GLUTEN FREE PUMPKIN SPICE CUPCAKES WITH CHEESECAKE SWIRLS & GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH PUMPKIN CHEESCAKE SWIRLS AND CHOCOLATE GLAZE with some VEGAN/DAIRY-FREE VERSIONS

 

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

      ** Please note that I have added a recipe for a Vegan version of the Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vegan Cream Cheese Filling.

     As Thanksgiving approaches here in the US, there are pumpkin and cranberry baked goods everywhere. Of course, if I want to have some gluten free goodies, I must bake them myself.  I love pumpkin made with spices, but all year round my absolute favorite flavor is chocolate.  I decided to bake pumpkin and chocolate together and also to make some purely pumpkin cupcakes with cheesecake on top.

     I converted a Martha Stewart pumpkin cupcake recipe into GF and used the chocolate cake recipe from one of my previous posts.  The vanilla cheesecake swirls were made using a typical cream cheese swirl recipe used in brownies and I improvised with this recipe to create the pumpkin cheesecake swirls.

     These cupcakes are moist and light.  The cheesecake toppings are rich and creamy.  I used non-dairy cream cheese and Earth Balance margarine for the Vegan and Dairy-Free versions.  I doubt that anyone would know that the Vegan cupcake is Vegan or, for that matter, that any cupcakes are GF.

Chocolate cupcake with pumpkin cheesecake topping on Left
Pumpkin Spice cupcake with cheesecake topping on Right

     I realize that many people just look at the recipes and not at what I am writing.  I must admit that I usually do the same when recipe hunting on blogs.  Just in case anyone has been paying attention, I wanted to say that I did not forget that there are a few Southern Tea Party recipes that are yet to be posted.  The fall just came so fast and I felt that I needed to switch gears in order to post recipes that could be used for the season.  I promise to post the missing recipes soon.

PUMPKIN SPICE CUPCAKES WITH CHEESECAKE SWIRLS

Cake

Ingredients  

1 cup	Sorghum Flour
1/3 cup	Chickpea Flour
1/3 cup	Tapioca Flour
1 tsp.	Xanthan or Guar Gum
1 Tbs.	Baking Powder
1 tsp.	Sea Salt
½ tsp.	Cinnamon
¼ tsp.	Ginger
1/8 tsp.	Cloves
1/8 tsp.	Nutmeg
1 ½	Sticks of Unsalted Butter at room temperature
1 cup	Light Brown Sugar – packed (I use Brown Sugar made from Evaporated Cane Juice)
½ cup	Sugar (I use Evaporated Cane Juice)
1 cup	Canned Pumpkin Puree (be sure it is pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling)
2	Large Eggs

Directions

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put paper liners in muffin tins.    

     In a separate bowl add flours, salt, xanthan or guar gum, spices, baking powder and salt.  Mix with a whisk until well blended.

     In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl add sugars and butter and cream together until light and fluffy.

     Add eggs and pumpkin puree and mix well.

     Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

     Scoop about ¼ cup of batter into each paper liner.

     Makes about 15 cupcakes.

Cheesecake Topping

Ingredients

8 ounces	Cream Cheese (for Dairy-Free use non-dairy cream cheese)
5 Tbs.	Sugar
1	Egg
½ tsp.	Vanilla

Directions

     Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix until well blended, a hand mixer or stand mixer will make this easier.

     Scoop 1 Tbs. of this mixture on top of the pumpkin cake batter that has already been scooped into the liners in the muffin tin.  If a marbleized effect is desired, swirl the cheesecake topping into the batter using a knife or skewer .

     Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or the cake springs back when gently pressed with a finger.

Baked Pumpkin Spiced cupcakes with Cheesecake topping cooling on a rack.

     Cool in a rack.

**VEGAN PUMPKIN SPICE CUPCAKES

CAKE

Ingredients

¼ cup	Non-diary milk such as soy or almond
1 tsp.	Apple Cider Vinegar
¾ cup	Sorghum Flour
¼ cup	Tapioca Flour
¼ cup	Chickpea Flour
1 tsp.	Xanthan or Guar Gum
1 ½ tsp.	Baking Powder
1 tsp.	Baking Soda
1/3 cup	Sugar
1/3 cup	Brown Sugar
1 tsp.	Cinnamon
½ tsp.	Ginger
½ tsp.	Nutmeg
¼ tsp.	Cloves
½ tsp.	Sea Salt
½ cup	Pumpkin Puree
½ cup	Oil, Canola or Olive Oil work best
1 tsp.	Vanilla (I used non-dairy GF Buttery flavored Vanilla Emulsion)

Directions

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

     In a small cup mix vinegar and milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.  This makes a ‘buttermilk’ that helps make the cake lighter and less likely to brown too much.

