Wedding Testers: Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

So you may have noticed that I posted this blog once before. Well, the pictures anyway. It was basically blogging mistake #1040. Heaven knows the pictures are probably enough, but in case you wanted the recipe for these gluten free chocolate cakes that don’t taste gluten free, here are some words for you.

I made these cupcakes for a couple back in July. This is the last installment of the cupcake recipes I did for them. They had decided that honey poached pear cupcakes were not enough, that strawberry cupcakes alone would not cut it, and that key lime cupcakes would not satisfy by themselves. They were missing something. What were they missing, you ask? The answer, my friends, is chocolate. And, of course, a gluten free option for those friends who are intolerant of wheat gluten. Very considerate of others, they are.

I struggle with gluten free food. It’s hard to find, very expensive and finnicky to prepare. And besides that, many gluten-free cakes are hard as rocks. No one wants a cake that is as hard as a rock. So I tried to find a recipe that was interesting and cake-like. The following pictures demonstrate my fails.

My first idea was to stir the cherry jam directly into the batter before the cupcakes were baked. This turned out to be bad news. I actually have no idea why the cupcakes bubbled up like acid and remained flat without any trace of cherry flavor.

My second thought was to drop the cherries on top of the batter before the cupcakes were baked. This way, each cupcake would have a bit of cherry in it for sure.

While these were a bit better, they still lacked zing. Henceforth, I will only use the word ‘zing’ to describe cherries and goat cheese. Goat cheese has so much zing. For real.

I was a little discouraged that night. Instead of trying a new method, I used the extras on this tester to make several regular-size cupcakes…and to practice piping shells. I’m trying to get better at piping shells. It’s a struggle. Struggles, struggles, everywhere, but not a drop to drink…yet. (Name that movie. False. I’m just going to say it. My family may have watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory too much when I was little. It comes up in my blog all the time. That is so weird.)

The day before the event, I gave it a final shot. It turned a far more effective way to fill the cupcakes. First, I cut a little cone into the top of the cupcake, then spooned a cherry piece into the hole. Once covered with frosting, the cherries are perfectly invisible and meld nicely with the chocolate cake.

It worked out in the end! Like the way most couples work out in romantic comedies and the way most stomachs work out after Pizza Ranch excursions.

For yay,

L

One Bowl Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Cake

Adapted from food.com

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (see recipe below)
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon guar gum or 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 eggs
1 cup water

cherry preserves

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add all liquid ingredients besides the preserves, and mix well. Bake in greased and floured 9″ square pan or lined cupcake tin at 350 F, for 30 – 35, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. If you are making cupcakes or mini cupcakes, check your time at about 10 minutes just to see how things are getting on. It’ll probably take them less time to bake.

Once the cupcakes are finished and cool, cut a small cone out of the top of the cupcake. Fill each hole with cherry preserves. Frost as desired.

Gluten Free Flour Blend

6 cups oriental rice flour (Thai)
2 cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch

Blend well and store in an airtight container. I had to order the rice flour and tapioca starch online. I bit that bullet and was rewarded with awesome cupcakes. You can do the same. Also, check Festival Foods or Lund’s or something. They’ll have it.