Gluten Free Dairy Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with "Cream Cheese" Frosting

OK, so after some trial and error, I finally was able to convert my favorite pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting recipe to a point that I'm happy to share it!  I have no idea the source of my original recipe, I got it from a company event with Ehow when I was writing a lot of articles with them back in the day and they brought some of the writers out to California and when we went to San Fransisco we went to a fun cooking place and happened to make these cupcakes as part of the event.  They were so delicious!!! I had a printed out copy on paper but no source on it.  I made them once more When I got home and soon after that we went Gluten Free and Dairy Free.  I had tried making these a couple times since but I didn't know how to replace the cream cheese so that was a bummer and whenever I made them gluten free they turned out very flat dense and overly oily and moist.  I tweaked little things here and there and my family always liked them but they still weren't right....til now!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with "Cream Cheese" Frosting

Gluten and Dairy Free!

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup oil *

1 can pumpkin purée (14.5 oz)

6 eggs

2 cups gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum**

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 TBSP baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 pumpkin spice

1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350

Prepare 24 regular size or do some regular size and some mini cupcake size.  I often don't have cupcake liners on hand and forget to buy them so I just quickly grease the muffin tins and don't have any problem getting them out.

Mix the sugar, oil, pumpkin purée and eggs and whip it well.  I find my gluten free baked hoods cone out much fluffier if I best the eggs really good.  

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl and then slowly add to the wet ingredients on low speed.  Turn the mixer up a to medium until it is all combined.

Divide into prepared muffin tins.  For regular size cupcakes bake from 15-20 minutes til golden on top and a toothpick cones out ckean.  For the mini cupcakes it is around 12-15 minutes.  

Meanwhile, prepare the dairy free cream cheese frosting 

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup earth balance butter alternative or shortening

8 oz of cream cheese alternative such as Tofutti or Go Veggie Cream Cheese Alternative

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Pinch of sea salt 

Beat the butter alternative and cream cheese alternative until well blended.  Add the vanilla and salt. Add the powdered sugar.  You could pipe it on the cupcakes but I just spread a thin layer on the tops of the cupcakes, they don't need a lot.  I actually cut the recipe in half because we don't need this much and we leave a few without frosting too.

*i use coconut, avocado or peanut oil in baking

**I make a blend of rice flour, tapioca flour and rice starch that has xanthan gum already in the mix.  (Silvania Nardone's blend) but King Arthur is another good gf flour mix.  If you have a mix without the xanthan gum in it just add 2 tsp.