Gluten-Free Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

Ingredients (makes 11)

For the orange cupcakes

215g gluten-free plain flour • 133g caster sugar • 1.5tsp gluten-free baking powder • 1 pinch salt • 62.5g butter • 190ml orange juice • 62.5ml vegetable oil • 1/2tsp orange essence • 1 egg • 3 drops yellow food gel • 2 drops red food gel

For the orange frosting

150g butter • 300g icing sugar • 2tbsp orange juice • 2 drops orange essence • 2 drops yellow food gel • 1 drop red food gel •

To decorate

11tsp chocolate fudge ganache • 55 chocolate chips • 11 modelling chocolate hearts (plus gold edible dust)

To make the orange cupcakes…

• Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC and line a baking tray with cupcake cases
• Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl
• Add the wet ingredients and mix well with a hand mixer
• Use an ice cream scoop to transfer 2 scoops of the batter into each cupcake case
• Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, then leave to cool whilst you prepare the frosting

To make the frosting…

• Whisk the butter with a hand mixer for 5 minutes
• Add the icing sugar in quarters and whisk until smooth
• Add the orange essence, orange juice and food gels

To decorate…

• Take use the tip of a wide round piping nozzle to take the core out of each cupcake
• Fill the centre of each cupcake with ready-made chocolate fudge ganache
• Pipe a double swirl of orange frosting on each cupcake with a star tipped nozzle
• Put 5 chocolate chips in the space inside the frosting swirl
• Roll out the modelling chocolate, cut out 11 hearts and brush gold edible dust on the hearts using a stencil
• Place the hearts on the cupcakes, forming a roof over the frosting and chocolate chips

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Gluten-Free S’mores Cupcakes

These sweet and sticky cupcakes bring me back to the summer, when I made my first real s’mores with friends on camp. We had a bonfire night in the forest, the stars above us as we danced around the flames in the gathering dark. It may be approaching winter now, but with this new recipe, you’ll be able to savour your sweet summer memories all year round. Unfortunately, we don’t have graham crackers in the UK, so I’ve substituted the classic ingredient with digestive biscuits (much to my American friends’ disgust).

Ingredients (makes 22 cupcakes)

For the cake batter:

300g butter

300g caster sugar

300g gluten-free self-raising flour

5 eggs

2tsp vanilla essence

To decorate:

250g butter

425g icing sugar

75g cocoa powder

100g dark chocolate chips

1 pack mini marshmallows

4 gluten free digestive biscuits

edible glitter (optional)

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and line 2 baking trays with cupcake cases
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl
3. Add the eggs, flour and vanilla essence and mix well
4. Put one and a half ice cream scoopfuls of batter into each cupcake case and put in the oven for 18-20 minutes
5. To make the chocolate frosting, cream the butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder together until smooth and fluffy (add 2tbsp water to loosen if necessary)
6. Once the cupcakes have cooled, pipe the frosting in a double layered ring on each cupcake using a star tipped piping nozzle
7. Melt the dark chocolate chips in the microwave at 20 second intervals, mixing in between, until smooth
8. Pipe the melted chocolate (using a small piping bag or ziplock bag) on top of the frosting ring, gently guiding it down the sides so that it drips
9. Top the cupcakes with mini marshmallows and crushed biscuits (and edible glitter, of course)

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Ingredients (makes 17 cupcakes)

For the cupcakes 

• 225g plain flour
• 115g caster sugar
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1tsp spice mix
• 1tsp ginger
• 50g honey
• 115g golden syrup
• 50ml cooking oil
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 80ml orange juice

To decorate

• 250g Sugar and Crumbs salted caramel icing sugar
• 50g regular icing sugar
• 150g butter
• 2tbsp milk
• 1 pack Renshaw dark brown, chocolate flavoured fondant
• gold edible dust
• edible glitter

Special equipment needed

• Fondant decorating stencils
• Paintbrush
• Scone cutter
• Star piping nozzle
• Palette knife

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC and line a baking tray with cupcake cases
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, caster sugar and spices
3. Add the honey, golden syrup, cooking oil and eggs
4. In a small bowl, stir the bicarbonate of soda into the orange juice (it will fizz), then add this to the main batter and beat well
5. Fill the cupcake cases with 2 ice cream scoops of batter and put in the oven for 20 minutes (until they look golden brown and feel springy on top)
6. Let the cupcakes cool on a rack while you prepare the frosting
7. For the frosting, cream the butter until fluffy and gradually sift in the icing sugars
8. Add 2tbsp milk to make the frosting light and smooth, and cream the ingredients with an electric mixer for several minutes for the best results
9. Pipe the frosting in a ring on top of each cupcake, dragging the piping nozzle inwards to complete the circle
10. On a clean and dry surface dusted with icing sugar, roll out the fondant to the thickness of a £1 coin and use a scone cutter to cut out 1 disc for each cupcake
11. Line up your discs and cover them with a stencil, pressing it firmly into place on the fondant
12. Paint the gold edible dust onto the discs, being careful not to move the stencil out of position
13. Carefully lift the stencil off the discs and use a palette knife to place one on the centre of each cupcake
14. Sprinkle some edible glitter on top of the cupcakes for an extra sparkle!

