Pumpkin cupcakes with Creamy Chocolate Frosting
Soft and fluffy pumpkin cupcakes packed with warming autumnal spices and topped with pillowy clouds of creamy chocolate buttercream frosting
Ingredients
For the pumpkin cupcakes
- 210 g pumpkin puree fresh or tinned
- 130 g gluten-free self-raising flour blend
- 150 g caster sugar
- 2 medium free range eggs room temperature
- 125 ml olive oil
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice mix
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp Xanthan Gum
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
For the creamy chocolate buttercream
- 250 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 375 g icing sugar sifted
- 5 tbsp cocoa powder heaped
- 3 tbsp double cream
Instructions
For the pumpkin cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ Fan and line a 12-hole muffin tray with muffin or cupcake cases.
- Combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and olive in a stand mixer bowl and mix together until thoroughly combined.210 g pumpkin puree, 150 g caster sugar, 2 medium free range eggs, 125 ml olive oil, ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- Sift in the flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda and Xanthan Gum.130 g gluten-free self-raising flour blend, 2 tsp pumpkin spice mix, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp Xanthan Gum
- Fold in until no pockets of flour remain.
- Transfer the mixture to the cupcake cases, using an ice cream scoop to evenly divide the mixture between the cases.
- Bake on the middle shelf for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. The cupcakes will be spongy to the touch in the centre.
- Allow to cool completely before preparing the buttercream topping.
For the chocolate buttercream
- Whisk the butter in a stand mixer on the highest setting for around 10 minutes until paler in colour and lighter in texture. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl every few minutes.250 g unsalted butter
- Sift in the icing sugar and cocoa powder in batches, alternating with the double cream and continue to whisk until light and fluffy.375 g icing sugar, 5 tbsp cocoa powder, 3 tbsp double cream
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 1M open star piping nozzle and top each cupcake with a swirl of chocolate buttercream.
Notes
Room temperature ingredients are essential for this recipe to work. Room temperature ingredients ensure that they can all be mixed together thoroughly. If you forget to take your eggs out of the fridge beforehand, place them in a bowl of lukewarm (not hot, you don't want to cook them!) water 15 minutes prior to baking to bring them to room temperature more quickly.
Blotting or draining - It's imperative to blot or drain the pumpkin puree beforehand so as to remove any excess water before baking. Too much water will make the cake soggy and wet and has the potential to ruin the whole thing. If you're using a tin of pumpkin puree, you may not need to do this, but for freshly made puree, it's a must. I tend to use a cheesecloth tea towel to squeeze out the excess water as much as possible. I would suggest weighing the pumpkin puree after draining to make sure that you have the correct amount as you may lose some during the draining process.
The toothpick test is a great way to check whether your cupcakes are done. As all ovens are calibrated differently, the baking times stated are always suggested as a rough guide. To check if the cupcakes are done, insert a toothpick into the centre and if it comes out with no crumbs stuck to it, you can assume that the cupcake is baked through and ready to come out.
I use grams for weighing almost all of the ingredients in my recipes as it is what I am most used to when cooking and baking on a daily basis. I use measuring cups for simple ingredients such as spices or smaller amounts as it can be much easier to measure. I would recommend sticking to what the recipe suggests as there is no guarantee that converting into cup measurements or vice-versa will have the same outcome.