First Recipe: Vanilla Cupcakes, Buttercream Frosting

I decided it's time to try to bake some Gluten Free recipes and get the show on the road. Forget that I have a million things to do. Forget that I don't have all the ingredients. Forget all that and let's just begin baking the Babycakes (TM) Vanilla Cupcakes!!!

Off to the ingredient store: Hmmm...Coconut Oil? Ok, that's not cheap. But necessary. Next, Agave Nectar? Wait, there's three flavors? Help!! Ok, lady at Henry's says to go with "light". Wow, not cheap either. And on to...Xanthan gum. $13 for some ingredient that starts with an x? Where does a xanthan grow? This ingredient is very necessary as well, for all Gluten Free baking.

Rounding up my $50+ worth of ingredients that I plan to use on many recipes. Holy Babycakes, Batman, these amounts are huge! Ok, there goes half the Coconut Oil I bought, all the Agave Nectar and yes, all but a bit of Arrowroot. Sigh... Uh oh, Applesauce- I only have one of those kids lunch cups of applesauce in the bottom drawer! Yeah, that looks like 3/4 cup to me.

Time to get to work. 325 degree oven and start with the dry mix first. Open bag of Xanthan Gum...Uh oh, scissors too close to finger...and..snip there goes my fingertip. (Short break for bandaging). Then add all the wet ingredients. They don't mix like typical cupcake ingredients-my arm hurts! Hot water bath to melt coconut oil, which isn't an oil so much as a blob. A delicious smelling blob.

Hmm, this smells like...beans. Must be the garbanzo bean flour. Rename to Vanilla Falafel Cakes? I even changed the recipe a bit to compensate, but I think next time I will completely eliminate the garbanzo bean flour and use only G-Free All Purpose flour instead. Here's the recipe as I made it:

GlutieCakes White Cupcake/Muffin Base*

*gluten-free, diary-free, egg-free, soy-free

Dry Ingredients

1.5 c Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free flour

1.5 c Garbanzo Bean flour

1 c Potato Starch
1 Tbs & 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 c Arrowroot

1 tsp Xanthan Gum
2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients
2/3 c coconut oil

3/4 c Applesauce

3 Tbs Pure G-free Vanilla

1 c hot water

Whisk dry list together, add wet list  to dry (except water), then slowly add hot water. Pour into 24 standard size cupcake liners in tins, and pop them in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, turn the pans, then bake up to 7 more. Allow to cool before frosting!

Buttercream Frosting 

1/2 c butter (opt. to use vegan vegetable oil spread)

1.5 c powdered sugar

2 Tbs Pure G-free Vanilla

1 tsp Lemon Zest (opt)

Cream ingredients together with electric mixer, smear on cupcakes. Eat the rest with your finger!


I learned that I don't enjoy the baking process as much as I enjoy the results. This recipe was delicious and with different frostings, added flavors, or even some berries this base can be so much more than just vanilla cupcakes. Imagine the possibilities and have fun experimenting!

PS-Caloric count coming soon!!!