Raspberry & White Chocolate Cupcakes

Delicate and delectable, these cupcakes have an exquisite balance of sweet vanilla, fragrant raspberries, and a white chocolate surprise that will melt in the mouth. These cupcakes are easy to make… but even easier to finish eating… 

 

Ingredients:

For the batter…

200g caster sugar

200g self-raising flour

200g butter

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 box of frozen raspberries

100g white chocolate chips

To decorate…

500g icing sugar

250g butter

1tsp vanilla essence

2 drops raspberry extract (optional)

1 handful freeze-dried raspberries

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
• Cream the butter and caster sugar together
• Mix the eggs and vanilla essence together before adding to the sugar and butter
• Sift the flour into the batter and combine well
• Add a couple of raspberries to the bottom of each cupcake case
• Spoon in the cupcake batter until the cupcake cases are 2/3 full
• Add a generous sprinkle of white chocolate chips on top of the batter before putting in the oven for 20 minutes (take out when they’re a light golden brown colour)
• To prepare the frosting, cream the icing sugar and butter together with vanilla essence (you can also add a couple of drops of raspberry essence but this is optional)
• When the cupcakes have cooled, pipe the frosting in a swirl and finish with a sprinkle of freeze-dried raspberries (and edible glitter!)

Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes

I made these delicious cupcakes to celebrate my birthday, and they went down a treat! The Nesquik powder and Party Rings make me feel so nostalgic and it’s so exciting to be able to combine them in a fun dessert. The best part is that they actually taste of a strawberry milkshake! Make sure to use colourful cupcake cases and a generous serving of frosting! Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients

On another occasion, I used the left-over strawberry milkshake frosting to decorate vanilla cupcakes and dyed the frosting blue to match the cupcake cases.

For the batter:

430g plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

265g granulated sugar

375ml milk

125ml vegetable oil

125g butter

2 tbsp strawberry yoghurt

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 eggs

200g strawberry Nesquik powder

For the frosting:

200g butter

400g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

120g strawberry Nesquik powder

Extras:

1 pack of ‘Party Rings’ to decorate

Strawberry jam as a filling

Method

• Preheat the oven to 160°C
• Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl
• Cream the butter and sugar together, then add to the dry ingredients
• Combine all the other wet ingredients in a separate mixing bowl, then add to the other mixture
• Spoon the batter into cupcake cases
• Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes
• When the cupcakes have cooled, use a sharp knife to cut the core out of each cupcake and fill the hole with a spoonful of strawberry jam
• To make the frosting, cream the butter, icing sugar, vanilla essence, food colouring and Nesquik
• Pipe onto each cupcake and half-submerge a Party Ring biscuit inside the frosting before it has set

 

Gluten-Free Honey Cupcakes

On Rosh Hashanah, the
Jewish new year, it is customary to dip apple in honey and wish friends and family a ‘sweet’ new year. Honey cake is also
very popular at this time of year as it incorporates this symbolic ingredient. I decided to use a simple honey cake recipe for cupcakes to give as gifts to loved ones for the new year. I can safely say that they are absolutely delicious and will make sweet treats for Rosh Hashanah (the warm spices also give them an autumnal feel so will be perfect for the coming months).

Ingredients (makes 18)

For the cake batter:

2 eggs

150g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 cup boiling water

200g golden syrup

1/2 cup sunflower oil

300g Dove’s Farm gluten-free self raising flour

2 heaped tsp cinnamon

3 heaped tsp ginger

1 tsp mixed spice

For the frosting/decoration:

250g margarine

500g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tbsp mixed spices

2 tbsp water

1 Crunchie bar or any other chocolate-covered honeycomb

gold decorative sprinkles

How to make the cake batter:

• Preheat the oven to 160°C
• Beat the caster sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl
• Add the sunflower oil and vanilla essence
• Sift the dry ingredients (flour, spices and bicarb) into a separate bowl
• Add the boiling water to the syrup in a separate container and stir them until they have dissolved together (if you don’t have enough golden syrup, feel free to compensate with honey or a butterscotch syrup)
• Add the flour mixture and syrup mixture alternately to the bowl with the other wet ingredients
• Use an ice cream scoop to put the cake batter into cupcake cases as is a very sloppy mixture (2 scoops for regular cupcake cases or 3 scoops for larger cases – like the brown paper ones in my photos)
• Put the cupcakes in the oven for 20 minutes and then check to see whether they need to stay in for a few extra minutes (they should be a golden brown colour, spongy and moist – do not over-bake!)

