Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Whipped Cream

And continuing with the pumpkin, fall, Halloween themed posts…Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Whipped Cream!

Now I know I questioned whether or not my Pumpkin Toffee Banana Muffins were really muffins, or whether they were cupcakes. Well, these are definitely cupcakes!

Pumpkin cupcakes, to be exact, with a maple cream cheese center and topped with a fluffy maple whipped cream. Uh, maple? Yes! Uh, pumpkin? Yes! Uh, cinnamon spice and everything nice? Heck yes!

Go ahead and throw out the pumpkin pie recipes that you were planning on making for every holiday get together from now until New Year’s and replace them with this single most delicious pumpkin cupcake you will ever eat.

Here, let me just explain it one more time…in case you didn’t get it the first time.

First…a soft, tender, moist pumpkin cupcake perfectly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Okay, got that? Alright.

Next…a maple cream cheese filling that tastes basically like a bite of maple cheesecake is hiding right inside the center waiting to shock the taste buds right out of your mouth…in a good way, you know. Still with me? Excellent.

Lastly…we top these suckers with a freshly whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup. Yes, maple syrup! The deliciously sweet imitation kind that I am embarrassed to say I like better than the pure stuff. But whatever, use what you want. Either way, this whipped cream is ridiculous!

So there you go. That’s the rundown. And if you are not already making your shopping list for the ingredients you will need, get on it! The holidays won’t last forever.

What holiday desserts do you plan on serving?

Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Whipped Cream

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Brielle

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• For Cupcakes:
• 4 eggs
• 1⅔ cup sugar
• 1 cup melted coconut oil, cooled
• 15 oz. can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 cups King Arthur brand gluten free multi-purpose baking flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum*
• For Cream Cheese Filling:
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• For Maple Whipped Cream:
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• ⅓ to ½ cup maple syrup, depending on taste
• orange food coloring (or mixture of red and yellow)

Directions

1. Prepare cream cheese filling by mixing softened cream cheese with maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir until smooth. Cover and let chill in fridge for 30 minutes.
2. To make cupcakes, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine eggs, sugar, coconut oil, and canned pumpkin. Beat on medium speed until pale and smooth, scraping down sides of bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Beat for 2 minutes more on medium speed, scraping down sides of bowl.
4. Fill cupcake liners ¼ way full with batter. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, drop walnut sized scoops of chilled cream cheese filling into each cupcake. Add more batter on top of filling to fill cupcakes ⅔ way full. Smooth batter with finger or back of spoon to completely cover filling, if needed.
5. Bake in 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes or until tops of cupcakes bounce back at touch of finger. Immediately remove cupcakes from tin, without burning fingers, and allow to cool completely on cooling racks.
6. Once cupcakes are cooled, begin making whipped cream. Add cold whipping cream and ⅓ cup maple syrup** in a large bowl. Add food coloring, if desired, and stir mixture to see color. Add more food coloring for brighter cream.*** Beat on high until soft peaks form and cream is sturdy enough to be piped, the thickness of Cool Whip.
7. Fill piping bag with whipped cream and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with desired garnish and serve immediately. Store extra cupcakes in airtight container in the fridge, but allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Notes

*If using a different gluten free flour blend, only add this if your flour blend does not include xanthan gum.
**Dip finger in mixture halfway through beating to determine whether you want to add more maple syrup. Add more syrup, if needed, and continue beating.
***I used red and yellow food coloring with a ratio of 1 drop of red to 8 drops of yellow.

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