GF Gingerbread Mini Cakes (cupcakes)
This has to be one of the coldest months of May I can remember. Even here in the Santa Cruz Mountains, it has either rained, misted, been windy and/or cold almost every one of the past eleven days. Hence the blog post being Gingerbread. I know most people think of gingerbread for Christmas or fall, but any day works for me. Especially if you have a bit of lightly sweetened whipped cream to top it, or a bit of lemon curd and a large spoonful of whipping cream to top it…. even better! I happen to have both in my fridge currently. Gingerbread happens to be one of the quickest and easiest cakes to whip up. So, i did…It’s in the oven currently. I wanted something sweet and ginger happens to be a favorite flavor of mine. In my recipe, I use ground ginger, but you can also grate some fresh. It’s a little more intense flavor, but delicious either way. Gingerbread that is gluten free can imitate it’s non-gluten variety quite easily. This one does have almond meal in it. I use it a lot in my baked goods.
Gluten Free Gingerbread Mini Cakes (cupcakes)
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch (not flour)
1/2 cup almond meal
1 1/4 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 heaping teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla
powdered sugar to sift on top once cool
lemon curd or whipping cream (optional…well, maybe not :))
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease your muffin tin or pan or line the muffin pan with papers. Stir the dry ingredients together and add the wet on top and hand mix with a wooden spoon until well combined and smooth. Spoon batter into prepared cupcake pans or a square 8 x 8 ” greased pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If making a cake, bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Let cool in cupcake pan or cake pan for 10 minutes, then remove. Sift confectioners sugar over each cupcake. Best served warm with a spoon of lemon curd and a spoon of whipped cream on top. I usually serve the cake straight out of the cake pan, but it can also be inverted onto a rack or serving plate when slightly cool.