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gluten-free almond cakes with a delicate honey merengue buttercream | a recipe from frannycakes

Gluten-Free Almond Cupcakes with Honey Merengue Buttercream and Apricot filling

gluten-free almond cupcake with honey merengue buttercream | a gluten-free cupcake recipe from frannycakes.com

I really just want to share these gluten-free cupcakes with you.

It’s no secret that I think cupcakes have magic healing powers. Or that they are a divine sort of therapy. This particular recipe is no exception. Actually, it might just be the cupcake that proves the rule.

This summer hasn’t been quite what I had planned for myself. There haven’t been neighborhood festivals every week or long walks on the lakefront discussing the meaning of life, the universe and everything. (Ok, fine knowing the answer to all of that is 42 defeats the point of the discussions, but I digress). It was supposed to be filled with trips to friends in not too far away places and movies in the park. I was supposed to be making new friends and cherishing the time I had left with some of the old ones before they moved away.

But then I had a flare. And life went back to being one foot in front of the other. It went back to being a routine with very little time for anything but working and surviving.

I was a little lost.

But these cupcakes. These delicious, sweet things. They kept coming to me. When I could do nothing more than lay still and hope there wasn’t a breeze, I would imagine the tart apricot filling bursting from the cake. I could feel the honey buttercream melting on my tongue. The scent of the almond cake invaded my dreams.

I owe these little cakes a lot. Not only did they give me a treat to focus on while I waited for a new wave of treatments, they gave me a way to make an impression on some new friends. Such an impression that I might have found a suitable stand-in for Helen when she leaves me for that silly PhD she wants to earn. They might have won me the hearts (and stomachs) of a few good people.

seriously delicious gluten-free almond cupcakes with honey merengue buttercream and apricot filling

I hope I have set your hopes quite high for these cupcakes. Because they really ought to be. You see, they are almost perfect – delicate flavors that build on each other. Surprise centers. A classic combination in a form that looks like it could be any old cupcake. And then you eat it. You get a taste of what got me through a rough patch. You get to take a giant bite of friendship with a heart-filled center.

That, my friends, is what this is all about.

making gluten-free almond cupcakes with honey merengue buttercream | a gluten-free recipe from frannycakes.com

 

(A small confession: I might have raided MammaCakes’ pantry for some of her home-made apricot preserves. If you know MammaCakes, I highly recommend raiding her pantry as well 🙂 )

Almond cupcakes with honey merengue buttercream and apricot centers
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 15 mins
Serves: 18
Apricots, almond and honey. Three flavors that belong together in delicate cupcakes that will win over any crowd.
Ingredients
  • For the cakes
  • 85 grams (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
  • 175 grams (1¼ cups) gluten-free all purpose flour such as Cup4Cup*
  • 1/2 tsp xantham gum (omit if your AP blend includes this)
  • 4 grams (¾ teaspoon) baking powder
  • 1 gram (¼ teaspoon) baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 200 grams (1 cup) sugar
  • 130 grams (½ cup) almond paste**
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup milk (I used 2%)
  • For the Honey Merengue Buttercream
  • 4 large egg whites (30g each–total120g, or ½ cup)
  • 200 grams (½ cup plus 1½ tablespoons) honey
  • 280 grams (20 tbsp or 2½ sticks) of unsalted butter, softened but cool, cut into cubes
  • 30 ml (2 tablespoons) pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • orange gel food coloring (optional)
  • Filling
  • 1 cup apricot preserves
Instructions
Make the cupcakes
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake papers.
  2. Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl; set aside.
  3. Put ¾ cup sugar and the almond paste into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 2 minutes. Raise speed to medium-high.
  4. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  5. Mix in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the milk. Transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
  6. Put egg whites into the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until foamy.
  7. Gradually add remaining ¼ cup sugar, beating until soft peaks form.
  8. Fold one-third of egg-white mixture into batter with a rubber spatula. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture.
  9. Fill the cake wells ⅔ full (I used a standard cupcake scoop). Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cakes should be a light golden brown and should spring back when tapped lightly or a cake tester should come out clean when inserted. Remove cupcakes from pan and place on a cooling rack. Put 6 cupcake liners in your pan
Make the buttercream
  1. Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk attachment, small bowl, and whisk with paper towel and lemon juice (or vinegar), to remove any trace of grease.
  2. In a clean pot, combine the egg whites and honey over medium heat, whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 140 degrees F.
  3. Take off of stove, and pour the mixture into your clean bowl for your electric mixer. With the whisk attachment, begin to whip until the mixture is thick, glossy, and neutral (you can feel outside of the bowl to test temperature).
  4. Switch over to paddle attachment and, while mixing on low speed continuously, add butter one cube at a time until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth – it just means that your butter was probably a little too cold). Add vanilla, honey and salt, mix well. If you want to color your frosting, now would be the time to do it and gel or paste colors work best. I used Wilton orange gel color.
  5. If your frosting is too runny, your butter was probably too soft. Pop the bowl from the mixer into the fridge for 15-so minutes to allow the butter to firm up.
Assemble the cupcakes
  1. Remove some cake from the center of the cupcakes using a cupcake corer or a paring knife, making sure to leave a half inch of cake at the bottom so your jam doesn’t leak out.
  2. In a pastry bag fit with a large, plain tip, place the apricot preserves. Pipe some filling in each cake to fill the empty centers.
  3. In another pastry bag, fit with your favorite tip, add the buttercream and make sure to remove any air bubbles. Pipe a swirl of frosting on each cupcake. The recipe is enough to do a rose-type swirl on each cake.
Notes
*I prefer Cup4Cup GF All-Purpose flour, but you could also use the flour blends from GF Jules, King Art or Better Batter. Bean-based flour blends will not work in this recipe.[br]**Omit this if your flour blend contains it.
3.2.2708

