Holiday Cupcake Recipes

I absolutely LOVE to bake, but cupcakes, cookies and cakes don't typically fit into my attempt at a  'clean eating' diet. Thank goodness for cheating during the holidays! :-)

For Thanksgiving this year, I made two different types of cupcakes; Squash with Maple Buttercream and Andes Mint Cupcakes (Chocolate Peppermint with Peppermint Buttercream). Oh man, they were fantastic! Unfortunately, I made too many and I currently have a few tempting me in our fridge. Here are the recipes for each, enjoy!

Squash Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Buttercream

Squash Cupcakes:

1 ½ cups acorn and butternut squash (roasted, peeled, mashed) – you can also use canned 100% pumpkin, just avoid pumpkin pie filling

2 eggs (you can substitute 1 cup mashed banana for vegan cupcakes)

½ cup pure vegetable oil canola

¼ cup applesauce (add a little bit more if the batter looks a little thick)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups gluten-free flour

½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder

dash of cayenne pepper

Maple Cream Cheese Buttercream:

1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature

3 Tbsp. real maple syrup

1 lb. powdered sugar (or more/less to achieve desired consistency – added 1 cup at a time)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix  flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, chili, and cayenne in stand mixer. In separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (squash, eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla). Mix well until there are no lumps. Pour squash mixture into the flour mixture and combine, but don't over mix. Fill a lined muffin tin ¾ full. Bake for 35 minutes. Let cool to room temperature prior to frosting.

Using an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese, butter, and maple syrup until smooth and well-combined. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, mixing well until it’s all incorporated. Use a pastry bag to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.

Andes Mint Cupcakes (Chocolate Peppermint with Peppermint Buttercream)

Recipe from http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2011/05/andes-mint-cupcakes.html

Chocolate Cake

1 cup sour cream

½ cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

¼ cup water

½ cup buttermilk

Devil’s Food Cake Mix

Chocolate Mint Filling:

1/3 cup chocolate chips

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

¼ cup powdered sugar

Mint Buttercream:

8 oz cream cheese

6 tablespoons butter

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a whisk, mix sour cream, oil and vanilla extract together. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well in between each addition. Alternate adding the cake mix and liquids (buttermilk and water), starting and ending with the cake mix. Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 14-18 minutes, or until and inserted knife come out clean.

Chocolate Mint Filling: Melt chocolate chips and heavy cream together in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat. Stir in peppermint extract and powdered sugar. When cupcake come out of the oven, use a squeeze bottle to fill the cupcake with the filling, or use the filling as a ganache and dip the tops of the cakes into it.

Mint Buttercream: Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream and peppermint extract and beat well. Add green food coloring and stir well. Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes and top with extra Chocolate Mint Filling and an Andes Mint.