     In a large bowl add flours, xanthan or guar gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices.  Mix together with a whisk until well blended.

     In a separate mixing bowl add pumpkin, oil, vanilla and milk mixture.  Stir together until well blended.

     Add the wet pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir together until just combined.

     Using a scoop that is 2-inches in diameter, about ¼ cup, scoop out portions into the paper liners in the muffin tin.  My recipe made about 16, so you may need to use another muffin tin with 4 or 5 paper liners.

     Make a recipe of VEGAN CREAM CHEESE FILLING, recipe below.

     Using a scoop that is 1-inch in diameter or a tablespoon, scoop a portion of the Vegan Cream Cheese Filling on top of each portion of raw Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cupcake batter in the lined muffing tins.

     Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

VEGAN CREAM CHEESE FILLING

Ingredients

8 oz.	Vegan Cream Cheese
1 Tbs.	Spectrum Butter Flavor Shortening or Earth Balance Buttery Spread
2 Tbs.	Sorghum Flour
1 Tbs.	Tapioca Flour
7 Tbs.	Sugar
1 tsp.	Vanilla

Directions

     Beat together all the ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE SWIRLS AND CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Cake

     Follow recipe on my blog for Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze and make one regular, vegan or dairy-free recipe. Scoop batter into paper lined muffing tins.  Use about ¼ cup of batter in each paper cup. 

     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

     Make one regular or vegan/dairy-free Pumpkin Cheesecake Topping recipe below.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Topping

Ingredients

8 ounces	Cream Cheese
6 Tbs.	Canned Pumpkin Puree
7 Tbs.	Sugar
1	Egg
1 tsp.	Cinnamon
½ tsp.	Ginger
1/8 tsp.	Cloves
1/8 tsp.	Nutmeg

Directions

     Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Using a hand or stand mixer makes this easier.

     Scoop 2 Tbs. of topping onto the chocolate cake batter that had already been scooped into the paper liners in the muffin tin.  If a marbleized effect is desired, swirl the cheesecake topping into the batter using a knife or skewer.

     Make one recipe of Chocolate Glaze and dip each cupcake into the glaze to frost the top.

     Let the glaze set.

VEGAN/DAIRY-FREE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE TOPPING

Ingredients

8 ounces	Dairy-Free Cream Cheese
2 Tbs.	Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or other non-hydrogenated margarine
½ cup + 2 Tbs.	Sugar
4 Tbs.	Tapioca Flour
2 Tbs.	Sorghum Flour
1 tsp.	Cinnamon
½ tsp.	Ginger
¼ tsp.	Cloves
¼ tsp.	Nutmeg
6 tbs.	Canned Pumpkin Puree

Directions

     Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Using a hand mixer or stand mixer will make this easier.

     Scoop 2 Tbs. of topping on top of cake batter that has already been scooped out into paper liners in the muffin pan.  If a marbleized effect is desired, swirl the cheesecake topping into the batter using a knife or skewer.

Cream Cheese Swirled into the Chocolate Batter with a skewer.

    Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or the cake springs back when gently pressed with a finger.

     Cool in a rack.

     Make one recipe of Chocolate Glaze and dip each cupcake into the glaze to frost the top.

     Let the glaze set.

