Vegan Pumpkin Caramel Filled Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

I know it’s January and pumpkin desserts were so last fall, but I think I get a pass because these vegan caramel filled pumpkin cupcakes are so good they’re really the best dessert for any season. The cake stays light and moist from the pumpkin, while this amazing, thick dark chocolate ganache adds a little decadence that we’re all craving this time of year. The best part of these vegan cupcakes is definitely the salted caramel filling. You get a delicious gooey surprise when you bite into one! Don’t let the long ingredient list scare you, these cupcakes aren’t a super simple recipe, but none of the steps are particularly difficult— they’re actually a lot of fun to make!

The best vegan chocolate ganache

The one in this recipe is my all time favorite chocolate ganache. It’s just so thick and smooth and creamy. If there’s any extra I definitely recommend saving because this stuff is pure gold. I modified the recipe from Minimalist Baker, the only changes being the addition of dark cocoa powder for some extra richness and a few tweaks to the method. She recommends refrigerating the frosting before adding the powdered sugar for 1-2 hours, but I’ve found that 20 minutes in the freezer works just fine. Because this ganache recipe calls for semisweet chocolate, which is solid at room temperature, there’s no need to refrigerate it before frosting the cupcakes. I’ve found that it actually becomes too hard and difficult to work with after refrigeration.

Since this recipe has a lot of steps, I recommend doing it in this order:

1. Make the cupcakes
2. While the cupcakes cool, make the caramel
3. Make the ganache right before you’re ready to fill/frost
4. Fill and frost the cupcakes

How to fill the vegan caramel filled cupcakes

This is my favorite part of the whole process. You got all your ingredients ready, the cupcakes and caramel have cooled, now you just need to fill them! I don’t have a cupcake corer, so I like to use a small pairing knife instead. For each cupcake, just cut in a circle at a slight angle and remove the cone from the center. To make more room for the caramel, you can use your finger to gently widen the sides, shaping the cavity into more of a cylinder shape. Trim off about 1 inch from the part you removed so it’s easier to put back into place. Drop a couple tablespoons of caramel into the hole, press the tops back into place and you’re done!

 

How to store the cupcakes

After they’ve been filled and frosted, the easiest way to store these is in an air tight container in the refrigerator. You may want to let them come to room temperature before eating so the frosting and caramel can soften. In the fridge, they’ll keep for around 5 days or so. Without the filling and frosting, the pumpkin cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container the freeze for up to three months. Just make sure you let them cool completely before freezing.

Want more cupcakes? Try these:

• Vegan banana Sunbutter cupcakes w/ chocolate ganache
• Vegan cookie dough cupcakes
• Vegan chocolate chip pumpkin muffins (not technically cupcakes but still good)

Made this recipe? Tag @wandering_chickpea on Instagram!