Category: Blogger

Gluten Free Easter Chocolate Log

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My final Easter recipe this is year is my Gluten Free Easter Chocolate Log recipe – the perfect bake for chocoholics and a beautiful centrepiece for any Easter Sunday gathering.

IMG_4661   I know chocolate logs are more traditionally eaten at Christmas, but I think this fun update on a classic works for Easter too!

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I promise you that this recipe is much easier to make than it looks – the trick is to make sure whip up your eggs and sugar until they are super voluminous!

Easter Chocolate Log – GF

For the Swiss Roll:

80g golden caster sugar
3 large eggs
60g gluten free self raising flour
20g cocoa powder
20g butter, melted and cooled.

For the Icing:

350g butter, softened
350g icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
White chocolate, for decorating.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C/180 C fan/gas mark 6, then grease and line a Swiss roll tin or a baking tray with slightly raised sides with baking parchment.

2. Sift together the gluten free flour and cocoa powder in a large bowl then set aside.

3. Place the eggs and sugar into large bowl and beat the ingredients using an electric hand mixer for about 5 minutes, until the ingredients are pale, fluffy and have tripled in volume. Make sure the mixture has reached ‘ribbon stage’, which means that when you remove the whisk the mixture falling from the whisk leaves a ribbon like trail.

4. Fold in the flour mixture bit by bit, being careful not to knock out the air from the mixture.

5. Carefully fold through the cooled melted butter.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared tray or tin, tilting the tray to level out he mixture.

7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the sponge starts to shrink away from the sides of the tin and the top is firm to touch.

8. Place a large sheet of baking paper onto a work surface. While the cake is still hot, place it upside down onto the paper, then carefully remove the tray and the baking paper.

9. Roll up the cake so that the paper is inside in the Swiss roll, then leave to cool completely.

10. To make the icing, beat the softened butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy. Split the mixture between two separate bowls – into one mix the vanilla extract and into the other mix the cocoa powder.

11. Carefully unroll your Swiss Roll and spread the vanilla icing over the sponge, then gently roll it back up.

12. Place the Swiss Roll onto a serving plate, then cover it with the chocolate icing using a palate knife. Use a fork to make a ‘bark like’ affect, then decorate with chocolate eggs of your choice and grated chocolate.

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I love seeing your take on my bakes, so remember to share your a picture of your bakes over on Facebook, twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #titchytonbakes.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Easter!

 

Gluten Free Mini Egg Rocky Road

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Mini Egg season is upon on us, and I couldn’t resist the urge to use one of my favourite Easter confectionaries in one of my all time favourite sweet treats.

IMG_4198This Mini Egg Rocky Road recipe is a seasonal take on my Gluten Free Rocky Road recipe which I posted last year. The recipe substitutes biscuits for puffed rice,  but you can use Gluten Free Biscuits if you prefer (I just quite like the texture the puffed rice provides).

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Whilst mini eggs are gluten free, they do contain maltodextrin which can  prove troublesome for some Coeliacs. But don’t fret, there are a couple of supermarket alternatives out there which don’t contain maltodextrin including  Sainbury’s ‘Micro Easter Eggs‘ and ‘Chicky Choccy Eggs’ from M&S. ‘Galaxy Golden Eggs‘ are also gluten free and would create and interesting finish, albeit not as colourful!

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It’s also worth mentioning that whilst Minio Eggs are definitely gluten free here the U.K, in the U.S they come with a ‘may contain gluten’ warning due to potential cross contamination risks during the manufacturing process – this could have changed since last year though, so it’s definitely worth double checking.

Gluten Free Mini Egg Rocky Road

Ingredients

300g gluten free milk or dark chocolate
125g butter
100g pink and white mini Marshmallows (plus an extra handful for the top)
75g glacé cherries cut in half
25g Rude Health Brown puffed rice
270 mini eggs (x3 90g bags)
3 tbsp golden syrup

Method

1) Grease and line a square tin with greaseproof paper.

2) Melt the chocolate in large heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water.

3) In a separate pan melt together the butter and golden syrup, then add this to the melted chocolate and stir continuously until all the ingredients are combined. Leave to cool slightly.

4) Transfer most of the mini eggs to a plastic food bag (save back a few whole ones to scatter across the top), then carefully bash the mini eggs with a rolling pin to break them up.

5) Stir the marshmallows, puffed rice, cherries and most of the crushed mini eggs through the cooled chocolate mixture until all the ingredients are coated.

6) Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and use a greased palate knife to flatten down the mixture down and smooth it right to the corners of the tin.

7) Place a sheet of greaseproof paper on top of the mixture and press down firmly to help tightly pack the mixture into into the tin. Peel off the greaseproof paper and dot across the extra marshmallows, the remaining crushed mini eggs and the remaining whole mini eggs.

8) Cover with cling film and chill the Rocky Road in the fridge for at least two hours.

10) Use the greaseproof paper to help remove the slab of Rocky Road from the tin, then carefully cut it into equal pieces.

Rocky Road should keep for up to a week stored in an airtight container, or you can keep it in the fridge if your home is a little warm.

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I love seeing your take on my bakes, so remember to share your a picture of your bakes over on Facebook, twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #titchytonbakes.

Gluten Free American Style Pancakes with Chocolate Sauce

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Today I’m going to share with you my recipe for Gluten Free American Style Pancakes and Chocolate Sauce – the perfect pancake recipe for the perfect Pancake Day!

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I recently purchased a crêpe pan, so every day in February has been pancake day and this recipe has been more than triple tested!

When I put together this recipe my   scales had run out of battery, so I had to rely on measuring cups which I don’t often do with gluten free flour – but I think with batter recipes there is a little give and take with the ingredients and the recipe be easily adjusted if you accidentally add too much flour or milk.

Every time I made this batter it was spot on, but if you think your batter is a little thick and doesn’t spread out in the pan, add a little bit more milk, or, if it’s a little runny add a tablespoon of flour.

For a totally foolproof Pancake Day I highly recommend purchasing a crêpe pan or a good quality non stick frying pan – I speak from experience, as of my pancake day plans have been thwarted by a lack of a good frying pan!

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American Pancakes with Homemade Chocolate Sauce – GF/DF options

Ingredients

For the Pancakes:

1 cup of gluten free self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp melted butter, plus extra for frying (or dairy free alternative)
2  eggs
1 cup of semi skimmed milk

For the Chocolate Sauce:

100g good quality milk or dark chocolate (or dairy free alternative)
100ml double cream

You’ll also need a good quality non stick crêpe or frying pan. 

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the gluten free flour, sugar and baking powder.

2. Add the egg and vanilla extract, then using a whisk start to bring the ingredients together.

3. Add the milk and butter and continue to whisk until you’re left with a smooth lump free batter.

4. Heat the oven to 100 degrees C/gas mark 1.

5. Leave the batter to stand while you heat up a non stick crêpe or frying pan. Brush the crêpe pan with butter using a pastry brush and wipe away any excess butter with kitchen towel. Place the pan over a medium to high heat until hot.

6. Spoon half a laddle of batter into the pan. Fry the pancake until bubbles form on top (this should take between 1 and 2 minutes) then flip your pancake over and cook the other side for a further minute or until golden brown. Place the pancake onto a non stick tray in the  preheated oven so that it stays warm.

7. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing your pan with butter in between each pancake.

8. To make the chocolate sauce, gentle melt together the chocolate and the cream in heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the ingredients are combined and then bring the bowl off the heat.

9. Serve the pancakes with the toppings of your choice – I highly reccomend strawberrries and chopped hazelnuts as they compliment the chocolate sauce beautifully.

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I love seeing your take on my bakes, so remember to share your a picture of your perfect pancakes over on Facebook, twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #titchytonbakes.

Gluten Free & Dairy Free Jammy Dodger Recipe

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Today I’m going to share with you my Gluten Free & Dairy Free Jammy Dodger Recipe – this recipe is also free from eggs and so is suitable for vegans.

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I found gluten free biscuits a little tricky at first, but I’ve discovered over the course of many biscuit based experiments that success comes down to two things:

1. What type of flour(s) you use.

2. How you bind your ingredients.

I’ve found that good gluten free biscuits require a mix of different flours. I usually start with gluten free self raising flour as my base, then add other types of flour depending what kind of texture I want the finished bake to have. For biscuits, I wouldn’t recommend using self raising flour alone, as the biscuits will rise too much and be more cake like. Gluten free self raising flour is a useful base though, as it usually has added raising and binding agents, like Xanthan gum which helps to bind the ingredients together. To the self raising flour I like to add cornflour, which also helps bind the ingredients together, and ground almonds to add some bulk  – although I don’t like to add too much, as this could cause the biscuits to crumble.

