Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

A new gluten-free dairy-free pumpkin cupcake recipe for Fall.

I am on (a much needed) vacation this week- staying at a wonderful gentleman's farm on Cape Cod. I'll share tales and pics when I return to the west coast. But until then, I'm reprising a pumpkin cupcake recipe for you. To show you that I'm thinking of you, here on this slender spit of land jutting bravely into the Atlantic.

Before I get to my new cupcake recipe, I need to wander off a bit. Just briefly. Because it's who I am. A person who wanders. Ponders. Finds solace in books. I've been like this since girlhood. Curious. Serious. No good at catching balls. Or dressing dolls. I am beyond inept with hair. And eyeliner.

I get anxious and non-verbal if I have to wear anything that isn't a pair of jeans.

It might be because I'm a child of The Sixties, that starstruck Age of Aquarius, when kindred souls united for peace, beauty, and rock and roll. As Hunter S. Thompson wrote, "You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right," and there was that "...sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn’t need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting—on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave."

I've been remembering the beautiful wave lately. The idealism. The hope. The belief that there is more to life than collapsing in front of the television and microwaving hot dogs.

The belief that beauty- as Steve Jobs believed- is important, has value. That we are deeply interconnected. That life on Earth is precious- from the house sparrow to the living sea. That we are part of a vast and mysterious collective- not merely of our absurd egos (who natter inside our heads and squander our attention on drama, conflict, acquisition and the need to control)- but of a newly unfolding awareness of astonishing inner space and outer space. Infinity in every direction. The Universe is far more capacious than we ever dreamed. Perhaps even multi-dimensional. A Multiverse.

Which begs the question.

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Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe with Mocha Icing

Gluten-free vanilla cupcakes. Let's celebrate.

The world is my oyster. No. Wait. I'm allergic to oysters. At least that is what a blood test declared, four years ago. Puzzling. I never had any symptoms. That I recall. Though who knows. I haven't actually eaten an oyster in (...let me count), maybe 17 years. They were fried oysters. At a jumping local hang-out on the Cape. The Land Ho in Orleans. Famous for grilled burgers, golden dipped fish and chips, fried clams. And yeah. Oysters. And beer. Truth is, I would much prefer a cupcake. No slimy, muscular middle. No fishy liquor. Just tender, soft sweetness in exactly the right portion. Not too big. Not too heavy. Not too much.

Just right.

As you may have guessed, I have issues (who among us doesn't?). Texture is a big honking issue for me. Size is an issue (portions bigger than my head? A  serious turn off). And taste, well, that goes without saying (you know how I loathe bean flour). If I was a storybook character I would inhabit The Princess and the Pea.

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Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Icing

Gluten-free chocolate cupcakes.

Gluten-free cupcakes are hot. Or should I say, HAWT. Tack on vegan status, too, and you've got a trend worthy of the most BoHo WeHo GoGo. So I'm reprising this chocolate cupcake recipe to tempt you into baking this weekend. These little beauties remind me of Devil's Food Cake. Dark, moist and chocolatey. So go grab your inner Domestic Goddess by the hand and stir up some trouble.

But before we get to (what happens to be my favorite) chocolate cupcake recipe from the archives, I want to share something. Maybe it's the waxing moon, that cyclic siren pulling us toward wholeness, to embracing our shadow, urging us to let go, shed the outworn for the sake of authenticity. Or maybe it's the fresh start of a new school year, possessing me with cravings for newly sharpened pencils and thick stacks of paper, clean as a cloud. Fall always wakes me up. It conjures images of new beginnings.

And yes, there will be baby pictures.

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Cupcakes and Baking and Why You Need an Oven Thermometer

Before you bake these cupcakes, get an oven thermometer.

I attempted my first baking recipe yesterday. In the new apartment, that is. The kitchen is new, not the baker. I've been around the block a time or two when it comes to batter and dough (so if you're new to the blog, Darling, don't panic- I've got armloads of gluten-free recipes waiting for your brilliance to coax them to life). See that sparkling little cupcake gem above? Try it's zesty orangeness on for size. Because the recipe I was developing for you... Well. 

It failed. 

What was it? you idly wonder. Zucchini bread. A bread that should have been moist and tender and bursting with juicy bits of zucchini. A perennial August favorite I haven't sunk my teeth into since going gluten-free nine years ago. So I was due.

What happened?

Here's the thing. The thing I have to share with you that could change your gluten-free baking life. The back story: the stove is new. As in brand spanking new. No gluten has ever darkened it's white enamel door (a psychological plus). And it's a gas stove (heats quickly, super efficient). So what I am about to tell you may surprise you.

The oven temperature was off. As in way off.

How do I know? I had an inkling. I bought an oven thermometer. I installed it. And I set the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. When the preheat light went off I opened the oven door. It read 400 cussing degrees.

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Make Gluten-Free Brownie Cupcakes with Namaste Baking Mix

Brownies baked as cupcakes- from Namaste baking mix.

