It’s nearly time for the most spooky and scary time of year again, Halloween! If you are having a Halloween party or just giving out sweets, these pumpkin cupcakes with spiced cream cheese frosting will do the trick!

I love Halloween, it’s the best occasion to be creative with your bakes. These cupcakes are a great way to get the kids into the kitchen and interested in baking.  They can be decorated in different ways. These cupcakes use up the left overs from the pumpkins.

Recipe for Gluten Free Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

• 110g unsalted butter
• 240g coconut sugar (you can use brown sugar)
• 2 large eggs
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 100g of pumpkin puree (roasted)
• 245g gluten free self raising flour
• ½ tsp xantham gum
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 125ml buttermilk  (or 120ml milk with a teaspoon of lemon juice)

For the white ghost icing:

• 75g cream cheese
• 150g icing sugar
• 1tsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

For the ginger buttercream:

• 125g  unsalted butter
• 300g icing sugar
• 4 tsp  crystallised ginger syrup
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Orange food colouring (add as much as you want depending how orange you want it)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 160° fan/180°/350°f/gas mark 4, and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake cases.
2. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is smooth (this takes 5 mins I like to put a timer on). Then beat in the vanilla extract.
3.  In a separate bowl combine the flour, xantham gum, cinnamon and ginger give it a stir so all the spices are mixed in.
4. Break the eggs into a cup and mix, poor half the mixture into the butter and sugar. Then add a spoon on flour (this stops the mixture curdling). Do this until all the egg is mixed in. Then add the the pumpkin and beat until just combined.
5. Add one third of the flour to the creamed mixture and beat in, then add half of the butter milk and beat.  Repeat these steps until all the flour and butter milk has been added.
6. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases and fill just to the top.
7. Bake for 25 mins. Check if the cakes are cooked by inserting a skewer. They are cooked if the skewer comes out clean.
8. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then place on a cooling rack to completely cool before icing.

For the white ghost icing:

1.  Cream the cream cheese for 3 minutes until light and fluffy
2.  Then add all the other ingredients and beat until all the ingredients are combined.

For the ginger icing:

1. Cream the butter, syrup and lemon juice for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
2.  Add the icing sugar and cinnamon and beat until smooth.

 

To decorate:

I used a large nozzle piping bag to create a swirl effect.  you could of course ice with a flat knife.  I topped the cakes with Halloween decorations and googly eyes.

Enjoy!