Pumpkin Spice Gingerbread with Warm Latte Sauce

Published on in Cakes & Pastries, Desserts, Recipes

Fall is here and for my coffee-loving friends, that means one thing: Pumpkin. Spice. Latte. Since its creation, it has easily become one of the most popular seasonal coffee drinks in the USA, if not North America, if not the world. It is huge. I have friends–you know who you are–that literally can’t wait for the release of Pumpkin Spice each autumn. It is like their Super Bowl. It is once a year, and for a very limited time. So you live large while it’s available.

The pumpkin spice latte definitely is more than a craze at this point. It was created by Starbucks in the Fall of 2003, and it is safe to say that it is here to stay. I don’t think Starbucks executives realized the mania it would cause when it hit the streets. I am sure nobody thought the popularity would continue (and grow!) over the 17 years since its inception.

Earlier in the week I was doing a little grocery shopping at a big box store. As I went through the “seasonal” baking section, I counted no fewer than five products that were centered around the humble pumpkin spice latte. And that was just on one end-cap!

If you are not an espresso or latte fan, no worries. This retailer had you covered. You could purchase pumpkin spice latte ground coffee. So no need to do any fancy coffee pulling and milk frothing. There was a version for the “black” drip coffee fans too!

As you may know from my other posts, I’m not a coffee drinker. I like coffee flavor, but I’m not a gal to sit around with a scorching hot cuppa. However, all this inundation of pumpkin spice latte around me did get me thinking. Could I come up with a pumpkin spice latte inspired dessert? Something the non-latte drinkers could enjoy?

I thought a lot about the flavor profile of a pumpkin spice latte. Pumpkin pie spices. Check! Vanilla. Check! Milk. Check! Coffee. Check, check! I could do this and went into the kitchen.

While I was baking my new creation, my coffee-loving, Irish husband came in and asked me what I was up to. I told him I was baking a pumpkin spice latte inspired dessert. He then looked at me with a perplexed look and said he doesn’t get pumpkin and went back to work. Hmm? I shrugged it off.

So after a little of this and a little of that, what I ended up with was a Pumpkin Spice Gingerbread served with a Warm Latte Sauce. As a non-coffee drinker, I have to admit it is pretty delish. The coffee flavor is subtle, but lingers on the back of the tongue at the end. The way a good coffee should. I ate it straight up with the gingerbread and warm sauce. However, next slice I’m going to finish it off with a dollop of whipped cream. Yum!

Pumpkin Spice Gingerbread with Warm Latte Sauce
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Pumpkin Spice Gingerbread with Warm Latte Sauce

Recipe by Oven and Spice / Kacey BaxterCourse: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy, Intermediate
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes
Total time

55

minutes

Ingredients

  • Gingerbread

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

  • 1/2 cup light molasses

  • 1/2 cup buttermilk

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar

  • 1 egg

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

  • 1 tbs espresso powder

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • Butter and flour for preparing pan

  • Sauce

  • 5 tbs granulated sugar

  • 1 tbs cornstarch

  • 1/2 tsp espresso powder

  • 2/3 cup cold water

  • 2 tbs unsalted butter

  • 2 tbs heavy cream

  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

  • Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

  • Heat oven to 350F. Prepare a 9″ cake pan by greasing it with butter and lightly dusting with flour.
  • In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add all gingerbread ingredients. Beat on low speed, scraping bowl as needed until well mixed. About 1-2 minutes.
  • Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in comes out clean. Carefully remove from pan and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
  • While gingerbread cools, combine sugar, cornstarch and espresso power in a small saucepan. Stir in water until no lumps remain. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Sauce should be fairly thick, similar to cold maple syrup. Remove from heat.
  • Stir butter, vanilla and cream into sauce. Serve over warm gingerbread. Dollop with whipped cream (optional). Enjoy!

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