Gluten and cow's Milk Free Raspberry filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Gluten & Cow's Milk Free Raspberry filled Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

Dry Ingredients:
30 grams Quinoa Flour
60 grams Millet or Sorghum Flour
60 grams Amaranth Flour
30 grams Rice Flour

20 grams Tapioca Flour
2 teaspoons GF Baking Powder

100 grams Dutch Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

225 grams Muscovado Sugar

Wet Ingredients:
60 grams Milk Free Margarine softened

3 eggs
2 teaspoons GF Pure Vanilla Extract

3/4 cup Goat’s Buttermilk (I buy this at Basic)**

**  When mixing wet ingredients - depending on the flour mixture you use and the size of the eggs - you may need between 1/2 - 1 cup of the buttermilk.  I start out with 1/2 cup and add 1/4 cup at a time depending on the consistency of the batter at the end.

Sift all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

**Mix all the wet ingredients in a stand mixer (or in a bowl with a hand mixer) until well blended.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer while on low (2) speed.  Once all ingredients are combined, mix on speed 3-4 for a minute or two until well mixed.  Do not over mix!

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake at 180°C 22-23 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on wire rack to cool

Let cupcakes cool completely!!

Next step is to add the raspberry filling

Fill a piping bag with your favorite raspberry jam or filling.  Using a filling tip (these are the long thin tubes - something like this one - can be plastic or metal).  Once cupcakes are completely cooled - just insert the tip into the middle of the cupcake and squeeze some jam inside.  Be carefull not to fill it too much, or the cupcake can explode ;-)    Many people recommend using an apple corer to remove a bit of the center, but I prefer not to use this method.  As long as you have the longer tip and watch how much you are squeezing in, they turn out better (as you still have all the cake part too)

Next - frost your cupcakes

You can do this however you choose.  I used my standard buttercream frosting.  I mixed half with cocoa powder and half with pink coloring and then topped with a raspberry.

Gluten and cow's Milk Free Margarita Cupcakes

I saw this post from Brown Eyed Baker on Facebook and knew these would be my next cupcakes to make.  They turned out so yummy!!!

Below is the adapted recipe to make them gluten free and cow's milk free.

Margarita Cupcakes - 12 

For the Cupcakes:
75 grams Millet Flour
50 grams Amaranth Flour
50 grams Rice Flour
25 grams Quinoa Flour
25 grams Tapioca Flour
1½ teaspoons Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon Salt
113 grams Margarine
190 grams Castor Sugar
2 Eggs
Zest and Juice of 1½ Limes (the juice of the other ½ will be used in the frosting)
2 tablespoons Tequila
¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ cup Goat’s Buttermilk

To Brush the Cupcakes:
1 to 2 tablespoons Tequila

For the Tequila-Lime Frosting:
113 grams Margarine
113 grams Butter Crisco
500 grams Powdered Sugar
1 tablespoon Lime Juice
2 tablespoons Tequila
Pinch of coarse Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt.

3. In a stand mixer on medium-high speed, beat the margarine and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and tequila. Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don’t worry, it will all come back together, power on!)

6. Reduce the mixer speed low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.

7. Fill cupcakes liners ¾ full. Bake for approximately 23-25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a toothpick shows only moist crumbs attached.

8. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the 1 to 2 tablespoons of tequila. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.

9. To make the frosting, whip the margarine and crisco on medium-high speed in your stand mixer using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. Give it a mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice, tequila and salt mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar, one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes and garnish, if desired, with lime zest, an additional sprinkling of salt and a lime wedge.

Gluten and Milk Free Corn Dogs (and Homemade Baked Beans)

So, I saw this post on Gluten Free Girl and decided to try it.  They turned out great.  For the flours, I used a mix of Amaranth, Teff, Quinoa, Millet and Corn Starch.  I used 1 part of this mixture to 1 part of Corn Meal.  I used Goat's milk instead of Cow's.  I also added a bit of Xanthum Gum - just to ensure the mixture held together and to the hot dogs (or in this case Austrian style wieners -  used ones from Rewe that were gluten and lactose free).  I also bought 2 sizes, the longer ones (more like a US hot dog) and the shorter ones.

