Starbucks Inspired Pecan Caramel Latte Cupcakes

How do you tell Autumn has actually begun? The Autumn Equinox, orange leaves on the trees (and the floor!), misty mornings over the fields (a beautiful sight if you live close enough to the countryside to see it) and Starbucks bringing out their seasonally spiced drinks range. A combination of all these things makes Autumn to me, so today I am sharing a baking post with you all (one of my favourite things to do is baking, but you probably already know that if you've read my blog before!) - I have created some Starbucks inspired Pecan Caramel Latte cupcakes with vanilla frosting, cocoa dusting and adorned with pecans. A delightful treat that will make you feel seasonal for the Autumn ahead.

 

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  Ingredients   For The Cakes 200g self-raising flour 100g margarine or butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 40g pecans, chopped 2 Free-Range or Organic eggs 2 teaspoons of rich roast instant coffee, dissolved   For the butter icing   100g of butter 50g icing sugar powder vanilla extract (just a few drops) cocoa powder (for dusting) icing sugar (also for dusting) pecan halves for decorating 15g finely chopped pecan nuts for sprinkling  

Kit 

Wooden spoon
piping bag and nozzle
mixing bowl
weighing scales
 baking paper cases - rustic colours if you can find them (I've gone for gold and chocolate brown)

How To

 1. Add margarine and sugar, and mix together.

 2. Add the essence, eggs and gradually add the flour a bit at a time until it is all combined together.
 

3. Add the coffee, pecans and gently combine them into the cake mixture. 

4. In the cupcake cases, spoon in the cake mix and put the into the oven at 180 degrees centigrade. 
 

5. They should bake in about 20 - 30 minutes depending upon how deep your baking tray is. Once baked, remove them from the oven and allow to cool slightly. As it is cooling, make the butter icing topping.

6. To make the icing, mix the softened butter and icing together - the icing sugar should be added gradually or you'll end up in a cloud of sugar! You can add some vanilla extract too for flavour.
 

7. Once the cakes are completely cooled, you can then pipe the frosting onto them. I've decorated the cakes with pecan halves, chopped pecans and a bit of cocoa and icing sugar.

 8. Absolutely have one with a cup of tea or coffee!

 

You can tag me on my socials if you decide to give these a go. You can also visit the baking section of my blog for loads of other delights which you may find tempting! What's your bench mark for Autumn's arrival? Bilgi x