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.
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.
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!
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
- 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
- Whisk together the boiling water and cocoa until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, the vanilla and 1/4 of the cocoa mixture.
- 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.
- 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.
- Add the egg mixture in 3 parts, mixing for 30 seconds on medium after each addition and scraping down the sides.
- 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.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter, 450 grams (4 cups) of the sugar, the milk and the vanilla.
- Beat on medium for 3-5 minutes.
- Gradually add the remaining sugar 1 cup (115 grams) at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition.
- 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.
- Pipe a generous amount of frosting on each cupcake when they are completely cool.