Pumpkin Mocha Cupcakes
Indulgent chocolatey pumpkin cupcakes topped with an incredibly light whipped cream frosting and homemade dulce de leche made right in the slow cooker!
Do you have a 2013 culinary bucket list? I haven’t actually written one out yet but I have a couple of things that I’m thinking I definitely have to make this year, like yeast breads, cinnamon rolls, dumplings and of course, dulce de leche. But lucky enough, I get to finally cross that off the list.
I’ve been wanting to make dulce de leche for quite some time now but I’ve always been too nervous to boil up a can of condensed milk. But then I found out that you could actually make it in a crockpot so I just had to try it out. It was incredibly simply to make – so simple that all you had to do was put in a can of condensed milk in a crockpot filled up with water and left to “cook” on low for 8 hours. Too easy, right?
It’s actually a bit dangerous to have homemade dulce de leche lingering around in the fridge since I’m putting it on everything but then again, I can always start my diet next week, right?
Pumpkin Mocha Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup coffee
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the whipped cream frosting
- 2 ¼ cups heavy cream, chilled
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
For the dulce de leche
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Place condensed milk into a slow cooker and cover with water. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. Let cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, coffee, 1 cup hot water, eggs and vanilla. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tray. Place into oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar until soft peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.
- Use a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip to frost the cupcakes, drizzled with dulce de leche.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Is the initial water bath sufficient or does it need to be topped up from time to time? Also, can I start with hot water, to speed things up at the start?
Thank you!
Love the sound of this recipe, looking forward to trying it!
I followed the recommendation of previous comments and cut the recipe in half, I got ten regular sized cupcakes from it! I also followed the rec to replace the veg oil with pumpkin purée. They turned out damn delicious. <3
Cupcakes are in the oven! I will say i wish the hot water was in the ingredient list i almost missed it. It made a lot of batter! I made 24 mini cupcakes and then some. i wish i had halfed the recipe. I love your recipes and i am sure they will be yummy.
Can I put the condensed milk in a pan covered with water on the stove top
Hi Chungah ! the cupcakes were absolutely delicious. Everyone loved them. However I made 24 cupcakes from the recipe, not 10. Thank you 🙂
How long does the dulce de leche keep & do you store the remaining in the frig?
Dulce de leche should be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container, and should last for at least one week. But as always, please use your best judgment for storing and reheating.
Hi there! Love your recipes!!!! I am still confused about the condensed milk. So I would put a whole can that’s unopened into the crock pot and then just cover it with water?
Yes, that’s exactly it!
Can you clarify how the coffee ingredient? I noticed you mix coffee with a cup of hot water. Is the cup of coffee brewed or coffee grounds?
Yes, as indicated in the instructions, whisk in 1 cup brewed coffee with the rest of the ingredients.
OK, maybe I’m an idiot. Do you leave the condensed milk in the can while it’s in the crockpot?? If not, does the water just sit on top of the cream, or do you mix it together, or what?? Thanks. And personally, I could eat that stuff plain, heated, cold, out of the can, off the floor, heh heh. I LOVE that stuff!
Yes, keep the condensed milk in the can while it is in the crockpot.
really?
do you open the can or keep it sealed in the crockpot… this sounds odd.
Yes, you keep it sealed in the crockpot. It’s a very common method to create dulce de leche in the slow cooker.
What is the point of putting this into the crockpot for so long?
8 hours is how long is takes for the condensed milk to become caramelized into dulce de leche.
oops, there is no pumpkin in these!
There are 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice in this recipe.
Pumpkin spice is cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Not pumpkin. Maybe update the name of the recipe? But I love Rebecca’s idea!
But it’s still “pumpkin spice” so we may just keep the name as is. 🙂
You can replace the oil with pumpkin (or applesauce) and they’ll be wonderful and healthier!
Pingback: Recipe | Pumpkin Mocha Cupcake – Sweet Caroline Blog
Pingback: Easy Homemade Bagels with Mimosa Cream Cheese Spread | Daily Dish Recipes