I've got a secret to share - My vanilla cupcake recipe!
But there's one thing, I've changed it up, and made it not only keto approved, but gluten free!
As lockdown continues on for us in Auckland, boredom is really setting in. I've been getting a little crazy in the kitchen, baking and cooking up a storm!
I've also been doing quite a bit of research on flours and baking techniques suitable for a keto diet - which I wish I'd done years ago. Adapting a recipe from using wheat flour to flours such as almond flour and coconut flour isn't as easy as switching it 1:1 ratio, so there needs to be room for error and practice.
Luckily for me, I've successfully transformed two recipes in the last two days on the first go - these vanilla cupcakes and afghan cookies (Recipe coming soon!)
What I've been lucky to produce is a fluffy cupcake with a moist crumb (sorry friends!), basically so damn close to my normal vanilla cake you'd be surprised!
When I took my first bite of this cupcake - I felt filled with pure happiness, like it was my birthday! My heart was full.
My partner's first words were "woah." followed by "wow."
In other words, these are 5 star cupcakes!
Ingredients:
Almond flour: In NZ, we commonly sell Almond flour in the supermarket or at bulk food places, but in other parts of the world you may find almond meal, not too be confused with almond flour. Almond meal is more coarsely ground, so we want finely ground almonds.
Coconut Flour:
This was used purely for experimental purposes - we've bought a couple of packets of baking mixes and I noticed coconut flour used with almond flour, so I wanted to see how it went down. Full disclaimer, I did not notice a coconut taste to the cupcake. Coconut flour is VERY absorbent, so you only need a small amount, however I'm not sure its entirely needed so if you want to skip coconut flour, sub the same amount for almond flour.
Baking powder:
Our darling raising agent, don't skip over this ingredient!
Baking soda:
In addition to baking powder - Baking soda also helps with rising baked goods!
Xanthan gum:
My new favourite in the kitchen - and absolutely necessary for gluten free baking. Xanthan gum helps ingredients to bind together, where gluten free baking does not contain the obvious; gluten, xanthan gum steps in like the peace-maker in a dysfunctional family, it keeps everything together.
Sweetener:
My choice of sweetener for this recipe was Whole Earth 100% Natural with Stevia - Which has a 1:2 ratio with sugar. Previously I used Whole Earth Monk Fruit which was a 1:1 ratio with sugar, so just keep an eye out when choosing your sweetener!
Eggs: We whip our eggs in this recipe to make them light and fluffy - This helps with the structure of the cupcake and helps give it its fluffy crumb!
Olive oil:
I'm not a fan of traditional creaming butter and sugar, so 95% of my cake recipes contain oil for long lasting cupcakes that don't dry out.
Buttermilk: A girl once said to me, "mmm buttermilk sounds delicious." no, honey! Buttermilk is curdled milk, not so delicious! You can find out how I made buttermilk with cream down below.
Vanilla Extract:
A key ingredient for vanilla cupcakes - I did use vanilla paste for this recipe, however I recommend vanilla extract. You'll need to add double if you're using vanilla essence.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160C conventional and line a cupcake tray with paper liners.
Start by mixing together your almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, using an electric beater or a stand mixer, beat your eggs until they're light and fluffy.
Gradually add in your sweetener while continuing to beat for about 30 seconds.
Follow with olive oil and vanilla, beating until completely combined.
Next, mix in half of the dry ingredients - you'll start to notice the batter becoming thicker. Add in half of the buttermilk and mix until combined. Follow this with the remaining half of the dry ingredients, and then the last half of the buttermilk.
Spoon out your batter into your cupcake liners, filling them about half way and bake for 25-30 minutes, keep an eye on them and for heavens sake DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN until you are past the 20 minute mark! Prematurely opening the oven door can cause your cupcakes to sink in the center by interrupting the rising stage. Check your cupcakes at the 25 minute mark, if a skewer or fork comes out clean, the cupcakes are ready - if not, pop them back in for another 5 minutes.
Let the cupcakes sit in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. While you wait for them to cool down, crack on with your frosting.
Blueberry cream cheese frosting:
If you have a go-to frosting recipe - by all means any will do!
For these cupcakes I wanted to experiment a little, so I beat together some softened cream cheese, butter, blueberry compote and powdered sweetener. Full recipe instructions down below.
Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 9
Ingredients:
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
6 tablespoon sweetener (see below*)
2 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup buttermilk (see below**)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
Preheat oven to 160C conventional and line a cupcake tray with liners.
In a small bowl, mix together almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum.
In a large bowl, using a electric beater or stand mixer, beat eggs on a med-high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add sweetener and continue to beat until combined.
Add oil and vanilla and beat for a further 30 seconds.
With the beater still running, mix in half of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk. When combined, add in the other half of the dry ingredients and then the last of the buttermilk.
Spoon mixture into cupcake liners about half way and bake for 25-30 minutes, checking at the 25 minute mark for doneness. Cupcakes are done if a skewer (or fork) comes out clean.
Take tray out of oven but leave cupcakes in the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
* I am using 1:2 ratio with sugar for this recipe - if using a sweetener like monk fruit, double the amount in this recipe.
** To make buttermilk with cream - Put half a tablespoon of vinegar in cup with half a cup of cream, let sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
Blueberry cream cheese frosting
(note: alternatively if you like a more buttery taste, change this recipe to 110g cream cheese and 110g butter)
Ingredients:
180g cream cheese, softened
40g butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sweetener (see below*)
Blueberry compote (see below**)
Beat cream cheese and butter together until creamy. (If too cold, pop bowl into microwave and in 20 second bursts on med/low power should help the butter and cream cheese soften enough for beating)
Beat in blueberry compote, followed by gradually adding the powdered sweetener.
Transfer frosting to a piping bag and decorate your cupcakes!
* You can either purchase powdered sweetener or make it yourself in a coffee grinder!
** Blueberry compote - I highly recommend checking out Glam Jams if you aren't in the mood to make this - but alternatively put 2/3 cup of frozen blueberries in a pot with 1 tablespoon of sweetener and a splash of lime or lemon juice. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, stirring often. In another bowl, use a sieve to push the blueberries through - we're only extracting the juice here - then pop into the fridge for 5 minutes to cool down.
1 cupcake with buttercream:
Net carbs: 5g Protein: 6g Fat: 34g
Have you made this recipe?
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