 

gluten-free peanut butter chocolate cupcakes from frannycakes

Gluten-free Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Just for one moment imagine you have met someone incredibly interesting. And that someone happens to be handsome. Fairly funny. A giant nerd who loves sic-fi and web related nerdery. He wears google glass and loves open-source software. Now imagine he can recite Shakespeare and quoted the first sentence of Pride & Prejudice when you were discussing your favorite books.

Don’t forget to imagine him as charming. The sort of charming that disarms you. Makes you want to hang on his every word. He tells you stories about a past filled with the types of risks you wish you took.

Oh, and then he kisses you. A real foot-popping kiss. An earnest, sweet kiss. The kind you both want to call all your girlfriends to discuss but want to keep it to yourself just a little bit longer.

Yes, imagine all that (although, if you would rather a surfer dude with a love of detective novels, feel free to replace my dream dude for yours in this little fantasy).

gluten-free double chocolate cupcakes from frannycakes

But as a cupcake. (Yes, I totally went there. And, no, I am not ashamed).

It is no secret that I have a life-long love affair with baked goods, so it should come as no surprise that I might have fallen in love with these particular cakes. Because unlike the boy, there is something real to the relationship. There is more than boyish charm and nerdy good looks. There is cake.

gluten-free peanut butter chocolate cupcakes from frannycakes

More precisely, there is moist chocolate cake, velvety chocolate buttercream, surprise peanut butter centers. This is a serious cupcake. Appropriate for any situation in which a cupcake needs to love you back. Like the time when the aforementioned boy decides you are not the girl of his dream, you know it’s ok because you have this cupcake.

A magic gluten-free cupcake that loves you.

gluten-free double chocolate peanut butter cupcakes from frannycakes

Gluten-free Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 1 hour 25 mins
Serves: 30
This is a recipe for winning at life or at least for winning at dessert (or a bake sale or office party).
Ingredients
  • For the cupcakes
  • 63 grams (1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons) cocoa
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 235 grams (2¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons) GF AP flour*
  • 1 teasponn xanthan gum**
  • 300 grams (1½ cups) granulated sugar
  • 15 grams (1 tablespoon) baking powder
  • 5 grams (3/4 teaspoon) salt
  • 227 grams (2 sticks) butter, softened.
  • Filling
  • 170 grams (1 1/2 cups) confectioners’ sugar
  • 135 grams (1/2 cup) creamy peanut butter
  • 26 grams (2 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • For the Frosting
  • 8 large egg whites (30g each–total 225g, or 1 cup)
  • 400 grams (2 cups) granulated sugar
  • 560 grams (5 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened but cool, cut into cubes
  • 30 ml (2 tablespoons) pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 400 grams (about 2 cups of discs) high quality chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Bake the cupcakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the cupcake tins with papers & grease the tops.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the boiling water and cocoa til smooth. Let sit for a couple minutes to come to room temperature.
  3. In a second bowl, lightly beat together the eggs, ¼ of the cocoa mixture and the vanilla.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and stir on low to combine.
  5. Add butter and the remaining cocoa mixture and mix on low speed until all ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium for a minute and a half to develop structure.
  6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the cocoa & egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition.
  7. Use a scoop and fill the tins ½-2/3 full. You should end up with exactly 30 cupcakes.
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes. If you are baking with multiple pans in the oven at once, rotate them halfway into baking.
  9. The cake should spring back when lightly pressed, or a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
  10. Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, and then move to a cooling rack until completely cool.
Make the filling
  1. While the cupcakes are baking, make the filling.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat together the sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla at medium speed. The dough should end up slightly crumbly.
  3. Roll the dough into 30 balls, about 1 teaspoon each. Set aside.
For the frosting
  1. While the cakes cool, make the frosting.
  2. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a small pot until they reach 140 degrees fahrenheit.
  3. Transfer to a clean stand mixer bowl. Using the whisk attachment, beat until light and fluffy (soft peaks).
  4. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter one chunk at a time until it is all combined.
  5. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on half power, heating it first for 30 seconds, and then in 15 second intervals after that, always stirring after each burst of heat. Once melted, let the chocolate cool so that it is still melted but just warm, not hot – you don’t want it hot so that it melts the butter, and then add it to your frosting, beating and scraping down the sides so you have a velvety and evenly mixed buttercream.
Assemble the cakes
  1. Remove the centers from the cupcakes using a cupcake corer, melon baller or pairing knife.
  2. Place one peanut butter ball in each cake. Top with the tops of the centers so there is cake on top of the peanut butter. You just want the top 1/4 inch or so of the removed center.
  3. Pipe a generous swirl of buttercream on each cupcake.
Notes
*I test all recipes using Cup4Cup Gluten-Free All-Purpose flour and it is by far my favorite. If you cannot find it where you live, Jules Nearly Normal flour is a close second. [br]**Omit if your blend contains xanthan gum, guar gum or expandex.
3.2.2124

