Heavenly Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cupcakes

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY 
BOB’S RED MILL

Are we team pumpkin or team pumpkin-is-so-yesterday? May it never be the latter!

Take note that I didn’t say pumpkin spice. Just pumpkin. I asked a group of friends recently how they felt about pumpkin ‘spice’ and if eyes could throw darts I was the dartboard. There were some strong feelings about the spice that doesn’t actually have pumpkin in it.

But straight up pureed pumpkin? May a can always don its place on our shelves as a fall must-have pantry staple, especially if cupcakes are on the agenda (which they are).

These pumpkin cupcakes taste like heaven.

I know that’s a big claim, especially for gluten-free cupcakes because we’re all thinking about that one time when we sunk our teeth into a gluten-free cupcake that tasted like…well…iykyk.

But these cupcakes…heavenly. Joe (husband) highly recommends eating them with a fork. He says you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a schmancy restaurant to enjoy a gourmet dessert. I ate mine with my hands. Still heavenly.

But if heavenly isn’t reason enough here are a few more reasons why these are the best pumpkin cupcakes:

• Simple, basic ingredients
• Easy to prepare
• Not overly sweet but just sweet enough
• Perfectly spiced with all the cozy flavors of fall
• Helloooo dreamy cinnamon cream cheese frosting
• Everyone will swoon, even the gluten-eaters

So how do we make the perfect gluten-free pumpkin cupcake? Simple. Use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. This gluten-free flour is reliable, high quality, and makes a tasty cupcake.

If you consistently follow along with all the recipe happenings on Pass Me Some Tasty, you already know that Bob’s Red Mill is my baking homeboy. Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free products are produced with great care and attention. Not only are Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free ingredients safe for celiacs but BRM is enrolled in the Non-GMO Project and is committed to purchasing only non-GMO grains. All of their products are made from ingredients that were grown from “identity preserved” non-GMO seed.

Baking and Bob’s Red Mill go together like fall and pumpkin cupcakes. They’re just meant to be together.

• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-To-1 Flour: DO NOT substitute a different all-purpose gluten-free flour blend. This cupcake recipe was developed using this specific gluten-free flour. No two gluten-free flours blends are the same so if you do go rogue and use something different the odds of your cupcakes turning out tasty are a risky gamble.
• Bob’s Red Mill Baking Powder: My go-to baking powder. It’s aluminum-free and has no bitter aftertaste.
• Bob’s Red Mill Baking Soda: An additional leavening agent that reacts with the pumpkin puree and brown sugar to help with the perfect cupcake rise.
• Pumpkin puree: I prefer canned pumpkin puree versus homemade pumpkin puree simply because canned provides consistent flavor and texture compared to homemade pumpkin puree. Be sure to use plain 100% pumpkin puree with no extras or add-ins (be careful not to use canned pumpkin pie filling).
• Eggs: Provide structure and moisture.
• Brown sugar: The molasses in brown sugar perfectly compliments pumpkin.
• Light olive oil: A neutral tasting oil that contributes to a moist crumb.
• Spices: The entire cozy fall gang is here -> allspice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

For a full list of ingredients and quantities see the recipe card at the end of this post.

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, whisk Bob’s Red Mill ingredients (1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda), with salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves until combined.

Step 2: In a separate mixing bowl, add eggs, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, light olive oil, and vanilla, and whisk until just combined.

Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine until just incorporated.

Step 4: Line a 12-cup muffin pan with parchment paper cupcake liners.

Step 5: Using a 4-tablespoon cookie scoop fill each cupcake liner ⅔ full.

Step 6: Bake cupcakes in a 350°F oven for 25 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean). Allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting.

Step 7: Make the frosting! With an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment), cream the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Step 8: Add in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and powdered sugar (just one cup at a time so you don’t have a powdered sugar explosion when you turn on the mixer) and whip to combine, about 1 minute more.

Step 9: Frost the cooled cupcakes however you fancy. I used a Wilton Round Decorating Piping Tip #12 for the frosting and then dusted the tops of the frosted cupcakes with a bit of cinnamon to make them look a little more fancy pants.

Step 10: Take a bite. Heaven…

So how do you eat your cupcakes? Hands or fork?

Or maybe you’re a face plant kinda person. I saw you eyeing that frosting. ♡