April 11, 2016
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes!
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Moist & Delicious Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting!
So I have posted a few Gluten-Free recipes now, but I have had oodles of requests for a Chocolate Cupcake/Cake one! I obviously thought it was time to oblige (and I had a request from my friend) soooo hello new recipe! I sort of went along the lines of my Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes and used the tactic of Custard Powder. And it worked! YUM!
Now, if you haven’t seen my Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes recipe, I use the Birds Eye Custard Powder as it lightens the texture, but binds it better. This is because I find that regular recipes where they have just been swapped for gluten free flour are quite crumbly and can be dry, and the custard powder stops this! And don’t worry, you can’t taste custard. The Birds Eye one is made with Maize/Corn Flour so its safe for Coeliacs, but its always best to check as I don’t know what it’ll be like in other countries for example. However, if you can’t access custard powder, the cupcakes are still delicious without the powder – I just prefer them with!
I decided to try something a little different with the frosting, and was inspired by my Christmas Yule Log recipe, as it uses real chocolate in the frosting, compared to cocoa powder. If you don’t want to use real chocolate, then my Chocolate Cupcakes recipes use cocoa powder! Either way, this is delicious. I LOVE using dark chocolate in my cupcakes – using the butter and sugar lightens it so it doesn’t taste like dark chocolate at all, its just delicious, sweet and creamy. Yum.
I personally use Doves Farm Gluten-Free flour as its available in most supermarkets at a relatively cheap price! I have heard that there are better ones, but quite frankly I just can’t afford to spend so much on flour – and to me, these are just as tasty like this! Enjoy!
This recipe makes 12 cupcakes!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
– 180g Unsalted Butter, Softened
– 180g Caster Sugar
– 3 Large Free Range Eggs, beaten
– 150g Gluten-Free Self Raising Flour
– 30g Cocoa Powder
– 50g Custard Powder (I used Bird’s Eye)
– 1/2tsp Vanilla Bean Extract
– 2tbsp Whole Milk
Chocolate Frosting
– 100g Dark Chocolate, melted & cooled.
– 125g Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
– 225g Icing Sugar
Decoration
– SO MANY SPRINKLES
Method
1) Preheat your oven to 170C/160CFan and Line a 12 Hole Muffin Tray with Large Cupcake Cases/Muffin Cases – leave to one side for now.
2) Cream together the Butter and Caster Sugar with an electric beater till smooth – add in the Beaten Eggs, Gluten-Free Self-Raising Flour, Cocoa Powder, Custard Powder & Vanilla and beat again for about about 20-30 seconds on a Medium Speed – it really doesn’t take too long, you don’t want to overheat the mixture! Add any whole milk if the mixture is too stiff so its a good cupcake consistency.
3) Spoon into your Cases (Use a cookie/ice-cream scoop so that the cupcakes are even!) and Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes (I baked mine for 17 minutes) or until cooked through! Leave to cool on a wire rack.
4) To Make the Frosting – Melt your chocolate over a double boiler, or in the microwave in short bursts in a microwave safe bowl, leave to cool. Beat the softened Butter until smooth – this can take a couple of minutes. Add in the Icing Sugar and beat till the butter and sugar well until it is combined making sure the sugar is fully incorporated until moving on!
5) Once all of the Sugar is in the Frosting mix, keep on beating the Frosting but add the cooled and melted chocolate into the mix and beat again for a few minutes until light and fluffy! I use my KitchenAid for Frostings as the machine can make it so much lighter and fluffier!
6) Decorate your cupcakes how you like (I use lots and lots of sprinkles!) – and ENJOY!
Tips and Ideas
I buy my Cupcakes Cases from Iced Jems – here!
I use Doves Farm Gluten-Free flours for my day-to-day GF baking as its more readily available then other more expensive (and better ones). You can also buy cheaper ones, but I’d recommend this brand if you can find it, as its the best supermarket one that I have found!
If you are GF you will already know this – but if you are baking for anyone else who is GF, then check the ingredients on everything you use, most Custard Powders are GF as far as I am aware – they tend to use maize/corn flour which is safe!
These Cupcakes will last in an airtight container for 2-3 days!
ENJOY!
Find my other Cupcake & Gluten-Free Recipes on my Recipes Page!
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J x
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Hi Jane, this is by far the best gluten free recipe I have tried taste wise but have you an6budeas why they would peel away from the cases. This normally happen if the mixture is over eaten but the second batch I folded in by hand and it still happened with a few.
This to me usually means they are under baked – or they are cooling too quickly or they are sweating in the storage box they are put in (and sometimes its just the cases themselves depending on the type)!
Hey! I wondered if it’s best to use xanthan gum or custard powder or both? Love all your recipes so looking forward to making gluten free for the coeliacs in the family 😊
I would use one or the other – xantham gum is the probably the most common way! x
Hi Jane can I use vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean extract. If so how much?
Yes! And just use the same amount x
Hi Jane, I’m a massive fan of yours and you’re my go to website for all my baking recipes 😊 As a few others have mentioned, I’d like to use this for a 6 inch triple layer cake. Do you think I would need to add xanthem gum, as I know you use it in your other large gluten free cake recipes? Thanks x
Hey! Yes I would use the xantham gum – I would double the recipe and split between three six inch tins! x
Hi Jane,
I made these for a friend who is coeliac and she said they were the best she has ever tasted. I loved them too, thanks again for the great recipe. I wondered what some of your favourite gluten free recipes are or any tips for adaptions of other recipes that have turned out well for gluten free? Thanks!!
Basically the general rule is just straight swapping for GF ingredients – sometimes though I advise adding in xantham gum – have a look at my GF/DF chocolate cake for tips!
Hi Jane, i want to use the gluten free recipe, but put reeces in the middle and peanut butter frosting, like your peanut butter cupcake recipe. Do you think the cake mix will be ok with a Reeces in the middle. Thanks Bec
Hi Jane, If I wanted to make these chocolate orange GF cupcakes would I swap the dark chocolate in the buttercream for orange flavoured chocolate? (such as terrys chocolate orange) x
Yes!
Added chocolate chips to these muffins. Very tasty. 😋
Hi Jane, I love your page and use your recipes a lot!! I have been asked to bake a giant chocolate cupcake for my friends son who is coeliac. Would this recipe be suitable do you think? Thanks
Sam x
Hiya! Yes it would work! X
Hi jane! The recipe looks great… do you think this can be used for a chocolate cake instead of cupcakes ?
Hiya! Yes it can, I use the batch of cupcakes as one layer in an eight inch cake, so double for a two layer cake! x
Thank you!!!
I don’t have the custard powder in my cupboard but wondering if for now I would use cornflour. As a person who is gluten free, I’ve used cornflour in some of my recipes, so that’s what’s making me wonder if this would work. X
You could do! You can also just leave it out if you wanted as it only firms the cupcakes up a little 🙂 x
These sound delicious and would love to use this recipe for a birthday cake. What size tin and baking time would you recommend? Not used custard powder in gluten free baking before so looking forward to seeing the difference it makes!
I would use one batch of cupcakes as one layer of a cake, baked into an 8″ tin. So double and split between two tins. I would bake for 20-25 minutes. It’s hard to say really as it is gluten free, but have a look at it at about 20 minutes and check with a skewer and such! Let me know how you get on! xx
About to make these Jane – will report back!
I hope you liked them! 🙂
These look just amazing!
Thanks, Kristy!! X
These look just amazing!