GLUTEN FREE STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES WITH STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INCLUDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR A DAIRY FREE VERSION

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     These Strawberry Cupcakes are light, moist and soft with a natural and delicate strawberry flavor.  The strawberry frosting adds just the right amount of creaminess.

     I found a recipe called “Ponchatoula Strawberry Cupcakes” in a Southern cookbook, Screen Doors and Sweet Tea, by Martha Hall Fouse.  I changed up the flours, increased the baking soda and added xanthan gum and apple cider vinegar in order to convert the cake recipe into GF.  I also reduced the butter and sugar in the frosting recipe.  The cake turned out a little too sweet for my taste and I will reduce the sugar by ½ cup the next time.  When eating the cake with the frosting the sweetness of the cake is reduced and enjoyable, but it would be even better with less sugar.

      Instead of cupcakes I baked the batter in a mini bundt cake pan and also experimented with a rose shaped mini cake pan.  I did not think about how to frost these shapes beforehand or I would have made them in a muffin tin and used pretty cupcake liners instead.  The rose cakes could not be frosted with this frosting without hiding the rose shape, and the small bundt shaped cakes were difficult to frost with such a thick frosting.  I ended up piping out the frosting in a striped pattern to make the cakes pretty.  

     For the Southern Afternoon Tea I wanted to serve something dainty and from the South.  The idea of pink strawberry cakes conjured up thoughts of being on a veranda, rocking on a wooden rocker, and cooling off by sipping Sweet Tea and nibbling on these tiny cakes.   As it turned out the cakes went very well with Mint Juleps and we were transported to a shady veranda somewhere in the distant past.

GLUTEN FREE STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES

Ingredients

1 ½ cups	Sorghum Flour
½ cup	Tapioca Flour
½ cup	Chickpea Flour
1 tsp.	Xanthan or Guar Gum
2 tsp.	Baking Soda
¼ tsp.	Sea Salt
1 ½ cups	Sugar (for less sweet cake use 1 cup sugar)
½ cup (1 stick)	Unsalted Butter (Dairy Free use margarine [non hydrogenated such as Earth Balance Buttery Sticks])
1/3 cup	Buttermilk (Dairy Free use soy, rice etc. milk and add 1 Tbs. of apple cider vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes.)
¼ cup	Canola Oil
½ tsp.	Almond Extract
1 tsp.	Vanilla
2 large	Eggs
1 cup	Strawberries, mashed
1 tsp.	Grated Orange Zest
1 Tbs.	Apple Cider Vinegar

Directions

     In a bowl add flours, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt.  Using a whisk, stir until well mixed.  Set bowl aside. 

     In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

     Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

     Add buttermilk, vinegar, oil and extracts and mix at medium speed for 1 minute.

     Add flour mixture to butter egg mixture in bowl and mix on low speed until just combined.  Remove bowl from stand.

     By hand, stir the strawberries and orange zest into the batter.

     Scoop batter into paper lined muffin pans. 

     Bake 18-20 minutes or until done.  Cake is done when a cake tester or toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean or when cake springs back when pressed lightly with a finger.

Mini Bundt Pan

Cakes cooling on Rack 

Cakes from the Rose pan.  

The inside of a mini bundt Strawberry Cake.

 Cool cakes on a rack.  Frost when completely cooled, about 15 minutes.

         

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Ingredients

½ cup	Chopped Strawberries
2 Tbs.	Strawberry Jam (fruit juice sweetened)
1 tsp.	Lemon Juice
8 ounces	Cream Cheese (Dairy Free use non-dairy cream cheese)
¼ cup (½ stick)	Unsalted Butter (Dairy Free use 2 Tbs. shortening [non hydrogenated such as Spectrum] and 2 Tbs. Margarine [non hydrogenated such as Earth Balance Buttery Sticks])
¾ cup	Confectioner’s Sugar

Directions

     In a saucepan, over medium heat, stir berries, jam and lemon juice together.

Strawberries, jam and lemon juice cooking in pan.

     Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently and crushing any large pieces of strawberry with the back of the spoon.  Allow to cool.

     With an electric mixer or using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, mix butter, cream cheese at low speed until creamy.  Add sugar and mix in well.  Add cooled strawberry mixture and beat until well blended.

Cooked strawberry mixture added to whipped cream cheese mixture.

Finished frosting.

     When cakes are cooled frost as desired.

GLUTEN FREE STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES Ingredients 1 ½ cups Sorghum Flour ½ cup Tapioca Flour ½ cup Chickpea Flour 1 tsp. Xanthan or Guar Gum 2 tsp. Baking Soda ¼ tsp. Sea Salt 1 ½ cups Sugar (for less sweet cake use 1 cup sugar) ½ cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter (Dairy Free use margarine [non hydrogenated such as Earth Balance Buttery Sticks]) 1/3 cup Buttermilk (Dairy Free use soy, rice etc. milk and add 1 Tbs. of apple cider vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes.) ¼ cup Canola Oil ½ tsp. Almond Extract 1 tsp. Vanilla 2 large Eggs 1 cup Strawberries, mashed 1 tsp. Grated Orange Zest 1 Tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar Directions In a bowl add flours, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk, stir until well mixed. Set bowl aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add buttermilk, vinegar, oil and extracts and mix at medium speed for 1 minute. Add flour mixture to butter egg mixture in bowl and mix on low speed until just combined. Remove bowl from stand. By hand, stir the strawberries and orange zest into the batter. Scoop batter into paper lined muffin pans. Bake 18-20 minutes or until done. Cake is done when a cake tester or toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean or when cake springs back when pressed lightly with a finger. Cool cakes on a rack. Frost when completely cooled, about 15 minutes. STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING Ingredients ½ cup Chopped Strawberries 2 Tbs. Strawberry Jam (fruit juice sweetened) 1 tsp. Lemon Juice 8 ounces Cream Cheese (Dairy Free use non-dairy cream cheese) ¼ cup (½ stick) Unsalted Butter (Dairy Free use 2 Tbs. shortening [non hydrogenated such as Spectrum] and 2 Tbs. Margarine [non hydrogenated such as Earth Balance Buttery Sticks]) ¾ cup Confectioner’s Sugar Directions In a saucepan, over medium heat, stir berries, jam and lemon juice together. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently and crushing any large pieces of strawberry with the back of the spoon. Allow to cool. With an electric mixer or using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, mix butter, cream cheese at low speed until creamy. Add sugar and mix in well. Add cooled strawberry mixture and beat until well blended. When cakes are cooled frost as desired.

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