Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes

Here's the other Halloween recipe I've made this year! Honestly, I'm so busy I thought I couldn't publish any new content this month but...there's no rest for the wicked! Evil and wicked cause I’m in full Halloweenie mood! ;-)

These vegan pumpkin cupcakes are way more indulgent than the cookie recipe I shared this week, but they are terribly delicious and, to make you feel less guilty and not fall into the temptation of eating a few cup pies in one sitting, you can share them with friends. I promise you, they’ll be gone in the blink of an eye so…‘be quick or be dead’!

I topped these cupcakes with a classic cream cheeze frosting but I’m pretty sure they pair really well with a dark chocolate ganache or aquafaba buttercream.

Let me wish you one more time a very scary and fun Halloween and a great long weekend!

Receta en español en la web de El Granero Integral

Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (vegan)

(yield: 10-12 cupcakes approx.)

Ingredients

- For the cupcakes:

1/2 cup spelt flour.

1/4 cup chickpea flour.

3/4 teaspoon baking soda.

1/4 teaspoon baking powder.

1/4 teaspoon salt.

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

1/4 teaspoon ginger.

1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar.

1/3 cup mild-tasting extra virgin olive oil.

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut yogurt.

1 cup shredded pumpkin.

1/3 cup chopped pecan nuts.

- For the frosting:

1 cup vegan cream cheese.

1 cup organic powdered sugar.

*Notes: as always, all the ingredients I use for my recipes are organic, so everything's unrefined, unbleached and as natural as possible. Of course, this is a cupcake recipe so (even though the ingredients are "healthier") don't expect them to be low-fat or sugar-free. ;-)

Directions

I recommend to let the shredded pumpkin drain very well before doing anything else. We don't want excess liquid in our cupcakes!

Preheat oven to 180 ºC and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a large mixing bowl sift and mix flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Mix well using a wire whisk and set aside.

In a separate bowl vigorously whisk the sugar, olive oil and coconut yogurt, until it is very well combined.

Pour this wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until a soft, lump-free batter forms.

Finally, stir the shredded pumpkin into the mixture and fold in pecan nuts using a silicone spatula.

Fill cupcake liners around 2/3 full and bake for 25 minutes, or until the center of the cupcakes are cooked.

Let them cool for 5 minutes in the pan, on a wire rack. After that, remove cupcakes from the pan and let them cool completely before decorating.

- For the cream cheeze frosting:

Simply combine vegan cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer, increasing the speed gradually, and beat until well combined and fluffy.

Store the frosting in the fridge so it sets a little bit before piping.

To frost the cupcakes I recommend using an open-star piping tip, like the Wilton 1M tip. Once they are all frosted, transfer them to the refrigerator until ready to serve.