For many people, autumn is their favourite time of year, with the colder weather giving them the ideal excuse to stay indoors and keep toasty, or to head out and enjoy a warming coffee on the go.
But even if you prefer the hot days of summer, autumn still has plenty to offer, thanks to the incredible amount of tasty treats you can make from the season's unofficial mascot, the humble pumpkin.
We've picked out some of the best recipes for you to try yourself.
Pumpkin spice latte
You didn't think we were only talking about food recipes, did you?!
Alongside gingerbread lattes, pumpkin spice lattes are one of the UK's favourite seasonal hot drinks and what better time to enjoy one than over autumn?
Ingredients
To make pumpkin spice lattes, you will need:
750g pumpkin
ground cinnamon
ground ginger
ground nutmeg
30ml espresso or strong coffee
250ml milk (any variety)
To begin, you will need to make some pumpkin puree. Peel and seed your pumpkin, then cut into evenly sized cubes. Place the cubes in a steamer or colander over a pan of simmering water for 10-15 minutes or until soft, then mash and leave to cool.
Once cool, put two teaspoons of puree into a large heatproof glass or mug and stir in the spices and coffee. Next, heat the milk in a saucepan over a low heat until steaming and frothy. Pour into the glass or mug and spoon over the froth. Stir to combine, dust with more cinnamon and voila - the perfect warming, aromatic drink to enjoy on a cold autumn evening.
Pumpkin cake
If you thought the only autumnal treat worth shouting about was toffee apples, think again - this pumpkin cake recipe is a guaranteed showstopper.
Ingredients
To make the pumpkin cake, you will need:
300g self-raising flour
330g light muscovado sugar
3 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g sultanas
½ tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten
200g butter, melted
the zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp orange juice
500g (peeled weight) pumpkin flesh, grated
For the frosting, you will need:
200g pack of soft cheese
85g butter, softened
100g icing sugar, sifted
the zest of 1 orange
the juice of half an orange
First, preheat your oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4, then butter and line a 30 x 20cm baking tin with parchment paper. Put the flour, sugar, spice, bicarbonate of soda, sultanas and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine. Next, beat the eggs into the melted butter, stir in the orange zest and juice, then mix with the dry ingredients until combined. Stir in the pumpkin, then pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch.
To make the frosting, beat together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and 1 tsp of the juice until smooth and creamy, then set aside in the fridge. When the cake is done, cool for 5 mins then turn it onto a cooling rack. Prick it all over with a skewer and drizzle with the rest of the orange juice while still warm. Leave to cool completely.
Quickly beat the frosting to loosen it, then, using a palette knife, spread over the top of the cake. If you’re making the cake ahead of time, keep it in the fridge then take out as many pieces as you want 30 mins before serving - the cake should make approximately 15 portions.
Pumpkin spice cookies
If you don't manage to lay your hands on a pumpkin this autumn, or your kids use it as a jack-o'-lantern, don't worry - this cookie recipe uses an easy-to-make spice mix instead of pumpkin. And you'd never know the difference!
Ingredients
To make pumpkin spice cookies, you will need:
300g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp cornflour
1-2 tsps pumpkin spice mix
115g unsalted butter
100g brown sugar
100g granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
200g white chocolate chunks or chips
100g orange M&Ms
To make the spice mix, you will need:
3 tbsps ground cinnamon
2 tsps ground ginger
2 tsps ground nutmeg
1.5 tsps all spice
1.5 tsps ground cloves
Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4, line two large baking trays with parchment paper, then prepare the spice mix by adding the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all spice and cloves to a bowl and whisk until even. Add the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cornflour and whisk until combined.
Next, carefully melt the butter and add to a bowl, then add the sugars and whisk for two minutes. Add the vanilla and the egg and whisk again until combined. Add in the flour mixture, M&Ms and chocolate and beat well until the mixture resembles cookie dough.
Finally, using a cookie dough or batter scoop, scoop the dough out in even portions, roll them into balls, place on the baking trays and cook in the oven for 10-13 minutes. Once cooked, leave the cookies to cool for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and serve.
Check out our new autumn drinks range
We're big fans of autumn at Cafe2U, as it's the perfect opportunity to beat the cold with a steaming hot cup of coffee. And that's why we've launched a limited edition range of autumn drinks! To find out what your local Cafe2U van has to offer, get in touch with them here.