 

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes

My birthday is a once a year occasion. Which is sad because the more birthdays I have, the more excuses I would have to bake a cake. The good news here is that I have friends. And all of those friends have birthdays. And the best part is that friends with birthdays challenge me to make cupcakes, cakes and other desserts that I wouldn’t normally make.

gluten-free peanut butter and jelly cupcakes

Like these cupcakes. Peanut butter & jelly cupcakes. I had used the combination in some gluten-free blondies last fall, and thought that was enough exploration of the classic combination. A peanut butter & jelly chocolate at the French Laundry made me certain that I could never live up to something that elevated a childhood classic.

But when my friend/coworker/fellow WordPress geek/the person responsible for my further downfall into nerdiness, Andi, asked for peanut butter and strawberry jelly cupcakes for her work birthday treat, I couldn’t refuse. In fact, I spent a couple of weeks thinking about how I would make it happen. Peanut butter filled vanilla cakes with strawberry frosting? Strawberry cakes with peanut butter frosting? The ways this could have gone… But, I remembered. Joy the Baker had a recipe for Peanut Butter Birthday Cake in her cookbook. And that Joy, she has never steered me wrong.

gluten-free peanut butter & jelly cupcakes from frannycakes

So, I made a gluten-free buttermilk peanut butter cake. I frosted them with a classic American buttercream augmented with some peanut butter. But the crowning jewel? More of Mammacake’s home made strawberry preserves. (I might have used a whole jar…)

piping practice

These cupcakes also happened to be the first chance I had to use my new piping skills from the Wilton BlogHer workshop. I felt pretty accomplished piping buttercream flowers onto the tops of all of those cupcakes.