How to make the frosting and decorate the cupcakes:

• Soften the margarine and cream until smooth
• Add the icing sugar and mix together until smooth
• Add the vanilla essence and spices (you can change the quantity of spices depending on personal preference – I’d suggest tasting as you go along until you’re happy)
• If the frosting is too stiff, add tablespoons of water and mix again until you have your desired consistency
• Put the Crunchie (or honeycomb) into a ziplock bag and crush it with the end of a rolling pin – you want a range of different sized chunks and lots of crumbs, too
• Pipe a swirl of frosting onto the cupcakes and sprinkle the honeycomb crumbs/chunks on top before the frosting sets
• Alternatively, use gold coloured decorative sprinkles to complement the earthy toned honey cake and spiced frosting

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have enjoyed baking these honey cupcakes! I shall definitely be serving them again next Rosh Hashanah 🙂 Shana Tova to all my Jewish blog followers!

Lemon Cupcakes

There’s something delightful about mixing sweet and sour flavours to challenge the senses. My lemon cupcakes are light, fluffy and bittersweet – perfect for afternoon tea in the sunshine. Complete with streaky frosting swirls and a cute blueberry and fondant flower, they are sure to brighten up your day.

 

Ingredients (makes 10 cupcakes)

For the cupcake batter…

150g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 pinch bicarbonate of soda

1 pinch salt

115g caster sugar

100g butter

2 eggs

1 1/3 tsp lemon zest

1 1/3 tsp lemon juice

70ml milk

For the cupcake frosting…

80g butter

265g icing sugar

2/3 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 tsp lemon zest

2/3 tsp lemon juice

3 tbsp milk

1 drop of blue and yellow food colouring

To decorate…

1/2 pack of fondant

10 blueberries

edible glitter

5 cocktail sticks (not to eat, don’t worry!)

How to make the cupcakes…

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. 
• Sift the flour into a bowl and add the other dry ingredients (baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt).
• Put the butter in a second bowl (this bowl needs to be large as it will be the main mixing bowl) and melt in the microwave so that it’s softer and ready for mixing.
• Add the sugar to the butter and mix them together until creamy.
• Crack the eggs into a third bowl and whisk gently to get a smooth consistency.
• Add the remaining wet ingredients to the bowl with the eggs (milk, vanilla extract, lemon juice). Also grate lemon zest into this bowl. Stir everything.
• Add half of the contents of the first bowl to the second bowl (with the butter and sugar). Fold in the dry ingredients carefully so that the batter will be light and fluffy.
• Add half of the contents of the third bowl to the second bowl and continue to fold.
• Repeat the previous two steps so that all the ingredients are now in the large mixing bowl and folded in.
• Line a baking tray with cupcake cases (the mixture is a little bit greasy so foil cases will work better than paper ones).
• Spoon the batter into the cases so that they are 2/3 full.
• Put the tray in the over for 20-25 minutes. Test the cupcakes after 20 minutes with a cocktail stick (if it comes out clean, it’s ready).
• Place the tray on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes before decorating. Whilst you’re waiting, do some washing up, clear your surface and make the frosting/decorations!

How to make the frosting…

• Put the butter in a mixing bowl and melt in the microwave to soften it.
• Sift in the icing sugar in small amounts, mixing it in well before adding the next bit.
• Add the vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon extract.
• The milk is simply to make the frosting softer and easier to pipe. If the frosting is already smooth, the milk is not needed, but if it’s still sticky and powdery, keep adding the milk in tablespoons until the consistency is as you desire.

How to decorate the cupcakes…

• Split the frosting mixture in half and put each half in a separate bowl. 
• Get two piping bags ready with a star-shaped nozzle in each.
• Pour a drop of yellow food colouring down the inside of the piping bag so that it makes a streak all the way down. Repeat this so that there are a few streaks running down all the way round the inside. This may be messy so hold the piping bag inside a tall glass to catch stray drops of food colouring if needed. Do the same with blue food colouring in the other piping bag. I chose yellow to represent the lemon flavour, and blue to complement the blueberry decoration.
• Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, starting in the middle and spiralling outwards. 
• Roll out your fondant on a suface lightly spinkled with spare icing sugar. 
• Use flower shaped cutters to make fondant flowers, and gently press them onto the centre of the freshly frosted cupcakes.
• Snap 5 cocktail sticks in half and push each half through the centre of each cupcake.
• Attach a blueberry to the top of the cocktail stick, which will hold it in place.
• Sprinkle edible glitter over the cupcakes to make them sparkle!