These pumpkin cupcakes are a great way to use up pumpkin flesh. You can even use the stringy guts from the inside of a carving pumpkin! I've topped them with a ghoulish green avocado frosting.
Pumpkin Cupcakes
These cupcakes make use of the stringy pumpkin 'guts' or pulp left over from carving the Halloween pumpkin. I'm nearly as obsessed by reducing food waste as I am with creating vegetable cakes.
I write a monthly column about using up food, called Taste Not Waste, for Vegetarian Living magazine, and I'm always looking at ways to reduce the amount of food that hits my compost bin.
So, I just had to do something with all of the stringy, gooey innards of our Halloween pumpkin.
The kids had a great time picking out the seeds (to roast later) before I pureed the raw pulp for this recipe.
I had a slightly less enjoyable time picking rogue pumpkin guts off of the floor, out of their hair and from their jumpers. Nothing to do with the pureeing - everything to do with my very excitable kids.
Lightly spiced, these pumpkin cakes are topped with a ghoulishly green avocado icing - a slightly healthier take on buttercream.
Pumpkin Guts
You can make your own pumpkin puree by scraping out the flesh and stringy insides of the pumpkin. Then simply puree with a hand blender!
Of course you don't want to use an old carved pumpkin, but when you're carving it, you can make puree!
I use a spoon to scrape lots of the flesh, then pull out the stringy bits. Be sure to save the seeds to roast in the oven for a tasty snack.
Try some of my other pumpkin recipes:
PSL - Pumpkin Spice Latte with Pumpkin Seed Milk (vegan)
Winter-spiced Pumpkin Cocktail
Pumpkin and Spice Dark Chocolate Bark
Get the Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you!
Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #veggiedesserts. I love seeing your recreations of my vegetarian and vegan recipes and cakes.
Thanks for checking out my recipe! I love hearing from my readers. You all allow me to do what I love and write this UK food blog, sharing vegetarian and vegan recipes, vegetable cake recipes, vegan cake and also easy vegan desserts.
Kate x
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📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Avocado Buttercream Icing
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- ½ cup (150g) pumpkin puree (store bought or remove the seeds and puree the stringy innards of a pumpkin)
- 2 ¾ cups (350g) plain flour (all purpose)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ⅓ cup ⅓ cup (80g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (100ml) milk
For the icing
- 1 avocado
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 cups (250g) powdered icing sugar
Instructions
For the cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 170C/325F. Line a muffin tray with baking cases.
- Puree either cooked pumpkin, the raw insides of a carving pumpkin (remove seeds) or use tinned pumpkin puree. Set aside.
- Stir together the flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda, salt and spices.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time and them beat in the pumpkin and vanilla.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk into the wet mixture, in thirds.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin cases ¾ full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
For the icing
- Puree the avocado flesh with a hand held blender until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Sift the icing sugar, a bit at a time and blend until thick. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Stuart Vettese
LOVE the idea of avocado buttercream Kate - you really are a veggie genius! Thanks for taking part in Treat Petite x
Kat
What a brilliant way of using up pumpkin 'guts'! Thanks for entering into Treat Petite!
kneadwhine
I am really intrigued by this recipe - avocado is one of my favourites and I'm so curious to give this a try.
Thanks for linking my recipe.
Helen
I'm looking for Halloween recipes idea. Thanks for sharing, I will make this for my son.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
Brilliant idea, I never know what to do with all the pulp once I've picked out the seeds. Great to know you can harness its nutrients in such a yummy way 🙂
Sophie (@S_LovesFood)
Love the idea of using avocado in the buttercream. Sounds great. Thanks for linking my recipe 🙂
choclette
Ah just brilliant Kate. I hate throwing any food away and always try and make the most out of veg. Great ghoulish buttercream 😉
Fuss Free Helen
A great use of the pumpkin guts! Thanks for linking up to #creditcrunchmunch
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
What a great way to use up the insides of the pumpkin. I just love avocado buttercream too.
Elizabeth
What a fantastic idea! Love the sound of that avocado frosting too.
Camilla
Love these ghoulish cakes, a great way to cut down on food waste too! Thanks for entering #CreditCrunchMunch with them;-)
Kavey
These look adorable and I've already crossed the mental barrier of avocado in sweet things when I made avocado ice cream a few years ago!
Michaela ~ An Affair from the Heart
Love baking with pumpkin!
Kate Hackworthy
So do it. So versatile and tasty!
Vohn McGuinness
I love the sound of that buttercream! Avocados are so amazing! x
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks, Lou! Have a lovely weekend yourself. x
Lou
Usually, not thinking about it, I throw away pumpkin guts.
But let's face it there's a lot and why not use it?
Thank you very mch for this recipe, as always...you are amazing!
Have a lovely weekend 🙂
Lou