Autumn has finally arrived! And I'm basking in all her glory! The temperatures have been very cool, with a slight chill in the air at times, especially at night. We are able to roll the windows down in the car when we are out running errands. My autumn and winter clothes are officially hanging in my wardrobe now and I've been enjoying wearing all my cozy sweatshirts and sweaters once again. They truly are my favorites!
As I mentioned in a post recently, we had our annual Autumn Celebration Dinner on the first day of autumn back in September. It's a tradition that we hold to every year and one that I love dearly. Part of our autumn dinner is that we always bake a special, seasonal dessert. Usually, that's when we pull out the pumpkin and warm spices for the first time of the year. And that's exactly what we did with this recipe.
My mom and sister are coffee lovers. I'm somewhat of a coffee fan, not a huge fanatic, though. This cupcake features a mocha frosting, with a subtle coffee flavor that is very much of a background ingredient, and that's just how I like it. I don't prefer a strong coffee taste. Then, the cupcake itself is a spiced cupcake full of all the warm flavors of the season. The combination of the two is a match made in heaven, and I'm so tickled to be able to share the recipe with you today.
Be glad of life because it gives you a chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars- to be satisfied with your possessions but not content with yourself until you have made the best of them- to despise nothing in this world except falsehood and meanness and to fear nothing except cowardice- to be governed by your admirations rather than by your disgusts- to covet nothing that is your neighbor's except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners- to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends, and every day of Christ; to spend as much time as you can in God's out-of-doors.
-Henry van Dyke-
Autumn Spiced Mocha Cupcakes
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp.baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup buttermilk
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and molasses and continue to beat until thoroughly mixed in. Next, combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Whisk to combine well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients alternately with the buttermilk.
Fill cupcake tins with the batter. Bake at 350*F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting...
In a small mixing bowl, combine the following:
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tbsp. strong-brewed coffee
1 tbsp. softened butter
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Beat all together until the frosting is smooth.
Gently spread the frosting on the cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles if desired.
Enjoy!
Next weekend, I'll be sharing the other cupcake recipe that we enjoyed at our Autumn Celebration Dinner...if you love carrot cake, you'll fancy these little cakes!
Wishing you all a marvellous week ahead!
♥