Check out these fudgy little gems. Chocolate chip brownies dressed up like cupcakes. These are Steve's creation. He's been making gluten-free brownies for- let me think a minute- almost nine years. (How, I ask you, is that possible? Nine years gluten-free? Yep. We'll be celebrating nine years of gluten-free living this December. Perilously close to a decade.) So he's the resident brownie expert. I bow to his expertise.

He's baked brownies from scratch. He's tried all the gluten-free mixes. He's added flavors. Coffee. Peppermint. Vanilla. He's added extra chocolate chips. Chopped walnuts. Pecans. Even raisins. He bakes brownies weekly. But lately he's got a new twist to this favorite classic treat. He plops the batter into a cupcake liner clad muffin tin. 

Steve swears this creates a better, moister brownie.

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Gluten-Free Cake + Cupcake Recipes from the Gluten-Free Goddess

Orange infused gluten-free cupcakes!

 Karina's Gluten-Free Cake + Cupcake Recipes

Here are my favorite gluten-free cake recipes on Gluten-Free Goddess- from decadent, dessert worthy cake to simple coffee cake, from rich and fudgy flourless chocolate elegance to vegan and egg-free cupcakes.

Apple Cake with Cranberries
Apple Cake Muffins
Applesauce Crumb Cake

Banana Bundt Cake
Banana-Blueberry Muffin Cake
Banana Polenta Cake 
Banana Crumb Cake 
Banana Snacking Cake with Almond Flour
Banana Spice Cake

Blueberry Babycakes
Blueberry Cobbler
Blueberry Crumb Cake

Carrot Quinoa Bars with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Cherry Clafoutis
Chocolate Banana Cake (scroll down the page)
Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Icing
Chocolate Gingerbread
Chocolate Truffle Cake

Coconut Apple Cake
Coconut Carrot Cake
Coconut Chocolate Chip Cake
Coconut Frosted Banana Cupcakes
Coconut Layer Cake

Dark Goddess Cake

Flourless Banana Snacking Cake
Flourless Chocolate Cake

Lemon Almond Yogurt Cake
Mexican Chocolate Cake
Maple Frosted Pumpkin Cake

Orange Creme Cupcakes

Peach Cake- vegan
Peach Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping
Peanut Butter Banana Cake

Pumpkin Chai Bread
Pumpkin Cheesecake 
Pumpkin Crumb Cake
Pumpkin Raisin Cake
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

Quinoa Breakfast Cake

Rustic Strawberry Cobbler Cake

Sour Cream Apple Cake

Vanilla Cupcakes with Mocha Icing
Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake

Karina's rich and decadent truffle cake.

Karina's Gluten-Free Cake Baking Tips:

New to baking gluten-free cakes and cupcakes? See my post Gluten-Free Cooking + Baking Tips for what to expect and how to problem solve.

Gluten-free vegan batter (without dairy and eggs) behaves differently than wheat batter. It is generally stickier, and thicker than standard batter.

Eggs are a boon to gluten-free baking. They add lift, moisture and lightness to heavy gluten-free flours.  If fat is a concern, use whisked egg whites instead of whole eggs, and an extra egg white.

Bake in the center of a pre-heated oven. If your cakes sink in the center you may be adding too much liquid to the batter, not baking it long enough, or your oven temperature may run a tad cool. Conversely, if the cake rises high and fast, then collapses, your oven may run hot.

For essential tips on baking gluten-free and dairy-free without eggs see my Vegan Baking Cheat Sheet, with trouble shooting strategies for baking success.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Brownie Bites

Tasty little vegan chocolate brownie bites.

The idea for blueberry brownies came to me in the middle of shampooing my hair. I was thinking about a chocolate bar I'd seen the day before (what, you don't think about chocolate in the shower?). It was a slim dark chocolate confection with dried blueberries. I'm a fruit and chocolate combo fan, you see. I love berries and chocolate. Orange and chocolate. Pineapple and chocolate. Actually, is there anything that doesn't taste better with some chocolate on it?

Such are my ponderous meanderings.

I'm still waiting for my Babycakes cookbook to arrive (I pre-ordered it from Amazon) along with pastry bags and icing tips. Ever since my unexpected success developing my first gluten-free and vegan Orange Creme Cupcakes I've been dreaming up cupcake flavors and imagining sweet little gems galore. Although I was less than thrilled to learn that Babycakes bakery uses bean flours (yuck), soy milk powder (um, why?) and spelt (spelt is not gluten-free) in their recipes, I'm still stoked to get the book, hoping it will at least inspire my own gluten-free vegan beauties.

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Frosted Orange Creme Cupcakes - Vegan and Gluten-Free

Gluten-free vegan orange creme cupcakes.

On my To-Do List for nearly forever has been creating a gluten-free vegan recipe for my favorite birthday treat- a fresh and fragrant orange cake with orange creme frosting. Since it isn't my birthday until June (and it's just the two of us living out here in our little casita in the coyote run hills) I decided to experiment with making cupcakes instead of a layer cake. Orange cupcakes just sounded fun for spring. Sunny and sweet. And I needed cheering up. I've been a bit blue since the house sale fell through.

