Cupcakes

In a lot of cases with gluten free it is just about switching over to a good gluten free flour, sometimes you have to play around with the recipe but with cupcakes you can definitely just switch in a gluten free self raising flour. This is the recipe I use. I favour using Bertolli olive oil spread over butter, I prefer the texture and flavour of the finished cakes.  It should make about 12 cupcakes. See below for variations-

Ingredients

150g butter, softened

150g self raising flour, sieved

150g caster sugar

3 medium eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 170c/gas mark 3

2. Line the cupcake tin with cupcake cases.

3. I use a mixer with a paddle blade for this stage but you can obviously do it by hand with a wooden spoon or use a hand electric mixer.

4. If using a soft margarine then you can actually just use the all in one method where you literally just blend and beat all the ingredients together until well mixed, light and fluffy. 

5. If using butter, Beat the butter and sugar first until light and fluffy, then add the eggs gradually beating well after each addition. I alternate with a spoonful of flour whilst adding the eggs to avoid curdling. Once the egg is all added then mix in the rest of the flour and vanilla essence.

6. Beat well and then spoon into the cake cases.

7. Bake for about 20 minutes. Check if cooked by inserting a sharp knife or skewer into the centre of a cupcake, if it comes out clean then they are cooked.

8. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool before icing.

Variations

Chocolate -Replace 25g flour with 25g cocoa powder

Lemon- Add in finely grated zest of 2 lemons or as with my lemon curd meringue cupcakes, fill each cupcake case and place a tsp full of lemon curd in the middle before topping them with more cake mix.

Bakewell- Add in 1/2 tsp almond essence to the mix, fill each cupcake case then add in a tsp full of raspberry jam in the middle before topping with more mix.

Fruit- Add in a handful of sultanas or raisins

Chocolate chip- Add in a handful of chocolate chips or chopped chocolate into the mix


Rhubarb and custard

Rhubarb and custard- Replace 25g self raising flour with 25g custard powder so it will be 125g self tasing flour and 25g custard powder and also add in 1 tsp vanilla essence. Then when you have spooned the mix into the cases top each cupcake with a spoonful of stewed or baked rhubarb, (see notes below for how to cook the rhubarb) Top with the custard buttercream.

Notes on rhubarb- Take 500g rhubarb, wash and place in an ovenproof dish/tray lined with baking parchment, take 50g sugar and sprinkle all over the top of the sugar, Cover with foil and bake at 200c for about 20 minutes, the give it a shake and continue to bake until tender keeping an eye on to so it every now and then, occasionally spoon any juices over any dry areas. This can take about 30-40  mins. Then you can chop up smaller while still keeping its shape for whatever you wish to use it for.
Rose rhubarb- For a delicious twist, add a few drops of rose essence into the rhubarb juice afterwards and lightly stir through.

Toppings

Buttercream

150g butter, softened

300g icing sugar

1 1/2 tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla extract or see below for alternative flavourings

Few drops of food colouring if desired

Variations

Coffee-  add 1 tbsp coffee granules mixed with 1 1/2 tbsp boiling water instead of the 1 1/2 tbsp water in buttercream recipe, allow to cool before adding to butter and icing sugar, OR 1 1/2 tbsp espresso coffee instead of 1 1/2 tbsp water in buttercream recipe.

Lemon-  Finely grated rind of a lemon and 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice instead of the water in the buttercream recipe or add good dollop of lemon curd instead of water in buttercream.

Chocolate- 3 tbsp cocoa powder mixed in with the icing sugar, melt 80g dark chocolate, allow to cool and stir into the buttercream once the butter, cocoa and icing sugar is beaten. If too stiff slowly add up to 1 1/2  tbsp milk, you want the buttercream to be thick so you may not need all of it.

Custard- Add 2 tblsp of ready mixed custard into the buttercream plus a good grind of vanilla beans if you have a vanilla bean grinder or 1 tsp vanilla essence (You can use a scraping of seeds if preferred)

Method

1. Put the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and beat by hand, with an electric mixer or beat in a freestanding mixer. It is essential for the butter to be softened. If using a free standing mixer, I drape a tea towel over the top to stop the icing sugar dust flying everywhere. Add in the water and flavouring as you mix.

2.  Keep beating until really soft and then either spread or pipe onto cakes. 

Cream cheese topping

120g cream cheese

60 g softened butter

flavouring if desired 

480g icing sugar

Flavourings

Lemon- add grated rind of lemon, add a good dollop too of lemon curd

Coffee- 2 tsp coffee granules dissolved in 1 tbsp water 

Vanilla 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until blended
2.Add the icing sugar gradually beating well after each addition.

