Gluten-free Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes

Everyone likes cupcakes and just about everyone loves chocolate, but what do you do if you cannot have cupcakes because of the gluten content in the wheat?

Well, here is the answer. A classic chocolate cupcake adapted to be completely gluten free (if not guilt-free!).

Gluten-free Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes

Serves: 20

Another gluten-free cupcake recipe today, again using the Celtnet gluten free flour mix as a base. This time the recipe is for a chocolate cupcake.

Ingredients:

150g (5 oz) butter
300g (11 oz) caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
250ml (1 cup) milk
225g (1/2 lb) gluten-free dry flour mix
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g (2 oz) cocoa powder

For the Topping:

175g (6 oz) unsalted butter
300g (2/3 lb) icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g (2 oz) plain chocolate (at least 65% cocoa solids)
blue sugar pearls, to decorate

Method:

Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until pale and fluff then beat in the eggs an milk.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder then stir this mixture into the liquid ingredients. Line 20 wells from two 12-hole muffin tins with paper cases. Spoon the cake batter into these then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 4) and bake for between 12 and 15 minutes, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre emerges cleanly. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing (frosting), beat the butter in a bowl until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and beat well then stir in the vanilla until smooth. Spoon this mixture into a piping bag then pipe swirls of the icing onto each cake.

For the chocolate curls, melt the chocolate in a small bowl, either in a microwave or over a small pan of barely-simmering water. Spread the melted chocolate onto a baking tray and allow to set in the refrigerator. Allow the chocolate to warm to room temperature for 5 minutes then scrape a sharp knife across the surface to create chocolate curls. Refrigerate these until needed.

To decorate, scatter the sugar pearls over the buttercream then sit a few chocolate curls on top of each cake.

For more cupcake recipes why not visit the Celtnet Cupcake and Fairy Cake recipes pages.