Fluffiest Frosting

This frosting is reminiscent of clouds. It's SO LIGHT AND FLUFFY! And bakers beware, if you are only making a single layer cake, like in a 9x9 inch pan...and you make an WHOLE batch of this frosting, one of two things are going to happen: 1) you have a good bit of frosting hanging out in your fridge when you are finished frosting your cake or 2) you will have a cake heaping with fluffy frosting.
Guess which outcome I choose. My cake was half of this frosting by volume. I figured, why not? Saying it was a bit much is an understatement, but it was good for a few laughs when cutting into it and seeing the surprise on people's faces when they realized half of their slice was frosting.

I really liked this frosting, it has a really mild flavor and isn't too sweet; making it a perfect base for so many flavor opportunities! You can add spices and extracts to match any flavor profile you are working with, and adjust the sweetness to suit your taste.

The heavy cream is what makes this frosting so light and airy, it is whipped (along with the other ingredients) much like you would do to make your own whipped cream. The ingredients don't seem like they will make so much frosting at first, but after all the air is incorporated, the mixture will double in size.

This is definitely one of the more interesting frostings I have made, even though this version's flavor was plain, the texture was unique. Could you imagine adding some cocoa powder? Chocolate-y clouds of frosting. Yum!
Oh, and I bet you could use full fat coconut milk instead of the whipping cream and maybe even Cashew Cream Cheese for a vegan version. Ohhh.. cocoa and coconut!... pure decadence. Okay, I have to stop now before I bake another cake. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

8 oz plain cream cheese

1/2 cup granulated sugar (more or less depending on tastes)

2 t vanilla extract

2 cups heavy whipping cream

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
Add the cream (I slowly added it in three batches), using a mixer, start mixing at a lower speed and work your way up until the frosting resembles whipped cream and stiff peaks form.

Recipe adapted from here.

What's your favorite cake-frosting flavor combo?

I have always LOVED banana cake with cream cheese frosting. In fact, a banana cake is what this recipe was tested out on, and that recipe will be up on this blog soon, so report back for that update!

Cheers,
     Suzy

S'more Cupcakes

These cupcakes are a real treat. Don't let the length of the recipe be intimidating, the end result is worth every bit of work and when taken step-by-step the assembly isn't too difficult. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the whole thing turned out, and on my first try too!

If you are wondering how to go about eating these, ie., with a fork and knife, face-first, one-bite-wonder (not possible), ...roasted over a fire and on a stick... I say to opt for the face-first variation. 

Just like a kid at a campfire...no hesitation. 

To make the Marshmallow-Stuffed Graham Cracker Cupcake:
1 1/2 cups of gluten free graham crackers, ground to a fine flour using a food processor
1/2 cup gluten free flour blend (I used a mixture with ground oatmeal!)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
---
Marshmallows, the kind used for s'mores
---
Chocolate Frosting
----
Chocolate Squares
-----
Extra GF graham cracker crumbs

Instructions
To Make the Cake:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Combine the graham cracker flour, Gluten Free flour blend, baking powder, and salt.
3. Separately, cream the butter and sugar together until lighter in color and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, thoroughly combining before adding the second. Stir in the vanilla.
4. Slowly mix the flour mixture to the butter mixture, along with the milk until no lumps remain and all ingredients are combined.
5. Pour the batter into the lined muffin tins, about 1/2 full.
6. Place one marshmallow in the center of each muffin tin and gently push into the batter.
7. Bake for 20 minutes in the pre-heated oven, but please check your cupcakes and adjust time accordingly, they should be golden brown and the marshmallow should appear as though it has been roasted, and are a bit sunken within the cupcake.

8. Once you have removed the cupcakes from the oven, place ANOTHER marshmallow right in the crater that the first marshmallow created. Yup, you read that right. A whole second marshmallow stuffed right there in the middle of each cupcake. This one will get all warm and gooey, making for a welcomed surprise when you take that first bite!...and second, and third... 

9. You can frost the cupcakes that are brimming with marshmallows, once they are cooled. I used a large plastic baggie that was sealed and had the corner cut off, but feel free to apply the frosting however you like, as long as you pile it high!!

I used extra GF graham cracker crumbs and a chocolate square to garnish the already-over-the-top decadent cupcakes.

Please enjoy these cupcakes. They are by no means health food...but are completely delicious and worth sharing for special occasions.

Cheers,      Suzy

This recipe was constructed from a mish-mash of these adapted recipes:
http://www.52kitchenadventures.com/2013/05/23/homemade-smores-cupcakes/
http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/2013/04/marshmallow-in-middle-chocolate.html

Best Chocolate Frosting

Before going gluten free I didn't realize that most frosting contains a thickener, often flour. After making the realization, frosting just became an extra addition to the growing list of things that you have to look out for when eating. Among the sneaky places gluten hides, frosting is low on my list of concerns. Other foods that I eat more often, and are more relevant to my daily life such as roux in soups and thickeners and emulsifiers used in salad dressing, trump frosting. However, when I had an idea for these luscious cupcakes I knew I wanted to use the best frosting possible, and after looking into a couple recipes I was reminded just how prevalent flours are used in the creamy cake topper. After some research I came across this recipe and made modifications according to personal experience with gluten free flours and preferences.

The result was a frosting that is luxury at it's finest. It is silky, smooth, and chocolaty beyond belief. Much more rich-tasting than any frosting you might get out of a plastic container.

Ingredients
1 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup Gluten Free flour of choice (the finer, the better...I used sweet white rice)
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup granulated sugar (I used a less because I knew this cupcake was already going to be so sweet)
1 cup almond milk
1 cup butter, room temperature

To Make The Frosting:
1. Carefully melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments and stirring after each. 
2. In a small saucepan and over medium heat, combine the GF flour, cocoa powder, sugar and milk. Whisk to combine and remove lumps, allowing the mixture to come to a simmer for 3-5 minutes until thickened.
3. Remove from heat, transfer to a large mixing bowl (it is suggested to strain it into the bowl), and allow it to cool COMPLETELY in the refrigerator or freezer.
4. In a mixer (or in a bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter until fluffy [2 min]. Add the cooled flour mixture and beat until fluffy [2 min]. Incorporate the melted chocolate chips and continue to beat until smooth and still fluffy [2 min].

At this point the frosting is ready to  pipe onto your cooled cupcakes, or you can go old-school (my personal favorite way of doing things) and smooth it on with a frosting knife.

Recipe for this S'more Cupcake HERE

Cheers,

     Suzy