until incorporated – be careful not to over-mix. It should take 30 seconds to a minute and you may need to stop half way to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
The batter is quite liquidy. The easiest way to transfer the cake batter to the cake cases is by pouring it. I use a mixing bowl with a spout or you could transfer to a jug. Fill each cupcake case ⅔ full, roughly 50g per cake.
Cook in a preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until cooked. They are cooked when:
– the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains
– a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean
Leave in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Coffee and Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting: put the softened butter into the bowl of your electric whisk and add half the icing sugar, the coffee powder and the salt.
Fold the icing sugar in with a spoon before whisking – this will help to stop the icing sugar clouding up and making a mess of your kitchen!
Beat with an electric whisk until light and fluffy.
Add the remaining icing sugar and the vanilla extract.
Fold in and then beat until light and fluffy – it can take 3 – 4 minutes to get really fluffy.
Taste and if you feel it needs more coffee or salt or vanilla, add it now, and beat it in with the mascarpone cheese.
Add the mascarpone cheese and beat until mixed in thoroughly but do not over-mix.
Frost the cakes: when the cakes have completely cooled, frost them. You can either divide the frosting between the cakes and use a knife or spoon to cover the tops, or you can fill a piping bag with the cream and pipe it on the top of each cake.
Sprinkle the tops of each cake with a little Pumpkin Spice Powder.