Vegan & Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Liana Werner-Gray

by | Updated: December 4th, 2016 | Read time: 2 minutes

I put a spell on you and now you’re mine… Actually, these cupcakes, with sweet cacao frosting and a light, fluffy pumpkin cake, have cast the enchanting spell and now you’re powerless to resist. But have no fear! Instead of the usual hocus pocus, these bewitching treats are vegan, gluten-free and packed with not-so-spooky ingredients.

Pumpkin cupcakes with chocolate frosting #glutenfree #vegan | Vitacost.com/blog

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 cup almond milk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
3 tsp. baking soda
4 Tbsp. flax seed meal
10 Tbsp. water
¾ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup applesauce
2/3 cup Nutiva Coconut Sugar
½ cup + 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. Real Redmond salt
½ cup Nutiva Coconut Oil with Buttery Flavor
1-¾ cups Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal
1 cup oat flour
1 cup tapioca flour

Frosting

1/3 cup almond milk
½ cup cacao powder
1 tsp. Redmond Bentonite Clay
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup Nutiva Coconut Oil with Buttery Flavor
1-½ cups organic powdered sugar

Topping

½ cup pumpkin seeds

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners.
  2. In a large bowl, combine almond milk, baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Set aside and let mixture curdle.
  3. In a separate small bowl, whisk together flaxseed meal and water to make flax “egg”. Set aside for about 5 minutes for mixture to thicken and gelatinize.
  4. In the large bowl with almond milk mixture, add flax “egg,” pumpkin puree, applesauce, coconut sugar and maple syrup. Whisk well.
  5. Add vanilla, salt and coconut oil and stir again.
  6. Add almond flour, oat flour and tapioca flour and whisk to combine.
  7. Pour batter into muffin tins. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
  8. While cupcakes bake, prepare frosting. In a bowl or blender, whip together frosting ingredients until thick and smooth.
  9. Once cupcakes have cooled, frost with chocolate frosting and top with pumpkin seeds.