When I told Guy I was going to make these - his response was "I have never had corn dogs!"  I could not believe it!!!!  So, made making them that much more special :)

For the Baked Beans, I used my friend Chungchi's wonderful recipe that I have made for over 10 years! here is that recipe,

Homemade Baked Beans

Ground in a skillet...

200 grams ground beef

200 grams bacon

large onion

Then mix in a large bowl with the following

1 can of kidney beans, drained

1 can of pinto beans, drained

1 can of butter beans, drained

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon mustard

2 teaspoons vinegar

Then put it into a baking dish and bake at 180C for an hour.

Was a great meal and my Guy enjoyed the corn dogs :)

There was plenty of left over batter, so I made hush puppies with what was left :)

Red Velvet Rose Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Gluten & cow's Milk Free

I saw this cake on Pinterest and absolutely fell in love with it.  I thought, although it looks so complicated, it really should be quite easy to do, as each of the roses are just like I usually frost my cupcakes - so I decided to try it.  The cake and decorating idea come from Casey Cooks blog.  She also has a very nice little tutorial video on how to do the roses if you do not know how.  I have simplified the instructions a bit below - please visit her site for full instructions.  Before I made the cake, I did a test batch as cupcakes (as they bake more evenly in my little oven that doesn't always work). and then made the cake. 

The alterations I made.    

First, before starting, I of course converted most things to weight measurements.  I also reduced the amount of oil used.  I used goat's products instead of cow's.  I also used Muscovado Sugar in my test recipe.  In the cake recipe I used castor sugar.  I found with the GF flours, that the Muscovado worked loads better. I tried 2 different coloring techniques.  For the test batch, I used Wilton no-taste red.  For the cake, I  used liquid generic brand red.  They gave a diff color - both were nice.  And of course, used GF flours ;-)  In this post, you will find the altered recipe for the cupcakes.  

And a pic of the inside

Red Velvet Rose Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Gluten & cow's Milk Free

Makes 2 rounds to form 1 double round.
adapted from http://www.caseycooks.com/2011/04/red-velvet-rose-cake-cake-decorating.html

Cake
2 eggs
300 grams Canola Oil
1 cup Buttermilk
3 teaspoons Vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon GF Pure Vanilla Extract
Red Food Colouring (I used Wilton no-taste red and mixed it with 1 Tabelspoon water until it was a deep dark red)
140 grams Millet or Sorghum Flour
100 grams Amaranth Flour
50 grams Tapioca Flour
50 grams White Rice Flour
40 grams Quinoa Flour
20 grams Corn Starch
350 grams Fine White Sugar
10 grams Unsweetened Dutch Cocoa
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt

Frosting
200 grams Goat’s Cream Cheese, softened
220 grams Crisco (white, not butter flavoured)
2 teaspoon vanilla
600 grams Powdered Sugar, sifted

Equipment
Large pastry bag and large couplet
1M tip

Preheat oven to 180°C.  Spray two 8-inch cake pans and line bottom with baking paper.

In a stand mixer bowl, slightly mix egg using the whisk attachment. Add remaining liquid ingredients and mix on low continuing to use the whisk attachment until blended.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix until combined. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on medium-high until completely combined, about one minute.

Divide batter equally among the two cake pans. Drop pans onto the counter from about 3-inches up to release any air bubbles. Repeat twice.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Allow cakes to cool completely on wire racks. While you are waiting, make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix. Gradually mix in the confectioner's sugar. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes prior to using. Keep any frosting you are not using covered in the fridge. 

Place one of the cakes on the plate or platter you intend to use a (I always put the bottom layer top side down, so that your new top is flat (ie, the bottom). Apply a layer of icing to the top of the first cake. This will be the icing between your two layers, so with that in mind apply more or less icing depending on how much frosting you like.

