A Welcoming Cupcake

I've been cooking gluten-free savory meals and snacks for years. However, when it comes to sweets and desserts, this is where I've recently ambled down a path of pulverized ancient grains and stumbled upon an entire world of seeds, grasses & nuts. One of my first creations involved an Ethiopian love grass called Teff, which I used as the base flour in my Almond Butter & Raspberry Jam Thumprints, a crumbly first attempt at a gluten-free cookie. I've unearthed the mother grain, eaten by the Incas known as Quinoa.  Millet may have been cultivated thousands of years before rice and holds up well to both sweet and savory applications. 

I've learned that not all Oats are created equal. Although naturally gluten-free oats are traditionally grown in fields next to Wheat and Barley and therefore harvested, milled and transported using the same equipment. The grains inevitably mingle and as a result the oats become contaminated with gluten.

I've discovered that Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum are a MUST when baking gluten free. I create both gluten-free & dairy-free goodies so I've embraced Coconut Oil as my butter substitute. Although, Olive Oil, Safflower and nut oils work just as well. T. and I have never been milk drinkers, so for baking my go to is Coconut Milk, but soy milk, almond, hazelnut milk, rice milk and oat milk all have unique flavor profiles and are fun to experiment with.

Welcome, to My Gluten-Free Belly!  I hope that you discover something new and come back to visit often.

Sweet Potato Coconut Cupcakes & Chai Frosting

1 dozen

1 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 extra large eggs, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup maple syrup

2/3 cup lite coconut milk, warm or room-temp** (may need 1/4 cup more)

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup mashed roasted sweet potatoes

1/2 batch of Chai Frosting (recipe to follow)

2-4 large slices of candied ginger, julienned

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flours, coconut flakes, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and spices.

In a separate large bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut milk and sugar. Stir in the mashed sweet potatoes.

Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture until well combined. 

**Coconut flour is extremely absorbent so you want to get this batter into the muffin liners as soon as possible. If the batter seems a bit thick then go ahead and add 1/8 cup of coconut milk at a time until the batter is the consistency of regular cake batter, not too thick and not thin like crepe or pancake batter, somewhere in between.

Divide the batter evenly among the lined muffin cups.

Bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick comes out clean, 20 - 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool before frosting.

Once cool frost with Chai Frosting.  

Chai Frosting 

Inspired by Flying Apron's Bakery Chai Buttercream

Enough to frost 2 & ½ dozen cupcakes

1 cup organic non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening (Spectrum)

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

a pinch of sea salt

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

¼ cup strongly steeped Chai tea, hot

In the bowl of an electric standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the shortening and powdered sugar on low and work up to medium speed. The mixture should change in appearance from a coarse crumb to a soft dough consistency, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add the spices, salt, vanilla and Chai tea. Continue to beat on medium speed for a few minutes until no longer curdled in appearance yielding a smooth  and creamy consistency, scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Whip on high speed for approximately 2 minutes until light & fluffy.

Frost cupcakes. If not using right away, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. If preparing from the fridge then warm slightly in a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over barely simmering water (making sure the bowl is not touching the water). Then place in the bowl of an electric standing mixer and whip until light and fluffy.

Garnish the cupcakes with 2-3 julienned pieces of candied ginger.