In most of my cookie recipes I usually add an egg yolk to help bind the ingredients together – without an egg, I usually find that the dough is too crumbly and too difficult to handle. This time I decided to experiment with golden syrup, which in my opinion did the job just as well as an egg yolk – great news for vegans!

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Jammy Dodgers – Gluten Free/Dairy Free/Egg Free/Vegan

Makes approximately 18 cookies

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

250g gluten free self raising flour

60g cornflour

40g ground almonds

100g caster sugar

150g dairy free spread

2 tbsp golden syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling:

200g strawberry or seedless raspberry jam

1 tbsp cold water

Icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. In a large bowl, stir together the gluten free self raising flour, cornflour, ground almonds and sugar.

2. Rub the dairy free spread into the flour mixture until it starts to form a bread crumb like texture. Add the vanilla extract and golden syrup then start to bring the mixture together with your hands until it forms a dough – don’t worry if the dough seems quite soft at this point.

3. Wrap the dough in cling film then leave it to chill in a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

4. Whilst the dough chills, preheat the oven to 170 degrees C/gas mark 3 and line two large baking trays with baking parchment.

5. Roll out the dough onto a floured surface. Using a 6cm crimped scone or pastry cutter, stamp out 36 cookies – transfer the cookies to the baking trays using a palate knife or splatula.

6. Once the cookies are on the tray, cut holes in the centre of half the biscuits using small cookie cutters in any shape you fancy – I used a tiny flower cutters and a piping nozzle to cut out circles.

7. Bake the cookies for approximately 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown – don’t worry if the cookies are a little soft, they will firm up when they cool down.

8. Leave the cookies to cool and firm up on the baking tray for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

9. In a small bowl mix together strawberry jam (or the jam of you choice) with some cold water to make it more spreadable.

10. Lightly dust the cookies with the hole in the centre with icing sugar.

11. Spread the jam over the base of  the cookies without the holes, then sandwich them together the remaining cookies, so that the jam peeks through!

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Gluten Free Cocoa Pops Recipe

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Every year I make it my New Years Resolution to eat breakfast every single day – but, every year I fail miserably and just end up  feeling pretty bad about myself and my lack of willpower. So this year, instead of coming up with resolutions I know I won’t keep, I decided to challenge myself to come up with fun breakfast ideas and to just enjoy food more.

My breakfast of choice used to be cereal and wouldn’t just eat it for breakfast, I’d have it as an after school snack or for a late night feast – now, I can’t eat most cereals as a lot of popular brands aren’t gluten free, and haven’t found many gluten free cereals which I really like or that don’t contain copious amount of sugar and additives.

This morning I had a huge craving for Coco Pops, so I decided to try to make my own homemade version and I’m very pleased with how they turned out.imageThese homemade Cocoa Pops are super easy to make – you only need four very basic ingredients and they can whipped up in less than 20 minutes. The recipe uses a natural alternative to refined sugar and is both dairy and gluten free, but I promise they are delicious and taste just as good, if not better than the shop variety!

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Cocoa Pops – GF/DF/EG

Ingredients

3 cups puffed rice
60 ml maple syrup
30 ml sunflower oil
1 tbsp cocoa powder

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 C/140 C/gas mark 3 and line two large baking trays with greaseproof paper.

2. Place the maple syrup, oil and cocoa powder into a sauce pan and place it over a low heat. Stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon until no lumps remain, then fold through the puffed rice until it is fully coated in the cocoa mixture.

3. Spread the mixture into a thin layer across the two baking trays. Bake for 6 – 8 minutes, until the puffed rice becomes crisp – make sure to give the cereal a stir half way through the bake time.

4. Leave the cereal to cool on the baking trays for a few minutes, then it’s ready to enjoy!

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Gluten Free Christmas: Coconut Snow Cupcakes

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It’s almost Christmas Day! It’s been a busy festive season for me, but I still have one Christmas recipe to share with you this year –  my Gluten Free Coconut Snow Cupcakes.imageThese cupcakes are a little different to your traditional Christmas bakes, perfect for anyone who isn’t a big fan of dried fruit but still festive enough to be served on Christmas Day – I think they would also be lovely served at a New Years Eve party! imageI got these cute star decorations from HEMA – they are actually cocktail sticks but I thought they would make cute cupcake toppers, but you can use any cupcake toppers or edible decorations of your choosing!

