I often bake a batch of these to take to Charlie’s school fête and it’s great to see the children’s eyes grow wide with wonder when they see them. Wonderfully light and fluffy sponge, topped with real chocolate frosting and decorated with a dusting of grated chocolate and a sprinkle of edible glitter – they are always a hit!
makes: 18 muffin-sized cupcakes
preparation: 25 minutes
baking: 25 minutes
cooling: 35 minutes
freeze: Yes
for the cupcake mixture
240ml (8fl oz) soya milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
375g (13oz) wheat- and gluten-free self-raising flour, less 3 tbsp
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
290g (10oz) caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
275ml (9¾fl oz) vegetable oil
1 tsp distilled vinegar
Grated chocolate, for decoration
Edible glitter, for decoration
equipment
12- and 6-hole muffin tins
* Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Line the tins with muffin cases.
* Heat the soya milk in a small heavy-based saucepan over a gentle heat until warm or heat in the microwave on high for 40 seconds. Take the milk off the heat, add the lemon juice and stir until the milk begins to thicken and look curdled, then put to one side. You now have dairy-free buttermilk.
* Mix the flour, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl, then sift into another large bowl and put to one side.
* In a large mixing bowl and using a balloon whisk, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, buttermilk and distilled vinegar.
* Slowly add the flour mixture in three stages to the egg and oil mixture, gently stirring with the balloon whisk. Be careful not to overmix.
* Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cases, filling each three-quarters full. I use a level ice-cream scoop of mixture, which ensures an equal amount in each case. The mixture will be quite firm, so level with the back of a teaspoon.
* Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes or until the cakes are well risen and the sponge springs back when touched. If necessary, rotate the tins and finish baking for a further 2 minutes.
* Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before transferring to a metal cooling rack.
* Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and decorate with the grated chocolate and/or edible glitter. If you don’t use the frosting immediately, it will firm up, so stir in a little more soya milk until you have the right consistency.
tip: If you have a lot of frosting left over, don’t worry; just place it in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month.