Lemon Cupcakes (LF) (GF)

Lemon cupcakes are refreshingly delicious. Full of lemon zesty goodness, lactose free for my wonderful "guinea pig" (partner) as well as amazingly soft and springy for a gluten free cake recipe. I topped these with a basic lemon icing recipe; something I'm not used to making so please excuse the poorly made/applied icing - it's not my best effort but it did not affect the taste.

Lemon Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

For the cupcakes:
89g rice flour
67g maize cornflour
28g almond meal
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
150g sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
80 ml canola oil
200 ml soy milk
1 lemon, zested and juiced

For the icing:
1 lemon zested and juiced
2 cups icing sugar
1 drop of yellow food colouring

METHOD:

Turn on oven to bake at 180 degrees celcius.

In a bowl mix together rice flour, cornflour, almond meal, xanthan gum, sugar and baking soda.

Mix together the eggs, soy milk, oil, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Add wet ingredients mixture to dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

Line and fill a 12 pan cupcake tin so each is 3/4 full of mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

To make icing, mix together lemon juice, food colouring and icing sugar until nice and smooth.

Add more icing sugar if required to get a spreading consistency.

Add lemon zest to icing mixture.

Once cupcakes are cooled, spread icing onto cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Vanilla Cupcakes (GF) (LF)

Vanilla cupcakes - yum! Classic sweetie goodness. Bonus with these ones is they're gluten free and lactose free yet still very soft, fluffy and delicious. I made a batch to celebrate a friend's birthday only to have to make another so I could blog them here.

Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:
130g margarine
130g caster sugar
125g rice flour
1tsp xantham gum
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla essence
2tsp baking powder

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
Cream margarine and sugar until fluffy and pale.
Mix flour with xantham gum and baking powder.
Fold half the flour and one egg in to the margarine/sugar mixture.
Fold remaining egg and flour into the mixture.
Fold in vanilla essence.
Line a cupcake tin with patty cases.
Fill cases 3/4 full and bake for 12-15 minutes.
Remove when golden or an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack.

For vanilla icing:
Cream 100g margarine with 100g icing sugar until light and fluffy.
Mix in 1tsp vanilla. (Add 50g sifted cocoa if chocolate icing required).
Spread over cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Just desserts here

Apricot, Sour Cream & Coconut Cupcakes Recipe

Apricot, Sour Cream and Coconut Cupcakes are soft, sweet and absolutely delicous. When covered with an apricot jam glaze they are quite appealing to the eye too. Just take care to ensure they are fully cooled before storing them in an airtight container to prevent them from collapsing.

Apricot, Sour Cream and Coconut Cupcakes - with Apricot Jam Glaze

INGREDIENTS:
220g self-raising flour
45g desiccated coconut
125g butter
230g caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
250mL apricot nectar
125g sour cream
1 tin apricot halves in juice (or 20 apricot halves)
80g apricot jam

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius and line muffin tin with paper cases
Sift flour into abowl
Add coconut.
Melt butter and sugar in a saucepan over low heat until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat
Whisk egg, apricot nectar aand sour cream in a small bowl.
Add butter and egg mixtures to floue mixture.
Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
Spoon mixture into muffin cases, placing an apricot half, cut side up, on top of each.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Transfer to wire rack to cool.
Heat jamm in a small saucepan until melted. Brush a little jam over each cupcake.

Makes 20

Enjoy!

Just desserts here 

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe (LF)

Chocolate cupcakes are just perfect for afternoon tea or as a treat when feeling a little peckish. These are made with lactose-free dark chocolate and lactose-free margarine then topped off with sprinkles and dairy-free chocolate butter cream icing (the recipe for which can be found here). Making them a special treat for my lactose intolerant partner.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Sprinkles and Dairy-Free Butter Cream Icing

INGREDIENTS:

150g margarine
200g dark chocolate (lactose-free)
185g self-raising flour
30g cocoa powder
285g caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
185ml water
Dairy-free Chocolate Butter Cream Icing

METHOD:

Sift flour and cocoa into a large bowl; set aside.
In a heat proof bowl, add margarine and chocolate.
Sit bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water.
Stir the mixture constantly until melted.
Combine margarine and chocolate mixture with sugar, eggs and water. Mix well.
Add chocolate mixture to flour and cocoa.
Stir until well combined.
Heat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
Line 20 standard muffin holes with paper cases.
Divide mixture evenly among the cases.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Transfer onto a wire rack.

Once cooled, ice with butter cream icing and top off with sprinkles or chocolate hail.

Makes 20.

Enjoy!

Just desserts here 

Dairy-Free Chocolate Butter Cream Icing Recipe (LF) (GF)

This Dairy-free Chocolate Butter Cream Icing Recipe is a variation of that posted by The Dairy-Free Diva which can be found here. Finally, I can now make pretty cupcakes for my partner who is lactose intolerant :). Can't wait. Very excited! Lots of thanks goes out to Stephanie Colman: The Dairy-Free Diva for the recipe. I tried out my first batch on top of my feijoa cake; it was delicious and very easy to make.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup cold margarine
2 2/3 cup icing sugar
6 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD:
Put margarine into a bowl.
Sift in icing sugar and cocoa powder.
Mix well.
Mix in vanilla essence with a wooden spoon.
Over a shallow sink of warm water, beat the mixture until it forms into a spreadable consistency.
Remove bowl from sink and your dairy-free butter cream icing is ready to use.

TIPS:

• After you add the vanilla essence, the mixture will still seem quite dry
• Make sure the water in the sink is not hot as the mixture will split if heated too far
• After you start forming a thick icing consistency, electric beaters can be used to get a smooth consistency. 

Enjoy!

Just desserts here