Now that Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back in coffee shops, I decided to incorporate these flavors into a cupcake. Pumpkin Spice is a mixture of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. I also decorated these cupcakes with a caramel Italian meringue buttercream and also filled the center of the cupcakes with caramel too!
Ingredients:
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes:
225g Softened Baking Spread/Butter
225g Caster Sugar
225g Soft Brown Sugar
4 x Eggs
225g Self-Raising Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
*3 Tsp Pumpkin Spice
Caramel Sauce:
300g Caster Sugar
50g Butter
250ml Double Cream
Caramel Italian Meringue Buttercream:
3 x Egg Whites
150g Caster Sugar
3 Tbsp Water
175g Soften Butter
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. In a large mixing, bowl place softened butter/baking spread, caster sugar, eggs, self-raising flour, baking powder, and Pumpkin Spice.
2. Mix the ingredients until they become evenly incorporated.
3. With an Ice cream scoop, divide the gingerbread cupcake mixture into the cupcake cases. Using an ice cream scoop will make sure you have an evenly amount of cupcake mixture in every cupcake case.
4. Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes for 15-17 minutes. The Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes should be a nice golden brown colour.
5. Leave the Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. While cupcakes are cooling make the caramel sauce by adding the caster sugar to a pan. Heat the sugar on high heat. Swirl the pan but do not stir the sugar otherwise it will crystallize. Using a Sugar Thermometer helps when making the caramel, the temperature for caramel should read 170C/340F and should be a deep copper colour.
6. Once the caramel has become a deep copper brown colour, remove the pan from the heat and slowly add a little bit of the double cream and mix. The caramel will start to rapidly boil keep on carefully mixing and continuing to add the double cream until it has all been used.
7. Then add the butter and mix again until the butter is melted and the caramel becomes glossy. Leave the caramel to cool until it becomes room temperature.
8. While the caramel sauce is cooling make the Italian meringue buttercream. In a large mixing, bowl add the egg whites and whisk until you get soft peaks.
9. Next to make the sugar syrup for the Italian meringue add the caster sugar and water into a pan and heat. Swirl the pan occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Heat the sugar syrup until it reaches between 114-116C (234-236F).
10. Then remove the sugar syrup from the heat and pour the syrup into the mixing bowl while whisking the egg whites. This process cooks the meringue and adds more volume. Keep on mixing until the bowel is cool to touch.
11. When the Italian meringue is cool enough, add start adding the softened butter a little bit at a time. Once all the butter has been added the Italian meringue buttercream should be smooth and glossy.
12. Once the caramel sauce has cooled add 200g of the sauce into the Italian meringue buttercream and mix until the caramel has been incorporated into the Italian meringue buttercream. If you notice that your Italian Meringue Buttercream starts to curdle, gently heat the over with a warm towel or hair drier while whisking and the mixture will start to become smooth again. The transfer the Caramel Italian Meringue Buttercream into a piping bag with a Wilton 2D Piping Tip.
13. With a Cupcake Corer, remove the centers of the Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes. Fill a piping bag with remaining caramel sauce pipe the caramel into the cupcakes. Then place the remains of the Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes on top of the caramel.
14. Next pipe Caramel Italian Meringue Buttercream onto the cupcakes.
15. Finally, drizzle the remaining caramel over the top of the cupcakes.
* To make the Pumpkin Spice mixture add:
3 x Tsp Ground Cinnamon
2 Tsp Ground Ginger
2 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 Tsp Ground Cloves
1 Tsp Ground Allspice
Mix the spices together until they are well blended.
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