Coconut Snow Cupcakes – GF/DF options

Ingredients

For the sponge:

200g golden caster sugar

200g butter, softened (or dairy free alternative)

200 gluten free self raising flour

2 tbsp dessicated coconut

1 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp milk (or dairy free alternative)

1/2 vanilla pod deseeded (or 2 tsp of vanilla extract)

1/2 tsp coconut extract (optional)

2 large eggs

For the buttercream icing:

150g unsalted butter, softened (or dairy free alternative)

250g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp vanilla extract

To  decorate:

3 tbsp dessicated coconut

edible glitter (optional)

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 160 C/140 c fan/gas mark 3 and line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases.

2) In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

3) In a separate bowl cream the butter, vanilla extract and sugar together with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy.

4) Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. With the mixer on a low speed, add the egg a bit at a time along with a tablespoon of the flour mixture.

5) Once the egg is fully combined, add the rest of the flour and the milk until you are left with a smooth mixture.

6) Spoon approximately one and a half tablespoons of the mixture into each cupcake case, being careful not to overfill them.

7) Bake for approximately 20 – 22 minutes – the cupcakes are ready when they are golden brown and firm to touch.

8) Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling while you prepare the buttercream icing.

9) To make the buttercream, beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy and almost white in colour.

10) Once the cupcakes have cooled, spread the buttercream forest in over each cupcake using a palate knife, then sprinkle each one with desiccated coconut and a touch of edible glitter to finish.

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That’s it for my Christmas recipes this year! If you’re looking for more gluten free Christmas baking inspiration why not check out my Gluten Free Stollen Muffins, Gluten Free Gingerbread Wreath or you can find a full list of my Christmas recipes over on my Recipes page.

 

 

Gluten Free Christmas: Gingerbread Wreath

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We are 12 days into advent and I finally feel as though I’m getting into the full swing of the festivities. So far most of Advent has been spent in the kitchen working on festive bakes, most of which have involved copious amounts of edible glitter which I keep finding everywhere, including in my hair, on the floor, on the cat…

Today I’m going to share with you my recipe for this gingerbread wreath which is definitely an excuse to get out the edible glitter.

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The Gingerbread wreath is completely edible (except for the Red Ribbon) and although it looks impressive and difficult to achieve, it was actually incredibly easy! You don’t need any fancy equipment, just a large dinner plate, a sharp knife and a few different sized cookie cutters. Whipping up the gingerbread dough takes only a matter of minutes and the construction of the wreath isn’t too daunting, as long as you follow the instructions step by step. The wreath is not really design to be used as a decoration as the ribbon won’t support the weight of a wreath – but it would make a lovely edible Christmas gift.

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Gluten Free Gingerbread Wreath – GF/DF options

This recipe is inspired by Cassie Best’s Gingerbread Wreath for BBC Good Food

Ingredients

For the Gingerbread:
125g gluten free self raising flour blend
200g rice flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
125g unsalted butter (or dairy free alternative)
150g soft dark brown sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tbsp black treacle
1 large egg

To Decorate:
200g Ready to roll Icing
30 ml cold water
250g icing sugar
1 egg white
Edible glitter

You will also need:
A sharp knife
1 x large dinner plate
1 x inch piping nozzle
1 x 9cm round cutter
1 x small star cutter
1 x medium star cutter
1 x large star cutter
1 x small angel cutter
1 red ribbon

Method

1) In a large bowl, sift together the flours, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon. Using your hands, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it becomes like fine bread crumbs and then stir through the dark brown sugar.

2) In a separate bowl whisk the egg with a fork, then add this to the cookie mixture along with the golden syrup and black treacle. Mix until the ingredients come together. The cookie dough will appear quite wet at this stage but don’t be tempted to add more flour or you will dry out the dough!

3) Gently knead the dough on a floured surface with floured hands until it turns into a smooth, soft and slightly sticky ball of dough. Dust the dough with flour as you knead to stop it sticking to the work surface. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours – chilling helps the dough to firm up so it can be rolled out.

4) Preheat the oven to 180 C/160 fan/gas mark 4. Roll half of the dough out in between two sheets of greaseproof paper until it is the thickness of a 1 pound coin. Remove the top layer of greaseproof paper, then place a large dinner plate face down into the centre of the dough and use a sharp knife to cut out a large circular disc of gingerbread.

5) Transfer the gingerbread onto a baking tray (you can use the bottom sheet of baking paper to line your tray) then use a 9 cm circular cutter to cut out a circle of dough from the centre of the gingerbread disc and a 1 cm piping nozzle to cut out a hole for the ribbon.

6) Bake the base of your wreath for 10 to 12 minutes – watch out for the edges catching.
Once baked, leave the wreath to firm up on the baking tray for a few minutes before transferring it to wire rack to finish cooling.