Vegan cupcake on Left;  Regular cupcake on Right

PUMPKIN SPICE CUPCAKES WITH CHEESECAKE SWIRLS Cake Ingredients 1 cup Sorghum Flour 1/3 cup Chickpea Flour 1/3 cup Tapioca Flour 1 tsp. Xanthan or Guar Gum 1 Tbs. Baking Powder 1 tsp. Sea Salt ½ tsp. Cinnamon ¼ tsp. Ginger 1/8 tsp. Cloves 1/8 tsp. Nutmeg 1 ½ Sticks of Unsalted Butter at room temperature 1 cup Light Brown Sugar – packed (I use Brown Sugar made from Evaporated Cane Juice) ½ cup Sugar (I use Evaporated Cane Juice) 1 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree (be sure it is pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling) 2 Large Eggs Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put paper liners in muffin tins. In a separate bowl add flours, salt, xanthan or guar gum, spices, baking powder and salt. Mix with a whisk until well blended. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl add sugars and butter and cream together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and pumpkin puree and mix well. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Scoop about ¼ cup of batter into each paper liner. Makes about 15 cupcakes. Cheesecake Topping Ingredients 8 ounces Cream Cheese (for Dairy-Free use non-dairy cream cheese) 5 Tbs. Sugar 1 Egg ½ tsp. Vanilla Directions Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix until well blended, a hand mixer or stand mixer will make this easier. Scoop 1 Tbs. of this mixture on top of the pumpkin cake batter that has already been scooped into the liners in the muffin tin. If a marbleized effect is desired, swirl the cheesecake topping into the batter using a knife or skewer. Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or the cake springs back when gently pressed with a finger. Cool in a rack. VEGAN PUMPKIN SPICE CUPCAKES CAKE Ingredients ¼ cup Non-diary milk such as soy or almond 1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar ¾ cup Sorghum Flour ¼ cup Tapioca Flour ¼ cup Chickpea Flour 1 tsp. Xanthan or Guar Gum 1 ½ tsp. Baking Powder 1 tsp. Baking Soda 1/3 cup Sugar 1/3 cup Brown Sugar 1 tsp. Cinnamon ½ tsp. Ginger ½ tsp. Nutmeg ¼ tsp. Cloves ½ tsp. Sea Salt ½ cup Pumpkin Puree ½ cup Oil, Canola or Olive Oil work best 1 tsp. Vanilla (I used non-dairy GF Buttery flavored Vanilla Emulsion) Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. In a small cup mix vinegar and milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. This makes a ‘buttermilk’ that helps make the cake lighter and less likely to brown too much. In a large bowl add flours, xanthan or guar gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Mix together with a whisk until well blended. In a separate mixing bowl add pumpkin, oil, vanilla and milk mixture. Stir together until well blended. Add the wet pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir together until just combined. Using a scoop that is 2-inches in diameter, about ¼ cup, scoop out portions into the paper liners in the muffin tin. My recipe made about 16, so you may need to use another muffin tin with 4 or 5 paper liners. Make a recipe of VEGAN CREAM CHEESE FILLING, recipe below. Using a scoop that is 1-inch in diameter or a tablespoon, scoop a portion of the Vegan Cream Cheese Filling on top of each portion of raw Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cupcake batter in the lined muffing tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. VEGAN CREAM CHEESE FILLING Ingredients 8 oz. Vegan Cream Cheese 1 Tbs. Spectrum Butter Flavor Shortening or Earth Balance Buttery Spread 2 Tbs. Sorghum Flour 1 Tbs. Tapioca Flour 7 Tbs. Sugar 1 tsp. Vanilla Directions Beat together all the ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE SWIRLS AND CHOCOLATE GLAZE Cake Follow recipe on my blog for Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze and make one regular, vegan or dairy-free recipe. Scoop batter into paper lined muffing tins. Use about ¼ cup of batter in each paper cup. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make one regular or vegan/dairy-free Pumpkin Cheesecake Topping recipe below. Pumpkin Cheesecake Topping Ingredients 8 ounces Cream Cheese 6 Tbs. Canned Pumpkin Puree 7 Tbs. Sugar 1 Egg 1 tsp. Cinnamon ½ tsp. Ginger 1/8 tsp. Cloves 1/8 tsp. Nutmeg Directions Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Using a hand or stand mixer makes this easier. Scoop 2 Tbs. of topping onto the chocolate cake batter that had already been scooped into the paper liners in the muffin tin. If a marbleized effect is desired, swirl the cheesecake topping into the batter using a knife or skewer. Make one recipe of Chocolate Glaze and dip each cupcake into the glaze to frost the top. Let the glaze set. VEGAN/DAIRY-FREE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE TOPPING Ingredients 8 ounces Dairy-Free Cream Cheese 2 Tbs. Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or other non-hydrogenated margarine ½ cup + 2 Tbs. Sugar 4 Tbs. Tapioca Flour 2 Tbs. Sorghum Flour 1 tsp. Cinnamon ½ tsp. Ginger ¼ tsp. Cloves ¼ tsp. Nutmeg 6 tbs. Canned Pumpkin Puree Directions Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer will make this easier. Scoop 2 Tbs. of topping on top of cake batter that has already been scooped out into paper liners in the muffin pan. If a marbleized effect is desired, swirl the cheesecake topping into the batter using a knife or skewer. Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or the cake springs back when gently pressed with a finger. Cool in a rack. Make one recipe of Chocolate Glaze and dip each cupcake into the glaze to frost the top. Let the glaze set.

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