gluten-free pb&j cupcakes in holder

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes
Recipe Type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 45 mins
Serves: 24
The cake is adapted to be gluten-free (and cupcakes) from the Joy the Baker Cookbook by Joy Wilson. The frosting is how my mom taught me to make it when I was a kid. The preserves were stolen when Mammacakes wasn’t looking.
Ingredients
  • for the cake
  • 315 grams (2 1/4 cups) gluten-free all-purpose flour*
  • 1 gram (1 teaspoon) xanthan gum**
  • 10 grams (2 teaspoons) baking powder
  • 5 grams (1 teaspoon) baking soda
  • 3 grams (½ teaspoon) salt
  • 205 grams (3/4 cup) smooth peanut butter
  • 85 grams (6 tablespoons or 3/4 stick) butter, softened
  • 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
  • 110 grams (½ cup firmly packed) brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (265 ml) buttermilk
  • for the frosting
  • 170 grams (1½ sticks) butter, softened
  • 65-130 grams (1/4-½ cup) smooth peanut butter
  • 675-900 grams (6-8 cups) confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (118 mls) milk
  • pinch of salt
  • filling
  • 1/2 pint jar of your favorite jam or preserves
Instructions
Make the cupcakes
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 C). Position one rack in the center and one in the top third of the oven. Line a cupcake tin with papers and grease the tops (just in case)
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the peanut butter, butter, sugar and brown sugar for 3-5 minutes. You want the mixture to be light and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute on medium and scraping down the sides of the bowl before each addition.
  5. Add half the flour mixture and mix on low speed and slowly add the buttermilk.
  6. Scrape down the sides and add the rest of the flour mixture until the batter just starts to come together. Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish stirring with a spatula.
  7. Use a spring loaded ice cream scoop or spoon to fill the cupcake papers 1/2-2/3 full.
  8. Place one cupcake tin on each rack and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pans and bake for another 8-12 minutes. You want a toothpick to come out clean and the top of the cakes to bounce back if pressed.
  9. Cool completely on a cooling rack.
Make the frosting
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter, 65 grams (1/4 cup) of the peanut butter, 450 grams (4 cups) of the sugar, the milk and the vanilla.
  2. Beat on medium for 3-5 minutes.
  3. Gradually add the remaining sugar 1 cup (115 grams) at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition.
  4. When the frosting is firm enough to pipe, stop adding sugar and add the salt. If the frosting is too firm or not peanut butter-y enough you can add more peanut butter. I used 1/4 cup and nearly the full amount of powdered sugar. Your results will depend on the humidity, the type of peanut butter and how soft your butter was.
Assembly
  1. Remove the centers of the cupcakes with a cupcake corer or a paring knife, being sure to leave a little cake at the bottom of your well.
  2. Pipe in the jam or preserves until the well is almost full. Replace the tops of your holes (you will toss some cake, just save the part that is the very top of the removed cake) to keep the jam from making the frosting mushy.
  3. Pipe your frosting on your cupcakes. I made rosettes because I don’t think these need that much frosting, but you will have enough frosting to do a normal swirl if you would like.
  4. Sprinkle with decorative sugar, if you feel like it. I used pink to represent the strawberry jam inside.
Notes
*I prefer Cup4Cup gluten-free all purpose flour and use it in all of my tests. You would also have good results with Jules Nearly Normal Flour and Better Batter.[br]**If your gluten-free all-purpose blend includes xanthan gum or an equivalent (the ones listed above all do), you can omit this.
3.2.2124

 

gluten free chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream for the Great big Gluten Free Barbecue

Great Big Gluten-Free Barbecue

I love summer, and all it entails. Festivals. Evening concerts with friends. Barbecues every weekend.

I really love a good barbecue. The friends, the food, maybe a cold gluten-free beer or a margarita.

gluten free chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream for the Great big Gluten Free Barbecue

But the part I love the most? That they are special even when they are last minute. They can be fancy affairs with sandals and dresses. They can be celebrations for just making it through the week. Or they can be celebrations of great love.

vow renewal

Just last week I invited the whole dang family over to celebrate my parents and godparents 35th wedding anniversary. And we had a barbecue. Complete with potato salad, jicama salad and a grape salad. There was meat on the grill and several types of sangria. The whole thing was gluten-free. And it was a dang good cookout. People were just there, celebrating and relaxing. Being family and enjoying some good food.

I want everyone to be able to have a cookout like that, for any occasion.

So, I gathered some blogger friends and planned a virtual barbecue.

There are main dishes, desserts and even some sangria. I brought some gluten-free vanilla on chocolate cupcakes. My friends brought the rest, and we wanted to invite you to the party.

Thanks for dropping in!

greatbigglutenfreebarbecue

Pam from I’m A Celiac made Slow Cooker Pork BBQ
Taylor from Gluten-Away made Gluten-Free BBQ Burgers
Cindy from Vegetarian Mamma made Eggy Potato Salad
Cara from Cara’s Cravings made Fudgesicles (recipe review from the Great Vegan Bean Book)
Betsy from Gluten Free Betsy made Old School Potato Salad
Melissa from Stockpiling Moms made GF Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Alissa from Breaking Up with Captain Crunch made GF Pasta Salad  and DIY Sorta Sangria
Iris from The Daily Dietribe made Coleslaw
Alison from A Girl Defloured made Strawberry Basil Paletas
Mel from GeekilyGF made Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches
Erica from Celiac and the Beast dishes barbecue survival advice with Don’t Burn Bridges Or The Burger: Gluten Free BBQ

