PUMPKIN SPICE VEGAN MONSTER CUPCAKES

INGREDIENTS:

- 3/4 cup oat milk

- 3/4 cup vegan butter

- 1 1/2 cups + 4 tbsp self-raising flour

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1 1/4 cup caster sugar

- 2 vegan eggs (I use Orgran egg replacement or Free & Easy egg replacement)

- 1 cup pumpkin puree

- 3 tsp cinnamon

- 2 tsp nutmeg

- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

For the purple buttercream: 

- 1/2 cup vegan butter

- 2 cups icing sugar

- 1 tbsp vegan milk/cream

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 tbsp Acai Berry Powder

- edible eyes

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake cases.

2. In a small saucepan on low heat, combine the oat milk and vegan butter. Mix together and allow the butter to melt completely before removing from the heat and setting aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, sieve the flour. Add the baking powder and caster sugar. Stir to combine. Throw in the vegan eggs and mix again.

4. Add the vegan butter and milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix everything together until the mixture is smooth and completely combined. 

5. Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon and nutmeg to the mixture and stir again until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

6. Scoop the mixture out into each of the cases, filling up 3/4 of the case. This should fill all 12 cases evenly. 

7.  Place the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. 

8. Remove the cupcakes from the oven. You can check that they are done by poking a skewer or toothpick through the middle of one of the cupcakes and if it comes out clean, they are done. If not, place them back in the oven for a further few minutes. 

9. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before icing.

10. You can make the icing by creaming the vegan butter in a stand mixer for around 2 minutes until light and fluffy (alternatively, use a hand whisk, but this may take longer). Add the icing sugar, vegan cream and vanilla extract. Keep mixing everything together until it forms a light and creamy consistency. Gradually add the purple food colouring until it reaches your desired shade of purple. 

11. Add the icing to a piping bag and ice each cupcake from the outside in. Finally, top with some edible eyes in random places to create a monster style cupcake!