These cupcakes are moist, fragrant and mouth-watering! You can add any frosting you like but they’re so good by themselves that I almost never bother. However, for a special occasion, you can add this delicious cherry frosting. It may be an unusual combination but the cherries match the pumpkin spice cupcakes really well!
This recipe is perfect for the holiday season. You can eat some unfrosted cupcakes with your hot afternoon tea or can even decorate them beautifully and add to your holiday table.
Yields: 12 standard muffins
Dry ingredients:
- 1¾ cup gluten-free flour
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon clove powder
- ½ teaspoon dried ginger root powder (or a few inches of fresh ginger root)
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
Wet ingredients:
- ½ cup cashew milk (or any other non-dairy milk)
- 1 cup pumpkin purè
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 1 heaping tablespoon of honey (if not vegan) or maple syrup
- 6-8 dates (soaked for 10-15 min)
- Juice of half lemon
Cherry Cashew Frosting:
- ½ cup cashews; soaked ahead for 2-3 hours and rinsed.
- ½ cup pitted dates
- ½ cup frozen cherries
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
- 2-4 tablespoons of water to facilitate blending
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.
- In a blender put all the dry ingredients except the oil. Blend well until smooth, then slowly add the oil and blend until well incorporated.
- Pour the mixture from the blender into the bowl and mix well with the dry ingredients. Stir until evenly combined.
- Divide the batter into the cups, filling each liner about ¾ full.
- Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake emerges clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, add all the frosting ingredients (except water) to a high-speed blender or food processor, and blend until smooth and creamy, adding water as necessary to facilitate blending.
Note: If you’re using fresh ginger root, slice it thinly and then add together with the wet ingredients to be blended in the blender.
Osha Key is a life lover, certified nutritionist, weight loss expert and the author of "MASTERY IN WEIGHT LOSS",
which you can get for FREE when you visit her website www.becomethebestofyou.com and subscribe.
After losing 40 pounds, Osha is now on a mission to help women do the same.
