Pumpkin Spice Tea Cakes {vegan/gluten-free}

Get these cookies away from me. I have eaten so many of these that I'm not sure when I'll be able to make them again. That being said, they are delicious. They aren't quite a cookie, so I've started calling them "tea cakes" which I'm not sure is an appropriate name, but hey, I'll run with it. As the name "tea cakes" implies, they are very cakey and soft, instead of crisp or chewy like most cookies. The flavor is akin to a good pumpkin bread and, dare I be this cheesey?; harkens the fall. That's right, it's officially fall. Now go make some tea cakes.

{Vegan/Gluten-free}

PUMPKIN SPICE TEA CAKES

2 1/2 c. gluten-free baking blend (I used a mixture of tapioca starch, potato starch, sorghum flour, white rice flour, oat flour, and garfava flour).

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. all spice

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

A pinch of salt

1/2 c. Earth Balance, melted

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/4 c. canned pumpkin

1 tbsp Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 2 Tbsp water

1 tsp Vanilla extract

FROSTING

1/4 c. Earth Balance, Softened

1/4 C. Tofutti Cream Cheese, softened

2 c. confectioners sugar, sifted

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients

In a large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.

Add the dry mixture to the wet, being careful not to overmix.

Drop scoops of dough on prepared baking sheets using a rounded scoop. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned. Cool completely.

Beat together Earth Balance and Tofutti cream cheese until combined. Add the sifted confectioner's sugar slowly until smooth. Frost tops of cooled cookies and sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

Gluten-Free Carrot Cupcakes!

You may recall a gluten-free carrot cake post on my site from last year. Well, it's easter-time again and my sister had been asking for some carrot cake, and I figured any good sister would honor that request. I also hosted a going away party, and since people have something against cutting cake and eating slices of it, I turned my carrot cake into carrot cupcakes to satisfy the masses. The recipe is similar to last year, however, this recipe uses two packages of carrot baby food instead of applesauce and a bit more oil instead of the mayo. I also switched to unsweetened organic coconut flakes (found at whole foods) which I like much better in this recipe than the larger sweetened kind I used last year. I have to say, I like this recipe even more than last year's cake! The cupcakes were very moist - I'm pretty sure no one would have guessed they were gluten-free.

GLUTEN-FREE CARROT CUPCAKES

2-1/2 c. gluten-free flour blend (tapioca starch, potato starch, arrowroot starch, sorghum, garfava flour, sweet white rice flour, oat flour)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ginger

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. light brown sugar

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 c. (2 plastic containers) of pureed carrot baby food

1 c. crushed pineapple, drained

3/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut (I actually used a "low fat" coconut, found at whole foods)

1/2. c. (or a little more) golden raisins

3 c. finel grated carrots (I grated them in a food processor and it was extremely efficient)

FROSTING:

1 pkg. (80z.) neufchatel cheese

1/2 c. (1 stick) softened butter

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 c. powdered sugar

TOPPING:

Walnut pieces

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine flours, xanthan gum, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl, and stir with a whisk. Combine sugars, vanilla, vegetable oil and carrot puree/baby food in the bowl of an electric mixer, blending well. Add slightly beaten eggs to mixer bowl. Stir in carrots, pineapple, coconut, and raisins. Pour into prepared cupcake pans. Tap pans on counter to level and remove air bubbles. Bake 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and frost when completely cooled. Sprinkle top of cupcakes with walnut pieces, if desired.

FROSTING:

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or with an electric hand mixer), combine cream cheese and butter. Add vanilla and blend. Slowly add powdered sugar to taste.

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

Around springtime, there is no more appropriate dessert than that sweet and spicy combination of pastry and vegetable known as carrot cake. Unfortunately, carrot cake has two fatal flaws. Masquerading as a healthy alternative to most decadent treats, carrot cake is actually one of the worst choices one could make. So not only does the high oil content that makes it so moist boost the calorie content (not to mention the cream cheese frosting), but, it also contains flour. So my goals? Make an amazingly tasty carrot cake that is lower in calories and fat (let's keep in mind we are still eating cake, so it's not like it should be completely void of calories), AND gluten-free. The ingredient list is quite daunting, but the payoff is huge. One bite of this delicious cake and you might just believe this is the best carrot cake you've ever tried.

GLUTEN-FREE CARROT CAKE

2-1/2 c. gluten-free flour blend (tapioca, potato starch, arrowroot, sorghum, garfava, white rice flour)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ginger

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. light brown sugar

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

2 tsp. vanilla

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. non-fat greek yogurt (such as fage or okios)

1/4 c. low-fat mayonnaise

1/2 c. natural applesauce

1 c. crushed and drained pineapple

3/4 c. shredded coconut

1/2 c. golden raisins

3 c. finely grated carrots

FROSTING:

1 pkg. neufchatel cheese

1 pkg. fat-free cream cheese

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened (you may use less according to your personal tastes)

powdered sugar to taste (approximately 3/4  to 1 c. or more)

TOPPING: 

1/2 c. crushed walnut pieces

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper fitted to the bottom and spray with oil. Combine flours, xanthan gum, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl and stir with a whisk. Combine sugars, vanilla, vegetable oil, yogurt, mayonnaise, and applesauce in bowl of electric mixer, blending well. Add slightly beaten eggs, blending until well combined. Stir in carrots, pineapple, coconut and raisins. Divide equally between two prepared cake pans. Tap pans on counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake 30-40 minutes. Cool on wire rack and frost when completely cooled. sprinkle top of cake with walnut pieces.

FROSTING:

Blend cheeses and butter with electric mixer until whipped and creamy. Add vanilla and blend. Add powdered sugar, tasting to ensure it's slightly sweet, but not overwhelming.

ENJOY!