Preparation time: 5 minutes

Baking time: 18 to 20 minutes

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• Red Velvet Cupcakes

The popularity of these gorgeous little gems may have peaked years ago, but I still think they are luscious enough to include in this book. After all, most of us grew up eating red velvet cake. If your paper liners are small, you may get five cupcakes instead of four.

Makes 4 or 5 cupcakes

• ⅓ cup Carol’s Gluten-Free Flour Blend
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa (not Dutch-processed)
• ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
• ⅛ teaspoon (dash) baking soda
• ⅛ teaspoon (dash) salt
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons water, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon liquid red food coloring
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Cream Cheese Frosting or your choice of frostings starting on page 226

1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 4 (or 5) cups of a 6-cup standard nonstick muffin pan (gray, not black) with paper liners.

2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour blend, sugar, cocoa, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt until well blended. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat in the egg, oil, water, food coloring, and vanilla until well blended. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of batter into each liner.

3. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely on the rack. Frost with the cream cheese frosting or other favorite frosting. Refrigerate leftovers.

Per cupcake (¼ of recipe) with Cream Cheese Frosting (on page 226): 330 calories; 3g protein; 10g total fat; 1g fiber; 59g carbohydrates; 51mg cholesterol; 177mg sodium