Mini pumpkin cakes with a buttercream frosting, topped AND filled with a cookie butter caramel filling. Fall truly does not get better than this! These might truly be my favorite creation of this season, and I promise they just might become yours too. Perfectly sweetened with Zulka’s Pure Cane Sugar in both the sponge and the frosting.
Cake Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 g).
- 1 cup Zulka Pure Cane Sugar (200 g).
- 2 teaspoons baking powder.
- ½ teaspoon baking soda.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon.
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg.
- 1/4 tsp ginger.
- ¼ teaspoon salt.
- 1 ½ cup pumpkin puree (335g).
- ½ cup dairy-free milk + 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (vegan buttermilk).
- ½ cup neutral oil (I used canola).
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
Cookie Butter Caramel
- 1/3 cup cookie butter (like Biscoff or another brand).
- 2 tbsp pumpkin puree.
- 2 tbsp plant milk.
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 1/2 cup Zulka Powdered Pure Cane Sugar (195g).
- 1/3 cup vegan butter (84g).
- 2 tsp vanilla.
- Pinch of salt.
Directions
- In a bowl, combine the ½ cup dairy-free milk with the tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and whisk to form the vegan buttermilk. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the cake ingredients together, including the vegan buttermilk.
- Pour the batter into your molds. I used a mini cake tin, which makes slightly larger cakes than your average cupcake. You can use this or a cupcake/muffin pan instead. I make 6-8 mini cakes with this recipe, which are about double the size of a normal cupcake.
- Bake the cakes until you can stick a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean. I baked mine at 350°F/175°C for 18 minutes.
- Allow the cupcakes to fully cool at room temperature.
- To create the buttercream, use an electric mixer to beat the butter. Then slowly start to add in the Zulka sugar, then the vanilla and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cookie butter caramel ingredients until you get a gooey, caramel-like texture.
- Use a bread or serrated knife to level off the top of each cupcake. Then use a cupcake corer or a large piping tip to remove the middle of each cupcake. Fill it with the caramel sauce.
- Pipe a generous amount of frosting on each cupcake, then top with more caramel if you wish.
- I made tiny edible pumpkins to top each cupcake with, and some star anise or cinnamon sticks to make them cuter.
- Slice, dig in and enjoy!
