Got Chocolate. Not Afraid to Use It.

I have thousands of cookbooks.  I think my collection is ample but I just keep on adding to it.  It's a sickness I tell you and I got it bad.  Hello. My name is Tara and I have a compulsion to buy.. just one more cookbook. The upside is, I'm never short of a great recipe or inspiration which leads me to this next little gem.

I found a great recipe recently in the very fabulous - Artisanal GLUTEN-FREE Cupcakes by Kelli & Peter Bronski.  SEE HERE  Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes no less.
The recipe was already perfect but I like to put my own spin on things so the following is an adaptation of the original.  Here's what I did -

Ingredients                                             

250g butter

1 cup water

1/2 cup GF cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1+1/2 cups GF plain flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

2 tsp xanthan gum

1+1/2 tsp GF baking powder

1+1/2 tsp bi-carb soda

1/2 tsp salt  

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180° and prep your patty cases in your baking tin.

Heat butter, water and cocoa over a medium heat until butter has melted.

Put sugar in electric mixer bowl, add the butter-cocoa mix & mix on low for 5 minutes. 

Add eggs one at a time incorporating each one well into the mix at each addition.

Add sour cream and vanilla, mix in well.

In a separate bowl combine your dry ingredients - sift twice!

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix at medium-low speed until just combined. Don't over-mix.

Fill each patty case 3/4 full.  Mix is quite thick - Don't panic.
Smooth each top then place in oven to cook for 25 minutes.

Allow cupcakes to cool in tin for 10 minutes then remove & allow to cool completely on a wire rack 

Now this recipe called for Whipped Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Sauce.

WHIPPED. CHOCOLATE. GANACHE.

Yes you read correctly. I just like saying it out loud..slowly..

WHIPPED. CHOCOLATE. GANACHE. 

The Whipped Chocolate Ganache was decadent enough for me.. I never made it to the raspberry sauce...
 
There's always next time...

Betty's Birthday Baking

A good friend of mine has a pet name for me due to my love of baking.. BETTY
Her affectionate comments have included "Nice one Betty" "Betty I'm impressed" "Make sure some of that is in plentiful supply when I call in for afternoon tea later Betty" - I know it's a term of endearment, it's kinda grown on me, OK so I kinda like it..

So Betty got baking a few days back.  Abbey's 6th birthday was looming.  Got baking? OK it was a baking FRENZY.  I had mudcake, macarons, cupcakes, and fondant coming out of the wazoo.  I had 12 kids coming for some afternoon frivolity and sugar fuelled madness.


WHY.. WHY..  I think this Coeliac scourge is creeping into my cranial cavity and strangling my brain.  Did I mention the choc-mallow jelly slice.. *GROAN*

Clearly I had bitten off more than I could chew but I was gonna make this happen.  CRAP. Why do I put myself under this pressure.  It's a bit OCD for me this baking gig. But I do LOVE it.

Well I'm happy to report that I pulled it off.  Yes. That's right.  I BLOODY did it.










A word to the wise..

If you intend on colouring fondant yourself, use GLOVES (mmm yes.. something that I could have done with knowing EARLIER..)  Better still, buy COLOURED FONDANT unless of course you're comfortable with grotesquely stained hands for days and uncomfortable stares at the supermarket checkout..

If you need to cool jelly.. DON'T forget about it and return to fridge 2 hours later in a lather realising that it has SET.. SET! That's appropriate here.  Set a TIMER people.. a TIMER (DOH! Now that tested me - stress levels were through the roof)  




AND yet, in spite of my setbacks, it all went off rather well.  It pays to have a sense of humour.  It has gotten me through many a sticky situation.


And for those of you that want to give the fabulous
Choc-mallow jelly slice a whirl.. I found the recipe in the March 2013 edition of Super Food Ideas and you can find it HERE   *Remembering to substitute for GLUTEN FREE where appropriate - e.g., Sweet biscuits, Milk Chocolate, Marshmallows