gluten free chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream

Gluten-Free Vanilla on Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 45 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 24
The cake recipe is adapted from The Cake Bible – a book every baker should own.
Ingredients
  • For the cupcakes
  • 85 grams (3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons) unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 1/2 cups (354 mL) boiling water
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 300 grams (2 cups + 1T) gluten-free all purpose flour*
  • 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum**
  • 434 grams (2 cups firmly packed) light brown sugar
  • 11 grams (2 1/4 teaspoons) baking powder
  • 4 grams (3/4 teaspoon) baking soda
  • 5 grams (1/4 teaspoon) salt
  • 237 grams (2 sticks) butter, softened
  • For the Frosting
  • 2 sticks (225 grams) butter, softened
  • 675-900 grams (6-8 cups) confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1/2 cup (118 mls) milk
  • pinch of salt
  • food coloring
Instructions
  1. Whisk together the boiling water and cocoa until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, the vanilla and 1/4 of the cocoa mixture.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the dry ingredients and mix for 30 seconds – just long enough to create a uniform mixture.
  5. Add the butter and remaining cocoa mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix on low until the dry goods are moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides.
  6. Add the egg mixture in 3 parts, mixing for 30 seconds on medium after each addition and scraping down the sides.
  7. Fill the cupcake tins 2/3 full and bake for 15-20 minutes. Cakes are done when they bounce back after being tapped gently with a finger or a tester comes out clean.
  8. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter, 450 grams (4 cups) of the sugar, the milk and the vanilla.
  9. Beat on medium for 3-5 minutes.
  10. Gradually add the remaining sugar 1 cup (115 grams) at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition.
  11. When the frosting is firm enough to pipe, stop adding sugar and add the salt and color. If the frosting is not pipable with all the sugar, put it in the fridge for 10 minutes – it means your butter was a little too soft.
  12. Pipe a generous amount of frosting on each cupcake when they are completely cool.
Notes
*This recipe was tested using Cup4Cup Gluten-Free all purpose flour, but will work with your preferred blend as long as you measure by weight. **Omit if using a blend that already includes xantham gum.
3.2.2310

 

gluten free white cupcake recipe

A very happy birthday treat

gluten free white cupcake recipe

Let’s celebrate.

There are always excuses not to. Maybe there is no money. Maybe you are sad. Maybe you are sick. Maybe you are just grumpy & miserly and don’t ever want to have fun (it’s ok, sometimes even I feel that way).

I have as many reasons as the next guy to not want to celebrate. I can’t find the strength to get to the gym. Real pants make me want to cry. An ill-timed night out with friends can ruin my life for a month. But those are the absolute wrong things to focus on. They can give you grey hair before your time. And we all know that would just lead to more fretting.

And you know, girls just wanna have fun.

So really, let’s celebrate.

Have a party. I mean, heck, it was a birthday after all.

We can throw a little party with a few dozen cupcakes.

Cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

And maybe a few sprinkles thrown in the batter for good measure.

And maybe some balloons. Balloons are good for a birthday.

Happy 32nd birthday Kurt!
Balloons are always appropriate

It is good to celebrate.

And don’t forget to smile, it’ll do you good. And maybe eat a cupcake. Because cupcakes are theraputic.

 

Gluten Free White Cupcakes

Recipe Type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 50 mins
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 48
My favorite white cake recipe made into cupcakes with a simple chocolate frosting. Add GF sprinkles to the batter for a “funfetti” feel. This is adapted from the Cake Bible’s White Velvet Cake recipe. This recipe makes 48 cupcakes, a 4-layer 8″ cake or a 3 layer 9″ cake.
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) milk at room temperature
  • 7 large (210 grams) egg whites (pasteurized are fine), at room temperature
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 460 grams ( 3 1/4 cups) gluten free all purpose flour*
  • 2 teaspoons xantham gum**
  • 450 grams (2 1/4 cups) granulated sugar
  • 7 grams (1 teaspoon) salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes
  • 85 grams (6 tablespoons) vegetable shortening
  • 1 cup gluten-free sprinkles (optional)
  • 1 Recipe Easy Chocolate Frosting (below)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cupcake tins with papers (if you have 4, by all means line them all), grease the tops of the pans and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of the mil, the egg whites, egg and vanilla extract.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients including the sugar on low speed for 30 seconds.
  4. Add butter & shortening and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the remaining milk and stir untill just moistened. Increase the speed to medium and mix for a minute and a half.
  5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg/milk/extract mixture in 3 groups, scraping down the sides before each addition.
  6. Using a large ice cream scoop, divide the batter evenly among the cupcake papers, making sure that none of them are more than 2/3 full (or you could have a little bit of a mess).
  7. Bake 2 trays at a time for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Notes

*I use Cup4Cup gluten free flour in my kitchen, and it is my favorite, but I have also had good experiences with the following: Jules Nearly Normal Flour, Better Batter All-Purpose flour or King Arthur Flour’s Gluten Free All Purpose Blend.

