Gluten Free Cupcakes & Cakes!!!

A typical weekend for me means cleaning, cooking, baking, playing and probably some more baking! This weekend was no different. I had an opportunity to photograph a few more gourmet cupcake flavours, thanks to an order for minis. I also played around with some gluten-free deliciousness for our G-free fans! Shouldn't everyone be able to enjoy a cupcake?!?

S'more Please! and Pralines & Cream minis

First up, cupcake minis. This weekend brought S'more Please! (dark chocolate w/ marshmallow filling, milk chocolate frosting, graham cracker sprinkle & toasted mini marshmallow) and Pralines & Cream (vanilla bean w/ dulce de leche filling, cream cheese frosting & praline pecan). Mini's are so cute and just the perfect bite of cake, filling and frosting!

S'more Please!

Pralines & Cream

On Saturday, I was prepared to go on a hunt for ingredients for my gluten-free experimenting. The hunt was much faster than I expected. All ingredients were readily available at my local grocery store! Gluten-free rice flour and tapioca starch were quickly found, as well as other more typical cake ingredients, like buttermilk and eggs. A quick trip to my local Choices Market located the one elusive ingredient, Xanthan Gum, a thickening agent derived from cornstarch.

A common problem with gluten-free products is they are often crumbly, dense and nearly buscuit like, or chewy and dry like a sponge. Gluten, the protein in wheat (undigestable for Celaics and the gluten intolerant), gives structure to baked goods, and most recipes are created with this in mind. Gluten free baking takes you back to the drawing board. Finding the right balance of ingredients is key, to flavour, and most inportantly in gluten-free baking, to texture.

I wanted a recipe that held true to my beliefs in food: no preservatives, no unpronouncable ingredients...just eggs, sugar, milk, flour (in this case rice instead of wheat), and yeah okay, Xanthan Gum, which is a near necessity in G-free baking.

I am proud to say, we achieved all that I wanted and more...

gluten-free!!! Triple chocolate :)

Behold, the triple chocolate wonder of my gluten-free experiments! It was light, airy, moist, delicate, chocolatey...delicious. I tested them on my two boys and my husband, without telling them anything was different about these cakes. I got the seal of approval on this one! Theirs, and mine!

Gluten-free cakes and cupcakes are now available to order in vanilla and chocolate (and nearly any flavour of buttercream imaginable), with more flavours to come :)

And thanks to Heather for your order this weekend! Hope you enjoyed your minis :)