Gluten and dairy free, one bowl, simple chocolate cupcakes

This weekend we were invited to a family get together. My mum is one of seven siblings so it can be quite a gathering when the whole family turns up. 

This time it was relatively quiet, but with culinary skills running in the genes there was the usual semi-competitive bake off. 

A homemade chicken pie, a beautiful pork pie and two home baked loaves made my humble cupcakes pale into insignificance. But at least my offering was gluten and dairy free. 

When we arrived one of my Aunties proclaimed "I've weighed our breads and Sylvia's is the heaviest!" I mis-heard and thought she said "weighed our breasts"!! Oops! 

The beauty of these gluten and dairy free cupcakes is that you would never know they aren't 'normal'. It's the simplest recipe and if you use Doves Farm Gluten Free flour you don't need to worry about finding gluten free baking powder or Xantham Gum. 

I was really pleased with how these baked. They were soft and spongy and I defy anyone to tell the difference from a traditional chocolate cupcake.

I have to hold my hands up and admit they don't quite live up to The Pink Whisk's chocolate cake recipe in which vinegar is added to milk to cause a chemical reaction that results in a really rich and gooey texture that's just divine. If you're not dairy-free I urge you to try this.

However for a gluten and dairy free treat, these will do just fine!

I had some leftover buttercream from last week's orders so I topped half of them with icing roses so anyone not following gluten and dairy free didn't feel too hard done by.  

The allergen-free ones were topped with icing sugar using a (cheap) heart shaped icing template hence the rough edges and different sizes! 

RECIPE

120g Dove's Farm self raising flour

120g margarine or dairy free spread (check the ingredients, I used Pure Dairy Free Spread) 

120g caster sugar

2 eggs

4 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used Green and Blacks organic, it's just divine) 

1-2 tablespoons of dairy alternative milk e.g. almond milk, oat milk, rice milk or soya milk. 

METHOD

There really is no detail to the method. Put everything apart from the milk substitute in the bowl of a mixer and go. Start slowly and work up to full speed. You'll literally need just a couple of minutes and it's done. If the mixture is on the thick side, add a small amount of milk substitute and remix. 

This will make 12 cupcakes. 

Pop in the oven for 20 minutes - 190 C (170 C for Dan oven) / 375 F / gas mark 5. 

When the timer goes off, pop a cocktail stick in one of the cupcakes and if it comes out clean they're done. Bob's your Uncle and Fanny's your Aunt as they say! Although they're not - despite such a huge family there isn't a Bob or a Fanny! 

Happy Baking!

Cupcake selection

It's a boy - baby shower cupcakes

 

Babygrow embossed with 'it's a boy', quilted toppers and and pitter patter of tiny feet.

 

Pretty pink cupcakes, embossed topper with flowers, quilted topper and roses.

 

Vintage cupcakes, bows, roses and quilted toppers. These cakes featured at a wedding fayre on a vintage china hire stand.

National Cupcake Week

Despite being back at work after maternity leave and the house being a state, the ironing piling up and nothing in the fridge that's still in its sell by date, I couldn't let National Cupcake Week go by without my own bake off.

On Thursday it was my boss's birthday and what better way to suck up to the boss than a dozen cupcakes? I think the results show that yellow and grey even works for cakes. I love this colour combination.

I took over mum's kitchen again this morning to do a birthday batch, choosing a purple and lilac theme.

Both batches were inspired by my new baking bible, Ruth Clements' Busy Girls's Guide to Cake Decorating. Ruth was in the first series of Great British Bake Off and has her own blog www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk.

Yum, yum, happy National Cupcake Week.

 

 

Pinterest - my new favourite social network

I could spend hours trawling Pinterest for inspiration. The gorgeous cakes and cookies I find just make me want to get baking.

http://thedecoratedcookie.com/2009/05/watermelon-cookies/

I've started following a few inspirational boards and have created a few boards myself. I've put all my own cakes on one board and created others to keep track of ideas I'd like to try.

https://pinterest.com/marecip/cookies/

https://pinterest.com/followcharlotte/cakes-and-parties/

http://pinterest.com/jessicamotz/cake-ideas/

I am trying to 'suggest' to puddle duck that she should have a 'Hungry Caterpillar' themed party so that I can do a cupcake caterpillar and cookies made out of all of the different things the caterpillar ate through.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cococake/3380402658/

She's not having any of it though and wants a fairy with a castle! Oh well, I'll just have to search Pinterest for fairy cakes.

Charity bake sale

Here are some pictures from the charity bake sale last week in aid of Breastfeeding Awareness week.

Mine are the purple roses and the garden themed cakes. I had so much fun making the garden cakes for my father in law a few weeks ago and I thought they looked so cute that they may raise a bit of money for the charity.

I did flower pots, ladybirds and small flowers on top of grass buttercream icing. I just love the grass nozzle. I also tried to do the watering can run outs again, but they all cracked when I tried to remove them from the greaseproof paper. I think next time I may try cling film instead. 

In the top picture you can see my friends put more thought into their cakes than I did - they both did boobs! One friend even made two versions, chocolate flavour and vanilla flavour! Love it! 

Charity cake sale

A friend just texted me and asked whether I want to bake some cakes for a charity event she is part of?

Er, YES! It took less than five seconds to consider the request and already my mind is a whirl of potential cupcake toppings and biscuit designs.

The event is organised by New Cross hospital maternity unit in Wolverhampton as part of National Breastfeeding Week 2012. It's planned for Thursday 21 June at Bantock House in Bradmore, Wolverhampton.

Pregnant mums, new mothers, families and health professionals are invited to bring a picnic and join in the fun, including live music presentations and activities. The event runs from 10am to 3pm.

More information can be found on the West Midlands regional infant feeding coordinators network web site http://www.infantfeedingwm.org.uk/nbw.aspx.

I'm thinking big buttercream toppings for the cupcakes, in typical candy colours and some simple heart and circle biscuits with patterns from my new embossing mats. I am going to pack them into little cellophane bags to make them more hygienic for the stall and hopefully easier to transport.

The problem won't be making them it will be knowing when to stop!