Vegan Low Sugar Pumpkin Cupcakes and Slightly Sweet Cream Cheese Frosting

Hello all my lovely darling chefs!,

My favorite recipe in a while is Pumpkin cupcakes so I decided to change the original recipe by removing the eggs and adding a sugar substitute to lower the calories and carbs.

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I also changed the Cream Cheese frosting to a lower fat, almost sugar-free recipe

Here are the ingredients for the cake:

This makes 5 standard cupcakes,  Prep time: 25 minutes (not including baking/cooling)

2.5 TB Sugar Leaf (sugar substitute I bought at Whole Foods)
1/3 cup organic Canola Oil or Applesauce (for even lower fat version)
1/2 cup and 1TB organic canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup and 1TB Organic All Purpose Flour

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2.  First combine the sugar and oil and mix for 30 seconds

3.  Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract and mix about a minute until combined

4.  Add dry ingredients, Mix until combined about 30 seconds, Make sure to scrape down sides.  Mix again.

5.  Take an ice cream scoop, medium sized and fill it about 3/4 full and fill muffin cups

6.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 18 minutes, turning once halfway through.  Definitely check cupcakes with toothpick periodically as different ovens will cook at different times.

TADA!  They were so good that I ate one warm right out of the oven, Yummy!

Cream Cheese Frosting

Just want to mention, that I decided I will make a better version of this cream cheese frosting using a different type of sugar.  I was not satisfied with the Sugar Leaf for the frosting.  I think I would like to try Coconut sugar or whey low next time as my substitute.

Ices about 5 cupcakes

Ingredients:

8 oz Neufchatel Cheese
4 TB margarine
1/16 cup light coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 TB sugar leaf
1TB brown sugar
Pumpkin spice to taste

Steps:

1.Cream margarine and cheese together

2. Add sugars and cream again

3. Scrape down sides and remix.  Mix until smooth and creamy ( Check by spatula scraping bottom of bowl as shown below)

4.  Add pumpkin spice to taste and ice cupcakes with spatula.

Nutritional Info:

Pumpkin Cupcake (without frosting) (all oil) 185 calories

Pumpkin Cupcake (without frosting) (half applesauce/half oil)-131 calories
fat    protein    vitamin A    carb      fiber    sugars   calcium   Vit C    Iron
7.88g    1.2g    76.40%        15.3g    1.2g    2.8g    0.60%    17.00%    2.00%

Cream Cheese Frosting: about 79 calories (if frost 12 cupcakes), depends how much you decide to put on.  It can frost anywhere from 8-12 cupcakes; 6.66g Fat, 1.88g protein, 4.66% Vit A, 2.75g carbs ,1.33g sugar



Look forward to baking with you again!