Pumpkin Cupcakes
Halloween is a time for special treats like this pumpkin cupcake recipe everyone will love.
Yes, the odd cupcake is probably something most people watching their waistline try to avoid, but I've done what I can to make these as health-conscious as I could. I think at 149 calories per cupcake, I didn't do too bad. And they taste great!
These pumpkin cupcakes are gluten-free (ensure the baking powder you use is gluten-free), and safe for ovo-lacto vegetarians.
This recipe calls for pumpkin purée. This is often confused with pumpkin pie filling, but the two are not the same. If you can find a nice organic canned purée, go with that; however, other commercial varieties are fine.
You can also opt to make your own pumpkin purée! Get 2 or 3 pie pumpkins (there are many varieties, but these are generally the smaller variety of pumpkins, but not the smallest you can get), cut them in half and clean out the seeds. (Save the seeds and roast them as well to decorate the tops of these cupcakes. See our bonus roasted pumpkin seed recipe to find out how.) Using a little avocado oil, or vegetable oil, rub the cut sides of the pumpkin halves and lightly sprinkle with salt. Place the pumpkin halves cut side down on a baking pan and roast in the oven at 400°F / 200°C for about 40 to 45 minutes. The pumpkin is ready when its flesh is tender and comes away from the skin easily. Scoop out, mash, and use as purée.
Spookify these with some Halloween sprinkles for the little kid that lurks in all of us, or choose the adult version sprinkled with pepitas and pecans.
TIP: For a smoother cupcake batter, powder the coconut sugar in a food processor, small blender, or spice grinder. Alternately, you can use regular, white granulated sugar instead, however it will impact the nutritional information for this recipe and the finished cupcakes will taste sweeter.
TIP: If you don't have tapioca flour, substitute this with 1/4 cup cornstarch and increase the flour amount to 1, 3/4 cups.
TIP: If you are not concerned with gluten, all-purpose flour can be used instead of Cassava flour.
TIP: If you don't have any avocado oil, just ensure you use the lightest coloured vegetable oil you can find.
Ingredients
(Makes 32 servings | Serving size = 1 cupcake)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup avocado oil
2 cups coconut sugar, powdered
15 ounces or 445 ml of pumpkin purée
1, 1/2 cups Cassava flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs then mix in the oil, sugar and pumpkin purée. Blend until smooth.
Into a separate bowl, sieve the dry ingredients so all lumps can be eliminated and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture and beat until smooth.
Pour the batter into a muffin pan lined with muffin cups (add a little whimsy by using Halloween themed muffin cups). Fill each cup until they are about 2/3 full then bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool for 30 minutes then decorate with pepitas and nuts, or Halloween sprinkles.
Enjoy!
Nutritional Information Per Serving:
total calories = 148.5 | total fat = 6g | saturated fat = 0.98g | cholesterol = 23.25mg | sodium = 66.47mg | carbohydrates = 22.83g | dietary fibre = 2.6g | sugars = 12.59g | protein = 1.37g