Place the second cake on top of the first, making sure the two are properly aligned. Then, apply the crumb layer. A crumb layer is a thin layer of frosting you apply to a cake to hold in the crumbs, so that the final product is beautiful and crumb-free. Wait for the crumb layer to dry before applying the icing roses.

Hydrangea Cupcakes - Take 2 Gluten & Cow's Milk Free

I needed to do a test batch for the Red Velvet Cake, plus I had promised my friend Karen I would give her a hydrangea cupcakes that I made the last time but there were none left, so perfect reason to make them.  The cupcake recipe is adapted from Casey Cooks Blog.   

More detail in the above blog about the cake.  This recipe is halved from the other. The decorating technique again was adapted from Glorious Treats' blog

Wet Ingredients
1 egg
150 grams Canola Oil
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons Vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon GF Pure Vanilla Extract
Red Food Colouring (I used Wilton no-taste red and mixed it with 1/2 Tablespoon water until it was a deep dark red)

Dry Ingredients
50 grams Amaranth Flour
70 grams Millet or Sorghum Flour
25 grams Tapioca Flour
25 grams White Rice Flour
20 grams Quinoa Flour
10 grams Corn Starch
130 grams Muscovado Sugar
5 grams Unsweetened Dutch Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 180°C.

In a stand mixer bowl, slightly mix egg using the whisk attachment. Add remaining liquid ingredients and mix on low continuing to use the whisk attachment until blended.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix until combined. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on medium-high until completely combined, about one minute.

Pour into your prepared cupcake pans and bake for 18-20 min or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Gluten Free Caramel/Peanut Butter Chocoate Bars with Almond Base

So, I had a few "bad" things that needed used up so that they were gone :)  I had a can of condensed milk, well, closest thing you can get in Germany. It was a generic can that I got at a local Asian shop.  You can not really buy the Carnation stuff here.  I kept reading about how you can cook the can for a few hours and make caramel out of it, so I tried it.  I cooked the can in boiling water for 4 hours,  The result (I wish I had taken a pic, but I did not) was a wonderful thick caramel that had the color/flavor as it should.  Now, I knew I had to make something with this or I would eat the whole can.  I also knew this was a double no no as it is pure milk and I am not suppose to eat milk :(   I have been wanting to make some shortbread caramel bars for a while so thought I would try that.  I decided to just go with what I had and not follow any recipe.  I did not write down amounts of what I did but I followed the basics of most recipes as a base.

For the base - I mixed in a food processor Almond Meal, mascoavo sugar and margarine- pressed it into a baking dish and baked for 15 min.

For the filling - I  mixed the can of now caramel sauce with some margarine, vanilla and the rest of a jar of peanut butter that I had (I figured why not :)

For the chocolate - I  melted some baking chocolate I had left with some ghee and sea salt.

I simply layered them and put it in the fridge for a few hours.

They turned out quite nice, but I do need to try to freeze some so that we don't eat them all :-D

Happy Mother's Day - Gluten Free Chocolate Hydrangea Cupcakes

 

Happy Mother's Day!

So, I saw these early last week when I was browsing Pinterest and fell in love with them as Hydrangea are one of my favorite flowers (Fuchsia being the other).  I had wanted to actually make some cupcakes and send to my mom back in the states.  However, this would mean sending them express and I was shocked at the price - so, I  made them anyway (will take them to friends tomorrow on a day trip) but they are still meant to be cupcakes for my mom :)

I used my standard chocolate cupcake recipe, but did not have any goat's milk or any kind for that matter, so I just used water - and they turned out the same :)

My frosting was a bit too stiff, but I had already bagged it and decided to just go with it, rather than thinning it out a bit.

Here is the original link on Glorious Treats Blog.  And unfortunately, I don't have any actual Hydrangea plants to set them by for a picture like she did on her blog- so a boring pic from the kitchen counter will have to do.

I will definitely make these again!