**If your blend has xantham gum or expandex in it, you can omit this.

3.1.09
Easy Chocolate Frosting

Recipe Type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 30 mins
An easy chocolate frosting that you can adapt to be as firm or as soft as you like.
Ingredients
  • 340 grams (1 1/2 cups) powdered sugar
  • 150 grams (1 3/4 cups) cocoa (I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, the dark helps cut the sweetness a little bit)
  • 1 cup milk or cream
  • 225 grams (1 cup or 2 sticks) butter
  • 565 grams (2 1/2 cups) powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the first amount of powdered sugar and the cocoa.
  2. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Stirring constantly so the milk does not scald. Whisk this into the powdered sugar mixture. Let cool to room temperature, about 20 mins.
  3. Beat soft butter, vanilla extract and salt until creamy. Add the 2½ cups of powdered sugar and mix slowly until incorporated. With mixer on low, add the chocolate mixture a spoonful at a time.
  4. If the frosting is too loose, add up to an additional half cup of powdered sugar.
  5. This makes enough to frost a layer cake or put a good amount on 48 cupcakes (see photo for how much I used per cupcake)
3.1.09
gluten free raspberry filled chocolate cupcakes

Remarkable life. Whiz-bang cupcakes.

I’ve spent a lot of time doing what is expected.

Playing it safe.

Being nice.

I always thought that I was nice. And that I should be nice. I thought that it was exactly right. Recently, someone told me that they didnt think nice was the right word to describe me. Someone else said that I was better when I wasn’t being nice.

So.

I am going to not be nice. Since that isn’t the right word anyway. And since it is kind of a dirty word, let’s not use it any more.

Nice. Passionate. Caring. Full of heart. Those are better words.

They describe the person I am. The person I want to be. The journey I am on.

I am going to make mistakes. Say things I shouldn’t. Do things that I might think better of later.

I am going to keep listening to the silly pop music that makes me happy. I am owning my Spice Girls ringtone (oh yes, I totally rock that). So, call me. Maybe?

I am going to use my heart more than my head. I want to see where it is going to take me.
your feet will bring you to where your heart is... positive 13

I am going to stop and smell the flowers, particularly when they are left in the bathroom in a public place.

I want to do things. See things. Make things. Change things.

I am going to do as much as I can. Some things I should, some I shouldn’t.

I don’t want a small life. In any way. I want to be epic. (Kind of like my summer has been).

I am going to keep making cupcakes. The kind with real sugar, and butter and eggs. I’ve said it before, cupcakes are therapy. And don’t you forget it. And I am going to keep feeding them to others so that I can maintain my girlish figure.

Speaking of that girlish figure, I am going to keep swimming when I can. Walk when it is possible and not beat myself up over the size of my pants.

I am going to be silly and splurge on crazy shoes (YOLO!). Be it shoes with red bottoms because, frankly, if you don’t buy them today, tomorrow you will have a much more practical use for that money or shoes with 5″ heels because that seems sensible. I am going to make no apologies for getting something that makes me happy.

I am going to go on dates with boys. I might end up kissing a few frogs (the world tells me this is going to happen). Maybe I’ll get a prince (the world says I should dream about this moment). Maybe I already did. Maybe I messed that up. Maybe I didn’t.

Maybe one day, my hair will be pink. And maybe I’ll get a tattoo.

I am going to live. Live passionately & fully. Be optimistic. Be a dreamer. Make no apologies for anything. Be me.

I will always be the optimist. Positive #18

What I am most definitely not going to do is be nice. I am not going to apologize for being me. I am not going to do something just to make someone feel better. I am not going to cave or change just to make someone happy. I’ve done that plenty. It isn’t who I really am, or even who I want to be.

Here’s to being more than nice. Here’s to living more than just a nice life. Here’s to good things.

Before I get to the cupcakes I know you want, I want to make sure that you know about Leggings Solidarity Day! I am asking everyone I know to wear leggings, tights, shorts, skirts – (mostly leggings though!) in support of invisible illness awareness. (You know, since I have a kind of major one). Also, if you haven’t seen it, the quotes pulled in from above are from a personal design project of mine. Making posters with positive thoughts. If you have any suggestions for positive quotes, email them to me!

gluten free raspberry filled chocolate cupcakes

The Whiz-Bang Cupcakes

(Or cupcakes to make an impression). These cupcakes were epic. Well, that’s what I told Dan they were. He asked for something chocolate and fruity. They took about 6 hours from start to finish (with lots of resting, showering an cleaning mixed in). Dan has had both my cupcakes and Mammacakes’ cupcakes. I had to make them extra special.

Chocolate cupcakes. Filled with a tart raspberry jam. Topped with two kinds of merengue buttercream and finished off with a fresh raspberry. This is what I call winning.

