Pumpkin Spiced Latte Cupcakes

Name: Pumpkin Spiced Latte Cupcakes
Total time: 1200 s
Yield: 15 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 215 g roasted pumpkin; 100 ml light oil such as vegetable; 2 medium free range organic eggs; 100 ml strongly brewed coffee; 125 g light brown soft sugar; 125 g caster sugar; 250 g plain flour; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 heaped tsp mixed spice; 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground ginger; 1/2 tsp salt; For the frosting:; 100 g Philadelphia cheese; 50 g icing sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 250 ml double cream; 1 tbsp Camp coffee; 1 tsp cinnamon extract; For dusting:; ground cinnamon

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

Pumpkins aren’t just for Halloween. They are super delicious and packed full of fibre, vitamins and essential minerals making them a great choice for the winter months. Slow roasted they can be added to salads, winter stews and cakes.

Botanically pumpkins are classed as berries because they contain seeds and grow from flowering plants in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) so are actually fruit.

The tradition of carving faces into vegetables for Halloween comes from an Irish folktale about ‘Stingy Jack’ who tricked the Devil. In Ireland, people used to carve scary faces into turnips to scare away Jack’s wandering soul. When Irish immigrants arrived in the US they started using pumpkins for jack-o’-lanterns because those were native to the area.

After the celebration of Halloween on the 31st October, we celebrate Guy Fawkes Night on the 5th November. Often referred to as Bonfire Night, it originates from the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, a failed conspiracy by a group of Catholics to assassinate the Protestant King James I of England and VI of Scotland. We light bonfires, set off fireworks and have festivities every year to celebrate this foiled plot. Traditionally, a dummy man called ‘Guy’ is placed on top of the bonfire representing Fawkes.

Leftover pumpkins from Halloween are roasted and often made into soups but I’m incorporating them in cupcakes with warming spices and topping with a pumpkin spiced buttercream latte to take to a Bonfire Night party. #GlobalApron

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

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Ingredients

20 minutes

15 servings

215 groasted pumpkin
100 mllight oil such as vegetable
2medium free range organic eggs
100 mlstrongly brewed coffee
125 glight brown soft sugar
125 gcaster sugar
250 gplain flour
1 tspbicarbonate of soda
1heaped tsp mixed spice
1 1/2 tspground cinnamon
1/2 tspground ginger
1/2 tspsalt
For the frosting:
100 gPhiladelphia cheese
50 gicing sugar
1 tspvanilla extract
250 mldouble cream
1 tbspCamp coffee
1 tspcinnamon extract
For dusting:
ground cinnamon

Saved

Steps

20 minutes

1

Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line a cupcake tin with paper cases.
Blitz the roasted pumpkin in a food processor. In a large mixing bowl beat together the oil, pumpkin purée, eggs, coffee and both sugars.
2

Using another bowl, sift the flour and add the bicarbonate of soda, salt and spices. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones, then mix until a smooth batter forms, with no large lumps of flour remaining. Pour into the prepared paper cases and bake for 20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean.
3

To make the frosting whisk together the Philly cheese, icing sugar, vanilla and cinnamon extract and the chicory and coffee essence until smooth. Add the cream gradually, whisking continuously until the icing is thick and unctious. Chill for 10 minutes then place a spoon on each cooled cup cake and dust with cinnamon. Add a dribbling of edible blood or a spider's web as decoration.