Gluten-free cupcakes made with homemade melted white chocolate right in the batter might sound too good to be true—except I made them and I know they're just good enough that they can be, well, really really good and still be true. These are my current working one-thing-on-a-desert-island version of a gluten-free cupcake.
The only problem is, these cupcakes have white chocolate frosting, but I currently have no way of explaining how I made the frosting. It was much more witch's brew (a little of this, a touch of that) than it was a recipe just yet. But don't worry. I'm hard at work!
I wanted you to have these white chocolate gluten free cupcakes as soon as possible, though. Because food is love.
Isn't it?
I have but one single solitary lonely process photo. Of the naked cupcakes, cooling off after their spin in the oven. I have not one photo of the batter. Or the piping.
No pictures of the frosting, either, especially since I can't even yet tell you how to make it.
But it is important to see how nicely golden brown you want them to be. Since otherwise they will seem done before they're actually done. And they'd be too squishy. And you'd be upset and all “I wasted my whole life making these cupcakes and they were too squishy! Now what am I supposed to do??”
And I'd be all, “they had to brown!”
And you'd be all, “they did brown!”
And I'd be all, “but all over brown. Not just around the edges!”
And you'd be all, “oh. I hate you now.”
So now that you know about the browning, and before you hate me, I have nothing else to show you.
Except the cupcake recipe.
And I'll hit you back with the recipe for the White Chocolate Frosting. For now, I'd go with this basic buttercream frosting recipe. People seem to really like it.
*UPDATE: The recipe for White Chocolate Frosting is ready!*
| White Chocolate Cupcakes |
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) high-quality all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 4 1/2 ounces (127g) white chocolate, chopped
- 8 tablespoons (112g) unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup (151g) plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or pure vanilla extract)
- 1 extra-large egg + 1 extra-large egg white
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar, and whisk to combine well.
- In a separate medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, place the white chocolate and butter. Microwave for 45 seconds at 70% power, and stir well. Microwave again for 45 seconds at 70% power, and stir well again. If the chocolate and butter are nearly melted, keep stirring until they melt completely. If necessary, microwave at 70% once more for 30 to 45 seconds and stir. Cool briefly, add the yogurt to the butter and chocolate and stir to combine.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the chocolate-butter-yogurt mixture, then the vanilla and the egg and egg white, mixing to combine after each addition. The batter should be thick, but not as thick as cookie dough.
- Fill each of the wells in the prepared muffin tin about 2/3 of the way full. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until golden brown (see photo), about 19 minutes, rotating once during baking.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan before turning them on their sides to cool for another 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Freeze any leftovers.
Instead of prepared white chocolate, I used my recipe for Dairy-Free Soy-Free White Chocolate (http://bit.ly/wa8uSo), and instead of melting it with the butter, I just melted and cooled the butter and mixed it with the freshly-made white chocolate that was still liquid.
Love,
Me
P.S. If you haven't yet, please pick up a copy of both of My Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Cookbooks! You are the wind beneath my blog wings!
heather says
Nicole, I was a bit sad last night when I made your cream cheese buttermilk biscuits and they did not rise up. Of course, I ate them anyway, all covered in pumpkin butter, and they tasted luscious! When I saw this post, I said, “Hey, don’t give up. Try again. Nicole would want you to.”
These cupcakes came out of the oven and the whole house smelled all yummy; I was swooning. I am so, so, so, over the top, pleased with these cupcakes! I added red food coloring to make little treats of love for the kids, but I really hope that hubby and I don’t eat them all first (If it happens, I’ll never admit to it. I’ll just say they all burned up in the oven. They will never know.)
Thank you so much for all your fun, quippy writing and recipes. It has been so much for fun for me (the gee eff one), and the family (soooo, NOT gee eff), that no ones questions me anymore about whether or not the food is “gluten free” (asked with sarcasm and distaste). I love you, ya know!
Nicole says
Hi, Heather,
So sorry the biscuits turned out that way for you. That must have been frustrating. I hope the next time you try the recipe it goes much better because it is a well-tested recipe and will work. Try reading through all the comments to the biscuits post, and I think you’ll probably find your answer there.
