These warmly-spiced vegan pumpkin cupcakes are treats with a tricky (e.g. secretly wholesome) twist!

Take a look at these beauties and let me know what you think: muffins, or cupcakes? Yes, that’s rhetorical. The answer is both!

Really, what are muffins if not modest cupcakes laying low? Or, in a similar vein, what wholesome muffin couldn’t comfortably pass for a cupcake topped with a festive swirl of frosting?

Made with unsweetened plant milk and rich pumpkin puree, these light delights are bursting with signature warming fall flavor and packed with goodness. With just 1/3 cup pure maple syrup per hefty batch of at least 18 muffin-cupcakes, you can enjoy them guilt-free for an easy grab-and-go breakfast or snack, or ice for a decadent-tasting dessert.

Speaking of pumpkins, we picked our personal patch this past weekend—all 11 of them, including this backyard behemoth, below. It’s a whopping 72-pounder, and sure to be a personal family record. I don’t know how we can out-do ourselves, especially given that I have no idea how we arrived at this place. People have asked admiringly what we did, and I can’t say “we” really did anything. Honestly, the pumpkins kind of grew themselves. We just let the vines run rampant all over the yard, like a leafy river dotted with bright orange buoys. The only explanation I can land on with any confidence outside of awe for Mother Nature is Chef F’s magical green thumb. It’s pure love. Before he came along, I kid you not we had trouble keeping succulents alive.

But back to these muffin-cupcakes! Thanks to the explosive combo of apple cider and vinegar, plus a little baking powder for extra luck, these rich treats are both tender and fluffy. They remind me enormously of sweet potato cupcakes I made for Chef F’s third birthday, but maybe even better. That said, feel free to swap in sweet potato puree to this recipe, anytime! Low in sugar never needs to mean low in flavor. If anything, pumpkin gets to sing all the more sweetly. Happy happy pumpkin season! xo

Vegan Pumpkin Muffin-Cupcakes

Yield: 18-20

Author: Wendy McMillan

Sweet treats with a tricky twist--these delightfully spiced pumpkin cupcakes are secretly muffins in disguise!

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened plant milk of choice
1 cup pumpkin puree, canned or homemade (not pumpkin pie filling
½ Cup orange juice
⅓ Cup pure maple syrup (or swap in coconut sugar, brown sugar, or other sweetener of choice)
½ Cup liquid coconut oil
¼ Cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour, or gluten-free flour blend
1 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch sea salt
Frosting of choice (see note)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 18-cup muffin tin (or 1 ½ standard pans) or line with cupcake liners, and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the Good Karma unsweetened plant milk, pumpkin puree, orange juice, vanilla, oil, applesauce, and vinegar.
In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir very well. Pour wet into dry, and stir until just evenly mixed. Pour evenly into cupcake tins, filling each cup about two-thirds full.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until cupcakes have risen and are lightly golden. Let cool. Enjoy as is, sprinkled with powdered sugar, or frosted for a sweet pumpkin spiced treat!

Notes

Vegan maple buttercream frosting

1 cup vegan butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar (more as needed)

¼ Cup pure maple syrup

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, add the vegan butter and mix the for a few minutes until creamy, then add 2 cups of powdered sugar and the syrup. Mix again until combined. Add more powdered sugar as needed, until reaching the desired consistency.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

120

Fat

6 g

Sat. Fat

5 g

Carbs

15 g

Fiber

2 g

Net carbs

14 g

Sugar

5 g

Protein

2 g

Sodium

111 mg

Cholesterol

0 mg