Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Equipment
- Cupcake liners, 9×13 baking pan OR (2) 8" round pans.
- mixer with paddle attachment
- liquid measuring cup, measuring cups & spoons
- off-set spatula or piping bags
Ingredients
- Gluten-Free Cupcake Baking Mix
- 1/2 c. butter OR 1/3 c. oil room temp
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 c. cocoa powder
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 2/3 c. buttermilk or milk
- 2 T. hot coffee or additional milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla
HOMEMADE BUTTERCREAM
- 1 c. butter room temp
- 3 ½ c. powdered sugar
- 2 T. cream or milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
PREP
- Gather equipment. Prepare cupcake liners. Place cupcake liners into the baking pan and lightly spray the pan with cooking spray.
MAKE BATTER
- Pour in bag of baking mix into the mixer. Add cocoa and sugar.
- Add oil, egg, milk and vanilla and mix well. Let batter rest for 5-15 minutes and mix again to fully hydrate gluten-free flour.
- For best results let batter chill one hour or overnight.
- Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes. Let cool, frost and store in air-tight container.
- To make into a 8" round cake instead of cupcakes, pour batter into (2) cake pans. Fill each pan 2/3 full and bake for 25-35 minutes. To assemble cake: place 1 st layer on cake plate. Pipe frosting around the outside border. Fill the center with frosting. Place 2nd layer on cake and frost the top layer and let it spill over to sides. Frost sides with off-set spatula.Use off-set spatula to frost cupcakes or a simple design like a rosette using Wilton tip 1M. If you are going to pipe any decorations, like flowers it is best to use a stiff consistency.
BUTTERCREAM
- Beat butter until light in color.
- Add powdered sugar, cream and vanilla.
- Mix on medium speed until fluffy (about 5 minutes)
- Frost cupcakes using an off-set spatula or piping tip.
Notes
You can use room temp butter or oil, or a combination of both. I recommend using canola oil since it will provide neutral flavor to the cupcake.
Buttermilk yields a light, tender crumb. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make it by placing 1 T. of vinegar into a liquid measuring cup and add whole milk up to make it 1 c.
If time allows, be sure to let the batter rest as hydrating the gluten-free flour is an important step for light and tender bakes. You can make the batter ahead of time and place in the fridge and scoop batter when needed.
For extra light and fluffy frosting, add 1 egg white or 1 T. meringue powder.
Storage: Gluten-free baked goods do not have the same shelf-life as conventional baked goods. Store in airtight container on counter 1-2 days, refrigerate 3-5 days, or seal in plastic and place in freezer safe container for up to 6 months. When freezing, allow to come to room temperature before opening the container.
Buttermilk yields a light, tender crumb. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make it by placing 1 T. of vinegar into a liquid measuring cup and add whole milk up to make it 1 c.
If time allows, be sure to let the batter rest as hydrating the gluten-free flour is an important step for light and tender bakes. You can make the batter ahead of time and place in the fridge and scoop batter when needed.
For extra light and fluffy frosting, add 1 egg white or 1 T. meringue powder.
Storage: Gluten-free baked goods do not have the same shelf-life as conventional baked goods. Store in airtight container on counter 1-2 days, refrigerate 3-5 days, or seal in plastic and place in freezer safe container for up to 6 months. When freezing, allow to come to room temperature before opening the container.
