Gluten Free Squash Cupcakes

Derek and I had lunch last week with a friend of ours who has a gluten allergy, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try my first gluten-free recipe! These were actually quite good, but they are absolutely not made healthier! 

And that picture is just the frosting ingredients!

These are squash cupcakes for a very simple reason: I thought I grabbed pumpkin. Often times I'll replace eggs and oil with pumpkin in recipes, which was my intention with these, but I realized when I got home from the store that I had grabbed squash instead of pumpkin. The mix up really didn't make much of a difference, and they still tasted great and were soooo moist :) 

The spices in this recipe make a huge difference because, in my opinion, the gluten free flour has a strange taste when used as is. This can easily be overpowered by adding interesting flavors and spices.

The frosting tasted great, but when I make these again, I may nix the buttermilk- it added a cream-cheesey taste, but it made the texture too soupy. Play with it- I am going to. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 22 oz bag gluten free cake mix

1 cup canned squash

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

Spices! I recommend a heaping tablespoonful of cinnamon and dashes of ginger, nutmeg, and allspice

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups butter softened (not melted)

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbs vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup powdered sugar

A note on the frosting: These amounts are good for starting, but as you mix the frosting, you should taste it and adjust the ingredients to your taste and consistency preference. You may need to add more sugar or buttermilk depending on how it turns out.

Cake Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease or line 12 cupcake tins.

Mix squash and cake mix. Add oil, water, and spices. Mix until completely combined. Fill cupcake tins with the entire mixture. Cook in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes.

Frosting Directions:

In a stand mixer or with an electric mixture, cream butter and brown sugar. Add vanilla and buttermilk. Gradually add powdered sugar as needed for consistency and taste. Store frosting in refrigerator until you are ready to frost the cupcakes.

When the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with frosting. My frosting was just a bit too soupy to frost directly on top, so I cut a well in the top of the cupcake and filled it with frosting. Then I place the piece I had cut out on top- it made for a cute look.