Stuffed Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
4 tablespoons (36 g) cornstarch (try using another starch if you can’t have corn)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons (20 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 recipe Easy Fudge Truffles, for stuffing (optional)
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature (for dairy-free, try an equal amount by weight of melted and cooled vegetable shortening)
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
2 eggs (120 g, out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces) milk at room temperature (any kind, but not nonfat)
Red soft gel paste food coloring (optional)
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons (24 g) vegetable shortening (I use Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening, and it is decidedly not poison)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease or line a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set it aside. In a medium-size bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder, and whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside.
Divide the Easy Fudge Truffles (if using) into 15 pieces, rolled tightly into balls about 1/4-inch in diameter. They don’t need to be pretty! They’ll be baked inside the cupcakes. If it makes them easier to handle, chill the truffle mixture before shaping. Set the truffles aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a handheld mixer), beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the granulated sugar, followed by the eggs and vanilla, beating to combine well on medium-high speed after each addition. Add the vinegar and then about a scant 1/8 teaspoon of the food coloring, if using, and beat to combine very well. The mixture may look a bit curdled, and that’s fine. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk, and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing to combine after each addition. The batter should be smooth and relatively thick.
Place enough batter in each of the prepared muffin cups until they are about half full, nestle an (optional) truffle in the center of the batter in each cup, pressing it in about half-way down into the batter, and then cover with enough batter until the cup is about 3/4 of the way full. If not using the truffles, fill the wells a full 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full with batter. With wet hands, smooth the tops of the batter in each cup.
Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted to the left or right of the center (the center will have the truffle!) of the cupcakes comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cupcakes are completely cool, place the chopped chocolate in a small heat-safe bowl with the shortening, and melt both either over a double boiler or in the microwave in 30-second bursts until the mixture is melted and smooth. Dip the top of each cooled cupcake in the chocolate mixture, bob it up and down 3 times before carefully lifting it out of the chocolate and twisting it slightly as you turn it right side up to avoid dripping chocolate. Allow the glaze to set at room temperature before serving.