Cake #20 - Gluten-Free Orange Creme Cupcakes

 

For Lilah's birthday party with her school friends I bought a 1/2 sheet cake from Safeway.  But I decided to make my cake for the week be gluten-free cupcakes.  Two of the kids coming to the party don't eat gluten, so it seemed worth having a gluten-free option in my repertoire.  Without a cookbook to refer to, I searched online and found this recipe for Orange Creme Cupcakes.  Not only are these cupcakes gluten free, but when made with her frosting, they're also vegan.  [One of my two gluten-free eating kids doesn't like frosting, so I planned to make her whipped cream frosting instead.  I still had several end-of-batches of buttercream, and a bit of cream cheese frosting, so I wasn't planning to make any new frosting this day.]

I have little experience with gluten-free baking and I had to buy a lot of new ingredients (including visiting two different Whole Foods stores to find the potato starch).  It's a bit more like a science experiment than regular baking but I have to say I was very pleased with the outcome.  I gave batches away to a couple of families, and I understand they were enjoyed.  They are grainier than wheat cupcakes, and my guess is, that if you can eat gluten, you probably wouldn't electively choose these.  But for someone who needs to eat gluten free, these should be a satisfactory dessert. 

I only brought two to Lilah's party, and then learned that another child is allergic to eggs, and I wished I'd brought another - as vegan cupcakes, these would have been good for her too!

Cupcakes are a great way to use up the last bits of frosting from previous weeks' cakes.  Buttercream is sufficiently difficult to make that you don't really want to throw any away.  I loaded up a bunch of Ziploc bags with my leftovers, and with large frosting tips swirled on the frosting in a matter of minutes.  Since they were orange flavor I simply decorated with orange sprinkles, but if I'd be feeling like sharing, my kids could have gone crazy with sprinkle decorations. 

 

The blue frosting is almond buttercream, there is chocolate buttercream, the orange colored is orange-flavored cream cheese frosting, and the rest are vanilla whipped cream.

 

Thanks to Karina for the recipe!!

 

Orange Crème Cupcakes

3/4 cup sorghum flour

3/4 cup potato starch (not potato flour!)

3/4 cup organic cane sugar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

2 teaspoons fresh orange zest

2 tablespoons light olive oil or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon raw organic agave or honey

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice at room temperature (fresh juice gives the batter a fresh, bright taste and store-bought juice may have more acid and negatively affect the rise)

1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water

2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cupcake pan with paper liners.

2.       In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients- flours through xanthan gum. Add in the orange zest, oil, agave, orange juice, Egg Replacer and vanilla.

3.       Beat on medium speed for two minutes until the batter is smooth and fluffy. Make a 'figure eight' motion if the batter climbs the beaters (see below in notes).

4.       Let the batter sit a minute before spooning it into cupcake liners.

5.       Spoon the batter evenly into twelve lined cupcake cups.

6.       Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and firm (they should be slightly tender but too soft). Try not to open the door to peek until the very end of baking time- you don't want to jar the cupcakes and make them deflate. These cupcakes rose quite high, then slowly settled down to a slightly rounded shape at about 20 to 25 minutes.

7.       Remove and cool on a wire rack.

8.       When the cupcakes are completely cooled, frost with vegan Orange Creme Frosting (recipe follows).

 

Karina's Notes on gluten-free vegan batter:

·         Gluten-free vegan batters are a tad different than wheat and white flour batters. They are stiffer at first, then stretch and get sticky as the xanthan gum and egg replacer do their thing.

·         Don't beat the batter to death. Let it sit for a minute or two after mixing to let it relax and settle in.

·         If the batter "climbs" the beaters, slow down the speed and slightly lift the beaters to encourage the batter to move back down into the bowl. Move your beater around the bowl in figure eights, at a slight angle. Practice your technique- soon you'll be winging around gluten-free vegan baking like a pro.

 

Vegan Orange Creme Frosting Recipe

 

2 cups organic powdered sugar

1/4 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening (or your favorite vegan buttery spread)

1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice- more as needed

 

1.       In a mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar with the shortening and vanilla. Begin beating. Add in the orange juice a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Don't add too much juice too soon. Go slowly.

2.       Beat on medium high until the frosting is smooth and creamy. If it is too thin, add more sugar; too stiff, add a spoonful of orange juice. You want a medium bodied icing.

3.       Spoon the frosting into a zip-closing plastic sandwich baggie, press out the air and seal tight. Cut a very small hole in one of the bottom corners-- not too big. To frost, place the cut tip over the cupcake, near an outer edge, and squeeze the bag of frosting, gripping it tightly and moving in a circular motion, spiraling in toward the center, until the swirl of icing covers the cupcake.

4.       Top with a few pieces of orange zest. Or try a sprinkle of flaked coconut, finely chopped pecans or walnuts.

5.       Place in a freezable container to chill or freeze. Once frozen, you can wrap each cupcake individually for single treats, if you like.

 

From Gluten Free Goddess: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com