3. Add flavouring, beat well. 

Gluten free Simnel Cake

This is the first time I have baked a gluten free Simnel cake and I have to say it is really rather good. Plus apart from the long slow cooking which is essential, it is pretty quick to whip up. I like an exceptionally moist fruit cake, if you don't then add 175g gluten free self raising flour plus 45g ground almonds instead of the 95g of each.

Ingredients

175g currants

175g sultanans

75g glace cherries halved

50g flaked almonds

50g mixed peel

50ml plus 4tbsp brandy

180g butter, softened

180g soft brown sugar

95g gluten free self raising flour (I use Freee foods) see note above

95g ground almonds 

1 tsp xanthum gum

1 tsp mixed spice

3 eggs, beaten

1 tbsp golden syrup

zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange

apricot jam or marmalade to top with

500g marzipan, I like to use white marzipan, its more of an off white 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 130c, grease and line the bottom and sides of  a 20cm deep loose bottomed cake tin using baking parchment. Cut a circle also for the top.

2. Weigh and put the flour, ground almonds, xanthum gum, mixed spice and zest of the lemon and orange in a bowl together, set aside.

3. Place the currants, sultanas, cherries, mixed peel and brandy together in a saucepan, (if you are wondering why its 4 tbsp plus 50ml that is because the recipe called for 4 tbsp but once I put that in I felt it required more and have not measured out what the two together is!) Heat over a low heat until the fruit is softened and the liquid absorbed. This should only take about five minutes and you can get on with the rest of the mixing while this softens but keep an eye on it and stir it every now and then so it does not catch on the bottom of the pan and burn.

4. In a freestanding mixer, with a hand held electric mixer or with a wooden spoon, beat the softened butter  with the brown sugar until pale and creamy. 

5. Add the beaten egg gradually, adding a little four after each addition of egg. Once all the egg is incorporated beat well and then mix in the rest of the flour.

6. Add in the mixed fruit, if all the brandy has not been absorbed then don't  worry just spoon the fruit in and leave the liquid behind but I will be surprised if it hasn't all been absorbed. Mix really well. 

7. Spoon half of the mix into the prepared tin.

8. Next take a third of the marzipan and roll into a circle about 1 cm smaller than the tin, you do not want it to go right to the edge as it could burn as it bakes.

9 Place the disk of marzipan on top of the cake mix in the pan. Then top this disk of marzipan with the rest of the cake mix.

10. Cover with the circle of baking parchment , bake for about 2 1/2 hours, I do check it every 10 mins once it has been in 2 hours just as I hate overbaking a cake. Check by inserting a skewer in the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean it is done, just be aware it may be slightly sticky because of the marzipan but you just don't want any wet cake mix on the skewer.

11. Once it is cooked then place on a wire rack to cool. 

12. When ready to ice the warm up a good dollop of apricot jam or marmalade until runny and then brush the top with it. 

13. Roll out the remaining marzipan to a circle large enough to top the cake, keep back enough to make 11 equal sized balls. Top the cake and decorate with the balls.

14. This is not essential but then either with a chefs  blow torch or under a grill very lightly brown the top. Keep a very close eye if doing to under the grill as it will only take a few minutes and can burn very quickly.

Fudgy chocolate cookies

These cookies are a mix between a brownie and a cookie, they are a soft baked cookie which is just how we love them, the mix makes about 30 cookies but I make the mix and leave the dough in the fridge ready to slice off and bake whenever we want some. If you don't think you can eat this many cookies in a week then you can freeze half the dough, or just halve the ingredients.

Ingredients

150g plain chocolate (70% cocoa)

200g caster sugar

200g dark brown soft sugar

225g butter, softened

2 eggs, beaten

1 tblsp golden syrup

300g gluten free self raising flour (I use Freee foods)

1 tsp baking powder

125g cocoa powder

150g white chocolate, chopped

Method

1. Melt the plain chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water or in a microwave. Set aside while you move onto the next stage.

2. Sieve the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. 

3. I use my mixer with a paddle blade attached for the next stage but you can do this by hand or use a hand mixer even.

4. Cream the butter until soft and then add in both of the sugars, beat until light and well mixed.

5. Next mix in the beaten eggs, syrup and melted chocolate all in one go. 

6. Beat the dry ingredients into the mix and the fold in the chopped chocolate. 

7. Tip the mix onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and shape into a sausage shape.

8.Wrap up the sausage of dough like a salami, either twist the ends or tie them and place in the fridge 

to chill for at least an hour. You can keep it in the fridge for several days.

9. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 190c/gas mark 5, cut the dough into 1cm rounds and place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Allow space for spreading. 

10. Bake them for 8 minutes and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to set.