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#FoodieFriday Gluten Free Pumpkin Cupcakes

Whoops! Never scheduled this in time, so let’s have Foodie Friday on Saturday! Today I’m moving to a different department at work, so I brought in some cupcakes to say goodbye to my co-workers. I decided to make gluten free pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting since it’s getting closer to autumn. Now, I’m going to admit to you right up front: gluten free baking can be very expensive in terms of buying flour substitutes. The boxed mixes are more expensive than regular boxed mixes, but they’re an easy alternative for me — especially since I live in a rural community. So, I decided to start with a simple gluten free yellow cake mix. Here’s what I did to turn a pre-made mix into a delectable delight:

1 box gluten free cake mix (15oz)
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 can pumpkin puree (15oz)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cardamom

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan (or 2, if you’re living the good life with a big kitchen) with liners. Beat the eggs and oil. Add the pumpkin, vanilla, and spices. Beat until combine. Pour in the box mix and whisk gently until combine. Carefully ladle the batter into the liners, using about half the mixture. Bake for 25 minutes. Set them to cool on a wire rack and re-line your cupcake pan (or be finished if you had 2 pans to start with). Bake the rest of the batter — you should have 24 cupcakes from this recipe.

Now, I may have used a boxed mix to make my cupcakes, but I didn’t get lazy when it came to the frosting. Here’s what I do to make my cream cheese frosting:

1 8oz bar of cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup, 4oz), softened
1/2-1 cup of powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Using a hand- or stand-mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-low until combine. Turn OFF the mixer. Add in your powdered sugar. Carefully turn the mixer on low until the sugar is mostly combined. Pour in the vanilla and beat on medium until smooth, creamy, and whipped in appearance.

Frost your cupcakes. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon for a nice touch, if you wish.

pumpkincupcake

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Foodie Friday: Happy Birthday

Using my chocolate cake recipe* and Annie’s pumpkin cake and cream cheese frosting recipes**, I created a delicious birthday cake for myself this year. Because my birthday is the day before Halloween, I’ve always been a fan of Halloween and love incorporating it into my celebrations. A pumpkin (orange) layer and a chocolate (black) layer seemed to be quite festive indeed, and both flavors suit my tastes this year. I hear rough frosting looks rustic and homey, so I figure my not-so-great decorating skills are that much more endearing.

Birthday Cake

Yes, those are gummy worms adorning my cake. I’ve always been more about the taste and flavor — what’s inside — rather than looks. Still, it came out rather lovely if I do say so myself.

*Obviously, Hershey’s gets the credit for the original recipe, but I vary between chocolate milk and heavy cream depending on my mood. Also, I halved the recipe to yield one layer. The only reason I didn’t halve Annie’s recipe was because I figured the dozen cupcakes would be a fun treat for the baby, who cannot have any of the chocolate cake until he’s got the all-clear for cow juice.

**Annie uses 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar for her frosting. I’m not the biggest fan of super sweet frostings, so I only used 1/2 cup. Yes, I know, that probably sounds bizarre, but trust me when I say it fits my tastes.

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