Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes
These Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes are soft, moist and bursting with warm chai spices and pumpkin flavor. They're topped with an irresistible cashew-based vegan chai frosting that you'd never guess is paleo + vegan.
Servings 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup non-dairy milk I used unsweetened almond, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons oil of choice I used coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 package Simple Mills Pumpkin Muffin & Loaf Mix
For the frosting
- 1½ cups raw cashews soaked in water in the refrigerator overnight, at least 6 hours, up to 12
- ¼ cup coconut cream
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil use refined for no coconut flavor
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a muffin tin with coconut oil (recommended), or line with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, non-dairy milk, oil of choice, and vanilla extract. Add in all of the spices and the Simple Mills Pumpkin Muffin & Loaf Mix. Whisk to combine.
- Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each 2/3 full.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.
For the frosting
- Drain and rinse the soaked cashews with cool water. In a high powered blender (I used my Vitamix) or food processor, blend the soaked cashews until their smooth and creamy. Add the rest of the frosting ingredients and blend for 3-5 minutes, until completely smooth and creamy. Taste, and adjust spices/tartness/sweetness levels as desired.
- If you’re doing a thinner spread of frosting, you can frost as is. If you’d like to pipe the frosting, transfer it to a bowl and place in the freezer for one hour, whisking every 20 minutes, until it’s thickened enough to pipe on top of the cupcakes.
- After frosting cupcakes, garnish with a sprinkle of chai spice and a drizzle of paleo caramel sauce, if desired.
Notes
Prep time doesn't include soaking the cashews or cooling down the frosting.
