Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cake With Cinnamon Marshmallow Frosting

As my friend Chris said: my cupcake is wearing a "jaunty beret" of frosting

*UPDATED NOVEMBER 2018*

This is less of a recipe for more like semi-barely-not-really-homemade-but-I-did-use-my-mixer-and-bake-it homemade and all delicious.  I’ve always been severely allergic to tree nuts and seafood (and OAS to some fruits and veg) but since becoming intolerant to wheat, dairy and soy ten years ago, my baking from scratch has been curtailed. 

*Here a link to an explanation from AAAAI.org about the difference between allergy and intolerance.* 

Food allergy friendly mixes have saved the day and I have a few favorite go-tos, like Namaste Foods. 

CAKE: For this cupcake, I use the Namaste Foods Spice Cake mix and make the pumpkin variation on the box, basically adding 1 cup of pureed pumpkin. Namaste is a lovely company that built their own facility in 2011 that is free from: "wheat, gluten, corn, soy, potato, dairy, casein, peanuts and tree nuts, are carefully manufactured in a dedicated allergen free facility and Kosher certified."

So yum!

FROSTING: And this is simply my new go-to frosting recipe. It's nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free and oh-my-goodness so good.

***

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Dairy-Free
12-16 cupcakes

2.5 cups of dry Namaste Food Spice Cake Mix (or 13-ounces of dry mix)
2 organic eggs, size large
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup Lucini olive oil
1 cup Libby's pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Whisk together the water, oil and eggs until incorporated. Add the pumpkin until all is combined. Add the dry mix and mix until combined. Pour into cupcake tin, don't overfill, and spread out until even.  Bake in oven between 18-20 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool, frost, and enjoy!

Marshmallow Frosting

By Lori Karavolis and further adapted by me




1 cup Domino’s confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup Spectrum organic palm shortening
 (or sweet butter)
1 cup Durkee’s marshmallow fluff

1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey vanilla extract

2 Tablespoon hot water
 (if needed)
Pinch of kosher salt 


Mix well. If the frosting is too tight, you can add the hot water but you may not need.) Try not to spoon directly into your mouth.

***

The reviews of this cupcake: 
“Do you have more?”
“You could sell these.”
"The frosting. The pumpkin cake. The frosting. YUM!!!!! So amazing!"

My uncle loved them so much that he created a thank you card featuring me and my mother atop the cupcake!