The craving for cupcakes started with my Twitter pal Caroline aka @ChefCaroline (she's started a fun new blog The Wright Recipes this spring). I'll give her the credit. She mentioned she was baking vegan cupcakes this week- Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes, to be exact- and invited me to join her. And who am I to say no to an offer involving cupcakes? So stop by Caroline's and say, Hola.

I had such a good time in the kitchen this week making these sweet little gems. In fact, I'll be working on more recipes for vegan cupcakes in the near future, including basic vanilla cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes, carrot, perhaps, and a few other tasty flavor combos.

Now that I know how easy it is to bake delicious gluten-free vegan cupcakes, the sky's the limit.

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Gluten-Free Blueberry Cake Cupcakes

Love blueberry cake? Here's my cupcake version.

Just in time for July Fourth, here's a sweet little recipe for blueberry cake cupcakes. I know that's redundant- calling it a blueberry cake cupcake. I mean, how can a blueberry cake be a cupcake too? It's either cake or cupcake. It can't be both.

Or can it?

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Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes

The best gluten-free dessert recipes at Gluten-Free Goddess®.

Looking for fabulous gluten-free dessert recipes for your celiac sweet tooth? Here is my collection of truly tasty gluten-free treats- from buckwheat chocolate chip cookies to dairy-free pumpkin pie, from rich dark chocolate brownies and cupcakes (with mocha frosting!) to easy fruit crisps and elegant coconut layer cake. All my dessert recipes are wheat and gluten-free, and many are egg-free and dairy-free, as well.

Make today delicious.  xox Karina

Gluten-free chocolate cookies with chocolate chips.

Gluten-Free Goddess® Desserts

cookies

Almost Sausalito Cookie Squares
Banana Cookies
Breakfast Cookies
Brown Sugar Buckwheat Thumbprint Cookies 
Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Biscotti
Chocolate Chip Cookies- new!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares
Chocolate Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Coffee Biscuits with Chocolate Chips

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gingersnaps and Star Cookies
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Peanut Butter Quinoa Cookies
Pumpkin Pecan Cookies

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies
Quinoa Pumpkin Cookies

Raspberry Coconut-Almond Cookie Bars
Rice Crispy Treats

Sunbutter Cookies
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Flourless chocolate cake

cake + cupcakes

Apple Cake with Cranberries
Applesauce Crumb Cake with Cinnamon

Banana Bundt Cake
Banana-Blueberry Muffin Cake
Banana Snacking Cake
Blueberry Babycakes
Blueberry Cobbler

Cherry Clafoutis
Chocolate Banana Cake (scroll down the page)
Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Icing
Chocolate Truffle Cake

Coconut Apple Cake
Coconut Carrot Cake
Coconut Chocolate Chip Cake
Coconut Frosted Banana Cupcakes
Coconut Layer Cake

Dark Goddess Cake

Flourless Banana Snacking Cake
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Frosted Banana Spice Cake

Lemon Almond Yogurt Cake
Mexican Chocolate Cake
Maple Frosted Pumpkin Cake
Orange Creme Cupcakes

Peach Cake
Peanut Butter Banana Cake
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Chai Bread
Pumpkin Raisin Cake

Quinoa Breakfast Cake
Rustic Strawberry Cobbler Cake

Sour Cream Apple Cake
Sweet Banana Polenta Cake

Vanilla Cupcakes with Mocha Icing
Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake

Raspberry coconut-almond bars.

brownies + bars

Blondie Style Quinoa Bars with Dark Chocolate Chips
Blueberry Brownie Bites
Breakfast Brownies
Brown Sugar + Spice Pumpkin Bars

Cappuccino Brownies
Chocolate Brownies
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Brownies
Chocolate Quinoa Brownies
Coconut Chocolate Nirvana Bars

Dark Chocolate Brownies
Decadent Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

Maui Wowee Bars
Raspberry Coconut-Almond Bars

Vanilla Brownies
Vegan Coconut Bars

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

pie, fruit crisps, cobblers + crumbles

Apple and Pear Crisp

Balsamic Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Blueberry Crisp
Blueberry Crumble-Crisp 

Cherry Almond Crisp
Cranberry Crumble

Peach Cobbler
Peach Crisp
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie with Praline and Coconut-Pecan Crust

Strawberry-Blueberry Cobbler
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble with Quinoa Flakes- new
Sweet Potato Pie

fruit

Blueberry Crumble-Crisp
Cherry Clafoutis
Pie Crust Recipes
Strawberries Citronge

smoothies, sorbet + ice cream

Chocolate Sorbet
Dairy-free Banana Ice Scream- with lime


Mexican Hot Fudge Sundae
Nectarine Ice cream- Dairy-free with Coconut Milk

Peach Ice Cream- vegan

Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Shavings- vegan

Pomegranate Smoothie

Strawberry Hemp Smoothalicious

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Sherbet

Triple Berry Parfaits with Homemade Coconut Milk Ice Cream