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.
Cream together the unsalted butter and caster sugar with an electric beater until smooth.
Add in the beaten eggs, gluten free self raising flour, cocoa powder, custard powder & vanilla bean extract, and beat again for about 20-30 seconds on a medium speed (it really doesn’t take too long, you don’t want to overheat the mixture! Add a spoonful of whole milk at a time if the mixture is too stiff, so its a good cupcake consistency.)
Spoon into your cases (Use a cookie/ice-cream scoop so that the cupcakes are even!)
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes (I baked mine for 17 minutes) or until cooked through! Leave to cool for about 2 hours on a wire rack.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Melt your chocolate over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave in short bursts in a microwave safe bowl, then leave to cool.
Beat the softened unsalted butter until smooth – this can take a couple of minutes.
Add the icing sugar to the unsalted butter and beat well until it is combined making sure the icing sugar is fully incorporated until moving on!
Once all of the icing sugar and unsalted butter is combined, 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!
Decorate your cupcakes however you wish (I use lots and lots of sprinkles!) – and enjoy!
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, or freeze them for up to 3 months!