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If you’re after a spooky bake which is fun, easy to make and looks awesome, you need to give these gluten free Halloween pumpkin cupcakes a try.
These yummy chocolate cupcakes have a cute, orange-flavoured buttercream piped on top which is actually surprisingly easy.
With the right piping tips you can wow your friends and make these super-impressive buttercream pumpkins for all to enjoy.
I’ve included a full photo step-by-step guide below on how to create the pumpkin frosting, as well as a video.
If you’re already a fan of my chocolate cupcakes or my chocolate orange cupcakes then these will be perfect for you.
You could of course use my vanilla cupcake recipe as a base if you prefer.
However I like how the chocolate soil looks a bit like the mud of a pumpkin patch instead!
Child-friendly Halloween bakes
The best Halloween bakes are definitely the ones where you can get kids involved.
Halloween always falls during half term and gluten free baking is a great way to keep busy when the weather is rubbish.
Kids will love creating these and will learn some new skills with the baking and frosting.
You could even have a whole baking marathon and whip up some of my other Halloween bakes too.
I have some awesome spooky spiderweb baked doughnuts which are super easy to make.
Or perhaps you could make a double-sized cupcake batch and whip up some of my gluten free gory-centred monster cupcakes.
Halloween baking is definitely a great excuse to get creative so go crazy and make as many spooky bakes as you can!
Pumpkin Cupcakes Ingredients
There’s a full printable recipe card below with the ingredients and method, but for the shopping list you’ll need:
FOR THE CUPCAKES:
- 125g caster sugar
- 125g unsalted butter, (softened)
- 2 large eggs
- 100g self-raising gluten free flour
- 30g cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tbsp milk
- 75g white chocolate chips
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
- 300g unsalted butter, (at room temperature)
- 600g icing sugar
- 4 tbsp milk
- Orange and Green food colouring
- Chocolate orange Matchmakers
The ingredients are all store-cupboard essentials, do you don’t have to worry about buying anything fancy.
You should be able to find them all in UK supermarkets.
I usually use the gluten free self-raising flour from either FREEE or Sainsbury’s but any supermarket blend should work perfectly with these cupcakes.
These are both available readily in the supermarket and means you don’t have to buy any complicated or expensive ingredients.
However, if you’re using a flour which doesn’t have xanthan gum already, I’d recommend adding ½ teaspoon instead of ¼ to give it a good texture.
If you don’t have self-raising gluten free flour then you can use plain (or all purpose) gluten free flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder added.
Always double check ingredients don’t have ‘may contain traces of gluten’ warnings – especially on items like the chocolate and chocolate chips.
How to pipe buttercream pumpkins
Again, there’s a full method in the recipe card below, but I just thought I’d explain how to create the buttercream pumpkins.
These are actually really easy to do and I’ve even made a handy video to show you how it works.
Firstly you’ll need to get hold of a 4B piping nozzle (for the pumpkin) and a 352 piping tip (for the leaves).
Once you’ve made the buttercream, place a small amount in a separate bowl and colour it green, then colour the remaining buttercream orange.
Spoon the orange buttercream in a piping bag fitted with the 4B nozzle, and the green into a bag fitted with the 352 tip.
To pipe the pumpkins, first pipe a mound in the centre of the cupcake.
Then, working from the outside edge of the mound, pipe up to the centre, working around the mound.
Keep doing this working in one direction around the pumpkin until you have completed the circle.
Once you’ve done this, place a third of a Matchmaker stick in the centre, then use the green buttercream to pipe a few leaves onto the top.
I’ve demonstrated this process in the image below:
My gluten free Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes recipe
Here they are, the spookiest cupcakes around just in time for Halloween!
These gluten free Halloween pumpkin cupcakes are perfect for making with kids or just as your own tasty treat.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Gluten Free Pumpkin Cupcakes
These gluten free Halloween pumpkin cupcakes are the perfect spooky treat and a delight to make! Chocolate cupcakes with delicious orange flavoured buttercream pumpkins on top. This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 125g caster sugar
- 125g unsalted butter, (softened)
- 2 large eggs
- 100g self raising gluten free flour
- 30g cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tbsp milk
- 75g white chocolate chips
For the buttercream frosting:
- 300g unsalted butter, (at room temperature)
- 600g icing sugar
- 4 tbsp milk
- Orange and Green food colouring
- Chocolate orange Matchmakers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180'C / Fan 160'C / Gas Mark 4. Fill a 12-hole baking tin with cupcake cases and set aside while you make the cake batter.
- Add the butter, sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. (TIP: If the butter is hard, zap it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before adding it to the mixing bowl to make it easier!)
- Crack the eggs into the mixing bowl and beat again for 30 seconds to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula.
- Sift in the self-raising gluten free flour, cocoa powder and xantham gum, then add the milk and beat together with the electric whisk until everything is fully combined. Pour in the white chocolate chips and fold them into the mixture so they're evenly distributed. You want a fairly thick batter which looks light and fluffy.
- Spoon the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases and then place in the centre of an oven and bake for 20-22 minutes. The cupcakes are done when they are well-risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Cool in the tray for 10 minutes before removing the cakes from the tray to cool completely.
To make the frosting:
- Add the butter, icing sugar and milk to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk on a low speed until it becomes a smooth, fluffy buttercream. (TIP: To avoid an icing-sugar dust cloud I tend to 'mash' the mixture with a fork until it starts to come together, then use the electric whisk).
- Spoon a small amount of the buttercream into a separate bowl and add green food colouring. Once mixed, spoon this into a piping bag fitted with a 352 tip - this is for the leaves.
- Add orange food colouring to the remaining buttercream, mix together and then spoon into a large piping bag fitted with a 4B piping tip.
To decorate:
- Take the orange icing and pipe a small mound in the centre of the cupcake, like this:
- Then, working from the outside edge of the mound, pipe up to the centre, working around the mound, like this:
- Once you have gone the whole way around the mound, break a Matchmaker into thirds and place one third in the centre as the stalk, like this:
- Finally, pipe a couple of leaves around the stalk with the green icing. You could also use a fine line icing tip to create some vines if you like.
Notes
- For the frosting, it's important to use room temperature butter to get the right consistency. If it becomes very soft once beaten (especially likely on a hot day) then place the buttercream in the piping bag and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes until it's an easy consistency to pipe.
- These cupcakes will keep for around 3 days in an air-tight container. You can also freeze the cakes BEFORE frosting and defrost and decorate as desired.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 cupcakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 604Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 29mgCarbohydrates: 76gFiber: 1gSugar: 66gProtein: 4g
NEED SOME MORE GLUTEN FREE Halloween INSPIRATION?
Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free Halloween recipes on the blog?
Give some of these other gluten free spooky bakes a try and see what you think!
There are plenty to choose from – here are a couple of easy baking tutorials to get you going:
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
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LIKE THIS GLUTEN FREE Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes RECIPE?
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