Category: small cakes/ muffins

Gluten Free Chocolate and Blackberry Cupcakes.

orladoes2 Comments

As it will be my mother’s birthday next week, and mother’s day on Sunday, I wanted to bake her something special, as it is a double celebration. I was having a think about what I could bake. I made some jam last year and I still have jar of blackberry jam left. I wanted to use it up with these cupcakes.

I had a look for cupcake recipes for inspirations in my cookbook collection, and I stumbled across a recipe in Nigella Lawson’s Domestic Goddess. She has a recipe for chocolate and cherry cupcakes. I decided to adapted this recipe using my jam and gluten free flour. I also used coconut sugar instead of caster sugar. It works brilliantly!

I love using this book. There was something so special adapting this recipe,because when I was younger this was the book me and mum would bake from.

I love it when you can get inspiration for new bakes from recipe books you have had for years.

My chocolate and blackberry cupcakes.

Ingredients for cupcakes:

  • 125g unsalted butter
  • 100g dark chocolate
  • 300g blackberry jam
  • 150g coconut sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 150g gluten free self-raising flour

For the chocolate ganache icing:

  • 100g dark chocolate
  • 100ml of double cream

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 170 fan / gas mark 4. Line a large muffin tin with 12 muffin cases.

2. Put the butter in a large pan on the heat to melt. When the butter is almost melted, stir in the chocolate. Leave for a moment until the chocolate has started to melt.

3. Take the pan off the heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the butter and chocolate are smooth and melted. Stir in the jam, sugar and eggs with a wooden spoon. Once the mixture is well mixed stir in the flour and salt. Make sure the flour is mixed in well.

4. Pour the mixture into 12 muffin cases. Bake for 25 mins. They should be done once a cake skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack.

5. While the cakes are cooling make the icing. Break the chocolate into a bowl. Bring the cream up to the boil. Once the cream is up to the boil, take off the heat and add the chocolate stirring to get a smooth ganache.

6. Finally spoon the ganache onto the cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Halloween Cupcakes

orladoes2 Comments

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It’s nearly time for the most spooky and scary time of year again, Halloween! If you are having a Halloween party or just giving out sweets, these pumpkin cupcakes with spiced cream cheese frosting will do the trick!

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I love Halloween, it’s the best occasion to be creative with your bakes. These cupcakes are a great way to get the kids into the kitchen and interested in baking.  They can be decorated in different ways. These cupcakes use up the left overs from the pumpkins.

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Recipe for Gluten Free Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

  • 110g unsalted butter
  • 240g coconut sugar (you can use brown sugar)
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 100g of pumpkin puree (roasted)
  • 245g gluten free self raising flour
  • ½ tsp xantham gum
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 125ml buttermilk  (or 120ml milk with a teaspoon of lemon juice)

For the white ghost icing:

  • 75g cream cheese
  • 150g icing sugar
  • 1tsp lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract

For the ginger buttercream:

  • 125g  unsalted butter
  • 300g icing sugar
  • 4 tsp  crystallised ginger syrup
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Orange food colouring (add as much as you want depending how orange you want it)

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 160° fan/180°/350°f/gas mark 4, and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake cases.
  2. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is smooth (this takes 5 mins I like to put a timer on). Then beat in the vanilla extract.
  3.  In a separate bowl combine the flour, xantham gum, cinnamon and ginger give it a stir so all the spices are mixed in.
  4. Break the eggs into a cup and mix, poor half the mixture into the butter and sugar. Then add a spoon on flour (this stops the mixture curdling). Do this until all the egg is mixed in. Then add the the pumpkin and beat until just combined.
  5. Add one third of the flour to the creamed mixture and beat in, then add half of the butter milk and beat.  Repeat these steps until all the flour and butter milk has been added.
  6. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases and fill just to the top.
  7. Bake for 25 mins. Check if the cakes are cooked by inserting a skewer. They are cooked if the skewer comes out clean.
  8. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then place on a cooling rack to completely cool before icing.

For the white ghost icing:

  1.  Cream the cream cheese for 3 minutes until light and fluffy
  2.  Then add all the other ingredients and beat until all the ingredients are combined.

For the ginger icing:

  1. Cream the butter, syrup and lemon juice for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  2.  Add the icing sugar and cinnamon and beat until smooth.

 

To decorate:

I used a large nozzle piping bag to create a swirl effect.  you could of course ice with a flat knife.  I topped the cakes with Halloween decorations and googly eyes.

Enjoy!

Coconut Muffins

orladoes1 Comment

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Happy summer, the sunshine is finally appearing after a very snowy March. Recently after work on a Saturday I have been going for a walk in Primrose Hill. My colleagues have been asking to take cakes in.  I have been craving muffins. They are perfect to take on the go and I find them less rich than a cake. When working it gives me the energy to keep me going for the rest of my shift. So I have been making lots of different flavors and this one is my family and friends favorite.

Gluten free coconut muffins!

The great thing about this recipe is it does not take long to bake , so if I have the ingredients I can make them easy and quickly.

 

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My mum and I have decided to buy English organic frozen fruit for these muffins. It means that I can make the muffins when ever I like . I always make sure I have sugar, flour and milk in the fridge.  The English frozen fruit is actually sometimes cheaper than non frozen fruit.

I always loved eating coconut muffins when I was studying for my A levels last year. I would go and have a cup of tea and I would order a lemon and coconut muffin, but now I am not eating gluten I have to make my own. Its hard to find gluten free muffins in tea shops.

These muffins are actually made with almond milk. I made them both with coconut and almond milk and I found the almond milk works best.

 

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I now take these into work every Saturday but I never get bored of them.

I hope you like making and eating this recipe too !!!

Enjoy!!!

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Recipe: Gluten free coconut muffins

Ingredients:

  • 200g self raising flour
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 25g desiccated coconut
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 100ml sunflower oil
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 150ml almond milk
  • Blackberries (about half a packet)

 

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
  2. Put the flour, sugar, coconut and salt in a bowl and mix together.
  3. Make a well in the middle and then add the oil and egg and mix together.
  4. Add the milk and mix together. Stir in the blackberries (don’t worry if they get squashed that will mean you get a better distribution of blackberries).
  5. Finally spoon into muffin cases (makes 12 muffins)
  6. Bake for 30-35 mins. (They will be done when the skewer comes out clean)
  7. Once done leave the muffins to cool then take out of the muffin tray and leave on a cooling rack to cool completely .