Gluten-free chocolate cupcakes with raspberry and swiss merengue buttercream
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Print
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 90 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 1 hour 50 mins
Serves: 30
The cake part of the recipe is adapted from Perfect All-American Chocolate Butter Cake from The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum.
Ingredients
  • For the cupcakes
  • 63 grams cocoa (1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons)
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 235 grams (2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons) GF AP flour*
  • 300 grams (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
  • 15 grams (1 tablespoon) baking powder
  • 5 grams (3/4 teaspoon) salt
  • 227 grams (12 tablespoons) butter, softened.
  • For the Frosting
  • 8 large egg whites (30g each–total 225g, or 1 cup)**
  • 400 grams (2 cups) granulated sugar
  • 560 grams (5 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened but cool, cut into cubes
  • 30 ml (2 tablespoons) pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 300 grams (about 1 1/2 cups of discs) high quality chocolate
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
  • For Assembly
  • 1/2 pint jar of raspberry jam or preserves
  • 30 fresh raspberries
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the cupcake tins with papers & grease the tops.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the boiling water and cocoa til smooth. Let sit for a couple minutes to come to room temperature.
  3. In a second bowl, lightly beat together the eggs, 1/4 of the cocoa mixture and the vanilla.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and stir on low to combine.
  5. Add butter and the remaining cocoa mixture and mix on low speed until all ingredients are moistend. Increase speed to medium for a minute and a half to develop structure.
  6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the cocoa & egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for about 30 seonds after each addition.
  7. Use a scoop and fill the tins 1/2-2/3 full. You should end up with exactly 30 cupcakes.
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The cake should spring back when lightly pressed, or a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
  9. Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, and then move to a cooling rack until completely cool.
For the frosting
  1. While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting. If this process intimidates you, Sweet Apolita made a pretty [url href=”http://sweetapolita.com/2011/04/swiss-meringue-buttercream-demystified/”]sweet tutorial[/url].
  2. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a small pot until they reach 140 degrees fahrenheit.
  3. Transfer to a clean stand mixer bowl. Using the whisk attachment, beat until light and fluffy (soft peaks).
  4. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter one chunk at a time until it is all combined.
  5. Remove half of the frosting and set aside. Melt the chocolate in the micorwave on half power, heating it first for 30 seconds, and then in 15 second intervals after that, always stirring after each burst of heat. Let the chocolate cool a wee bit – you don’t want it hot so that it melts the butter, and then add it to half your frosting.
  6. Set this frosting aside. Add the vanilla bean paste to the reserved half of the frosting.
Assemble
  1. When the cupcakes are cool, remove the cupcake centers (I used a cupcake corer), and pipe in the raspberry filling. Replace the cupcake tops.
  2. Pipe the frosting on the cupcakes – I did half of the cupcakes in chocolate, half in vanilla, but you can get creative and use both on each cupcake if you want.
Notes

*I prefer Cup4Cup as a pre-made blend. Please don’t use a bean based flour.
**You can use the pasteurized whites if you prefer, since you cook the eggs anyways, but it will be slightly less fluffy.

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This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday on Simply Sugar & Gluten Free.

 

 

gluten free pumpkin spice cupcakes

Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

gluten free pumpkin spice cupcakesToday felt like fall. There was a chill in the air. It rained a gloomy rain. I was wishing I had worn a sweater. This week is framed by college football. An Illini game last Saturday and a Notre Dame game this weekend. Fall has arrived.

And so has the insane amount of weekends filled with obligations. Blondie and I have one weekend “off” between now and November. There is a football game (our second in a row), a trip to Dallas, Blondie is running the Chicago marathon, reservations at Girl & the Goat, my aunt’s 60th birthday and a wedding.

But all that happening is ok because that means it is fall, and fall means pumpkin everything. Pumpkin lattes. Pumpkin soup. Pumpkin pancakes. Pumpkin pasta sauce. Carved pumpkins. And pupkin cupcakes.

That’s right. Pumpkin cupcakes. Gluten-free pumpkin cupcakes.

Here is the recipe in stop motion. It might make you a little hungry, so grab a snack before you watch it, and don’t say I didn’t warn you.

(I made this video for a class I am taking at U of I to get my portfolio beefed up for grad school)

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Print
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 22 mins
Total time: 37 mins
Serves: 18
The flavor of fall in a cupcake.
Ingredients
  • 240 grams (2 cups) gluten free all purpose flour
  • teaspoon xantham gum (omit if your blend contains this)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • teaspoon salt
  • 1½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 stick (for the cake) + 5 tablespoons (for the frosting) butter, softened
  • 175 grams (3/4 cup) pumpkin puree
  • 320 grams (1½ cups packed) brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk (I used SoDelicious coconut milk)
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 225-350 grams (2-3 cups) powdered sugar
  • orange food coloring
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Whisk dry ingredients together.
  3. Cream together the whole stick of butter with the brown sugar.
  4. Mix in the eggs one at a time.
  5. Add half the flour and mix til combined.
  6. Next, stir in the milk and pumpkin puree. And mix thoroughly, scraping down the sides of your bowl.
  7. Add in the rest of the flour and mix completely.
  8. Use about 3 tablespoons of batter per cupcake. Don’t overfill your cupcake pan!
  9. Bake for 20-25 minutes. A toothpick should come out with just a crumb or two.
  10. Beat together the cream cheese (straight from the fridge) and 5 tablespoons of the butter until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and 1/2 cup of sugar. Stir to combine. Add the remaining sugar a bit at a time so you don’t send powdered sugar flying around your kitchen. Keep adding sugar until the frosting is the desired consistency. Add color if desired.
  11. Pipe frosting on to each cupcake, and decorate as desired.
Notes