7) Roll out the remaining dough and cut out 5 large stars, 4 medium stars, 11 small stars and 2 angel shapes. Arrange the shapes onto a baking tray and bake for 10 to 12 minutes – the smaller cookies will need checking after 8 minutes.

8) Once baked, leave the cookies to firm up on the baking tray for a few minutes bering transferring them to wire rack to finish cooling.

9) While the cookies cool, make the royal icing: place 1 egg white in a bowl and slowly sift icing sugar in batches. In between each batch of sugar, stir the icing with a wooden spoon or a balloon whisk until the icing thickens up, then transfer the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small writing nozzle.

10) Next, make the fondant icing: break the ready to roll icing into pieces and place them in a bowl. Add a splash of water and use a spatula to break up the icing until it starts to become more paste like, then add the rest of the water and beat with an electric hand mixer until the fondant becomes runny.

11) Spread the fondant icing over the 5 large star shapes and sprinkle each one with edible glitter. Decorate the remaining pieces with the royal icing and leave all the pieces to dry for about an hour before you assemble the wreath.

12) Use the remaining royal icing to stick the biscuits to the wreath. Sprinkle the wreath with edible glitter and thread a red ribbon through the hole to finish.

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There will be plenty of festive bakes coming your way really soon. Meanwhile, why not come and see what else I’m getting up to over the festive season by following me on Instagram or Facebook. Remember, If you give this recipe take a snap of it and share it with me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #titchytonbakes and I will share my favourites on my Facebook page!

Sweet and Salted Peanut Butter Popcorn Squares

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These Sweet and Salted Peanut Butter Popcorn Squares are the perfect treat to enjoy on a Sunday afternoon, snuggled up on the sofa in your pyjamas while you watch a film Marathon. Be careful though, they are super moorish!

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Sweet and Salted Peanut Butter Popcorn Squares – GF/EF/DF options

Ingredients

For the popcorn squares:
60g butter (or dairy free alternative)
100g gluten free salted and sweet popcorn
180g white mini marshmallows
3 tbsp chunky peanut butter

To decorate:
50g milk and dark chocolate (or dairy free alternative)

Method

1) Grease and line a square cake tin with baking paper.

2) Place a large heavy bottomed pan over a low to medium heat, then add the butter and marshmallows and heat them until they have completely melted.

3) Fold the peanut butter through the marshmallow mixture, then add the popcorn and stir until fully coated.

4) Working quickly, spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth it out using a greased palate knife until it starts to reach corners of the tin.

5) Place a large square of grease proof paper over the top of the mixture, then use your hands to press the mixture right down into the tin.

6) Peel off the greaseproof paper and leave the mixture to set for a few hours.

7) Once the mixture has set, turn it out of the tin and cut it into bite size squares.

8) Next, melt the chocolate in heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Transfer the chocolate into a piping bag and pipe a zig-zag pattern over each popcorn squares.

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Store the popcorn squares in an airtight container and they should last for up to a week.

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes

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Today I’m going to share with you a recipe for one of my favourite bakes – Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes.

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My love affair with Red Velvet Cake started a few years ago when my little sister asked me to make a Red Velvet Cake for her Birthday. I had never eaten or made Red Velvet Cake before, but I was nevertheless happy to oblige – my Mum was less happy when my first attempt erupted all over the oven because I’d used shallow tins and too much bicarbonate of soda… sorry Mum!

It wasn’t until my first taste of Red Velvet Cake I realised what I had been missing – Chocolate sponge flavoured with sharp buttermilk, topped off with cream cheese frosting. What’s not to like?

Making a Red Velvet Cake can be quite time consuming, especially if you are going for the traditional three or more layers, so I’ve adapted my Red Velvet Cake recipe to a more simple cupcake recipe, so that you can get your Red Velvet fix much quicker!

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Red Velvet Cupcakes – GF

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:
100g gluten free self raising flour
10g cocoa powder
100g caster sugar
50g butter
1 large egg
100ml buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp red food colouring (gel not liquid)
1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the Cream Cheese Topping:
250g mascarpone cheese
150ml double cream
50g icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

To Decorate:
Freeze dried raspberry pieces

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 170 C/150 C fan/gas mark 3) and a cupcake tray with cupcake cases.

2) In a large bowl sieve together the flour and cocoa powder, then set aside for later.

3) In a separate bowl cream the butter, vanilla extract and sugar together with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy.

4) Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. With the mixer on a low speed, add the egg a bit at a time along with a tablespoon of the flour mixture. Once the egg is fully combined, add the rest of the flour.

5) Pour your buttermilk into a measuring jug, then add the red food colouring a little at a time until it turns a turns a deep red –  I found about half a teaspoon did the trick, but you may find you need more or less depending on the food colouring you are using.

6) With the mixture on a low speed, add the buttermilk to your cake mixture a bit at a time, keep mixing until all the buttermilk is combined.

7) In a small bowl mix together the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar until it starts to fizz, then quickly fold it into the cake mixture.

8) Working quickly, spoon two teaspoons of the mixture into each cupcake case

9) Bake for 15 – 18 minutes. The cupcakes are ready when they are firm to touch.

10) Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling while you prepare the cream cheese topping.

11) Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl, add the vanilla extract and mascarpone then mix with a wooden spoon until the ingredients are just combined.

12) In a separate bowl whisk the double cream with an electric hand mixer until it almost reaches soft peaks, add the mascarpone and whisk for a couple of seconds until it is just combined.

13) Transfer the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Pipe the frosting onto each cupcake, then decorate with a sprinkling of freeze dried raspberry pieces.

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If you give this recipe a try, or any of the other recipes on my blog remember to take a snap of your creation and share it with me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #titchytonbakes.

Gluten Free Fondant Fancy Cupcakes (Inspired by ‘The Great British Bake Off’)

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Today I’m going to share with you my Gluten Free Fondant Fancy Cupcakes recipe which is inspired by the showstopper challenge from the Semi Final of ‘The Great British Bake Off’.

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Last week’s show saw the remaining four bakers battling it out over Patisserie for a place in final, but sadly Selasi didn’t make the cut. He might not have made it to the final, but he did win over the hearts of the nation and I will definitely miss him during this week’s show. Speaking of this week, the final will be a very bittersweet occasion, as although I am excited to see who wins, I am sad that this is the last episode of GBBO as we know it.

What I’m going to miss most is how the show has inspired me to bake things I’d never thought of trying – this includes fondant fancies, which were featured on last week’s show.

I used to love Fondant Fancies and seeing them on the show has made me feel super nostalgic – I remember having them at my Grandma’s house when I was little and how I always would choose the pink ones, because I liked them best!

I will admit though, Fondant Fancies looked incredibly difficult and fiddly to make, so I decided to go for a more simple approach. My Fondant Fancy cupcakes are much a easier to achieve, but they are every bit as delicate, dainty and delicious as the fondant fancies I remember.

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These cupcakes would be lovely served at afternoon tea or a birthday party and are sure to impress, despite being deceptively simple.

Fondant Fancy Cupcakes

Makes approximately 16 small cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

150g softened butter (or dairy free alternative)
150g caster sugar
150g gluten free self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk (or dairy free alternative)

For the buttercream:

100g softened butter (or dairy free alternative)
100g icing sugar

For the fondant icing:

300g ready to roll icing
50ml cold water
A few drops of pink food colouring

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 C/140 C fan/gas mark 3 then line two cupcake trays with 16 cupcake cases.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy.

3. Add a tablespoon of flour, then beat in the eggs a little bit a time before sifting in the remaining flour and baking powder. Add the milk, then beat the ingredients together with the electric hand mixer until combined.

4. Spoon two teaspoons of mixture into each cupcake case, being careful not to overfill them. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and firm to touch.

5. Leave the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack. To make the buttercream, beat the butter with an electric hand mixer until it’s very light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and continue to beat until all the ingredients are combined, then transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a medium plain nozzle.

6. Once the cupcakes have cooled, pipe a blob of buttercream onto each cupcake then place them in freezer to firm up while you make the fondant icing.

7. Cut the ready to roll icing into pieces and place them in a large bowl. Add a splash of water and using a spatula start to break up the icing until it starts to become more paste like. Add the rest of the water and beat with an electric hand mixer until the fondant becomes more runny.

8. Save a couple of tablespoons of the white icing to decorate the top of the cupcakes. Add a couple of drops of pink food colouring to the remaining icing and mix until the fondant turns a light pink colour.

9. Remove the cupcakes from the freezer. Spoon a little of the pink fondant icing over each cupcake, then use a palate knife to spread out the icing making sure that the buttercream is covered.

10. Put the left over white icing into a piping bag fitted with a small writing nozzle. Pipe the icing across the top in a zig zag pattern.

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