So glad you were pleased with the white chocolate cupcakes. I’d eat ’em all. You gotta take care of #1! And it’s great that your family now sees that good food is good food — gluten-free or not!
xoxo Nicole
Kristi says
If I could make a cupcake that pretty, I am certain that I wouldn’t eat it nor would I let my kids lick off the frosting. I would just stare at it. So perfect.
I am starting to get the idea that browning, I mean really browning, but not burning is the way to GF baking. Am I on to something here or just stupid? Not sure I want your answer, lol.
Nicole says
Hi, Kristi!
There’s really nothing to decorating a cupcake like that. You just need the right pastry tip. :)
Nothing special about gluten-free baking that requires more browning than conventional baking. These cupcakes are super super moist because of the melted white chocolate, so they need to almost “dry” a bit in the oven at the very end. They end up with an almost cookie-like exterior, and it’s the most lovely texture inside you’ll ever find. But that’s why they need to brown a bit more on the outside, not because they’re gluten-free.
The prep process is sometimes different with gluten-free baking (mostly with yeast breads, not much with other things), but the baking is usually pretty much the same.
Sounds like maybe something you’re making isn’t turning out exactly how you had planned?
xoxo Nikki
Tara says
My stomach is growling looking at these beautiful cupcakes! I too admire the frosting technique and the way those cupcakes come out the pan so clean. My muffin pan is old and is quickly looking shabby…..lol…might be time to upgrade to a USA pan. Looking forward to white chocolate icing :)
JoAnn C says
No white chocolate frosting recipe? Aw, darn! Now I’ll have to settle for a dark chocolate ganache instead. ; )
Nicole says
Hi, JoAnn!
I wasn’t entirely sure what your position on white chocolate was, since you’re so chocolatey. But I was able to recreate the White Chocolate Frosting twice today, so I should be able to post the recipe tomorrow. ;)
xoxo Nicole
JoAnn C says
I do prefer the dark chocolate over white, but I will never turn down chocolate of any type. Can’t wait until tomorrow. Thanks for working so hard to pleeeaaassseee your faithful following.
Nicole says
That sounds about how I would have guessed your position to sound, JoAnn. ;)
I’m working so hard to please you, JoAnn. ‘Cause you is nice to me.
xoxo Nicole
Miranda Carie Cunningham on Facebook says
oooooh! pretty!
Lisa @ GF Canteen says
awesome cupcakes and that photo of them on the towel? really truly awesome. I am admiring the piping (of course cause I am obsessed with that). They came out of the pan like that? I might have to buy me a USA pan. Mine do not come out of the pan like that.
Wanda Starr says
Lisa,
You won’t be sorry you bought a USA pan.
Nicole says
Thanks, Lisa. Who knew you were obsessed with piping? Just get a “2D” tip. That’s all. Honest.
Oh, and yup. They come out of the pan like that. And I didn’t grease the tin at all. Not one bit. Yet they still pop right out. They are actually nonstick. Imagine that. :/
xoxo Nicole
Jennica Jacobs on Facebook says
I can already smell the calories! Can’t wait!
Karen Langley on Facebook says
So into the white chocolate frosting! If you post it tomorrow I can make them for Super Bowl. Would be perfect – cupcakes and football :)
Wanda Starr on Facebook says
Absolutely!!!!! White chocolate anything is my favorite. YUM I can hardly wait.
Wanda Starr says
These look and sound delicious! I LOVE white chocolate. I have to tell you that because of you I purchased two USA pans and can’t thank you enough. I love the pans and will be buying more in the future. Next purchase will probably be either the cake pans or the muffin tin. Anyone who hasn’t tried them should. They’re great!!!!! AND the clean up so easily.
Nicole says
Hi, Wanda!
I’m so glad you are enjoying your USA Pans! I honestly don’t know what I did before I found them. Thank you so much for telling me about your experience — and I know the company will be thrilled, too. They read the blog and love love love reader comments like yours. ;)
xoxo Nicole
Wanda Starr says
I hope the company is very good to you because I’m sure you have brought them a lot of business. I have a gift card from Bed, Bath and Beyond and plan on using it for more USA pans.
Nicole says
Thank you, Wanda. They have been — but no company could ever be so good to me that I’d dream of recommending a product to you that I don’t believe in using myself, in my own kitchen. :)
xoxo Nicole
Kimberly Galbraith Gessner on Facebook says
mmmm I have to try these