I have had great success with both Jules Nearly Normal flour and Cup4Cup All Purpose flour. If you are making your own blend use 80 grams sorghum flour, 8- grams brown rice flour, 80 grams sweet white rice flour and 80 grams tapioca starch.

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top view of Raspberry Filled Yellow Cupcakes

Raspberry Surprise

top view of Raspberry Filled Yellow CupcakesI have a bad habit, and that bad habit is baking. Where so many people open a pint of ice cream or pour a glass of wine to unwind, I find a comfort in pulling flours from the cabinet, fitting a mixer with the paddle & bowl and whipping up a batch of something warm and soft. I have always known exactly where I got it. My mother. I went home for Easter this weekend and my mom made quite a spread. She wouldn’t let me cook at all (she says I am a messy cook, I say I was a messy cook when I was a kid) but, she made these fantastic cupcakes. She even said I could share her recipe.

Raspberry Surprise
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Print
Recipe Type: Dessert
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 45 mins
Serves: 24
Gluten free yellow cupcakes with a raspberry filling adapted from <a href=”http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gluten-free-yellow-cake-recipe” title=”Yellow Cake Recipe from King Arthur Flour”>King Arthur Flour</a>
Ingredients
  • 3 cups Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour Blend
  • 2 teaspoon xanthan gum (if not already in your blend)
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon gluten-free raspberry liqueur
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk, at room temperature
  • Raspberry jam for filling (about 1 teaspoon per cupcake)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Using an electric mixer beat together the sugar, butter, salt, liqueur and baking powder till smooth. Add 1 egg, and beat for several minutes, until fluffy.
  3. Add the remaining eggs, one at a time, scraping between each egg.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and xantham gum (if needed).
  5. In the bowl of the mixer, beat in the milk alternately with the dry ingredients, adding about 1/3 of each at a time, and ending with the dry ingredients.
  6. Measure batter into prepared cupcake pan. Bake for 18-25 minutes, and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  7. Remove from the oven, and cool for 5 to 10 minutes before turning out of the pan to cool on a rack.
  8. Once the cupcakes are cooled, use a pastry bag fitted with a filling tip, squeeze a teaspoon of jam into each cupcake.
  9. Frost with raspberry cream cheese frosting.

Mom frosted them with a cream cheese frosting (here is a similar one from King Arthur Flour). This time she replaced the vanilla and some of the milk with the raspberry liqueur, adjusting liquids and sugar as she went until she got the consistency that she wanted. The liqueur added a hint of raspberry flavor and a pink tint. The butter in this recipe keeps the frosting from the full amount of tang you get with normal cream cheese frosting.

Cupcakes for Emily

Caramel Filled Cupcakes

A chocolate cupcake with caramel filling and vanilla frosting. These cupcakes are ridiculously decadent and are definitely a major diet sin. I recommend bringing them to a party & not sampling them ahead of time – you won’t want to share the spoils! I made these for the first time last night, and I am quite pleased with they way they turned out!

You need a pastry bag & decorating tips to fill the cakes & decorate them.

2 cups Jules’ Nearly Normal GF Flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

Caramel Sauce

1/2 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix first 7 ingredients until incorporated then beat for 2 mins. Add eggs 1 at a time beating after each one. Measure out into lined cupcake tins – they should be about 2/3 full.

Bake for 18-20 mins. Cool for about 15 mins in the tins and then let sit until completely cool.

Warm up your favorite caramel sauce (or make your own from Smitten Kitchen) and spoon it into a pastry bag fitted with a small tip. It is important that the caramel sauce is warm and drippy. I recommend doing this over a pan or parchment paper for easy clean up. Place the tip inside the top of the cupcake and squeeze the bag until the cupcake looks like it is about to rupture. Repeat until all the cupcakes have been injected with caramel.

Whip up your favorite buttercream frosting. (Mine is super simple: 1 stick of softened butter,  ~2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and a teaspoon of vanilla whipped together. Add more sugar or milk to get the consistency that you want). I use a #18 tip and disposable bags to frost my cupcakes.