Chocolate beetroot cupcakes (gluten-free)

So it turns out that cooked beetroot makes an astonishingly good egg replacer. (I thought I was being really clever then I googled chocolate beetroot cake just now and the first link was an eggless chocolate beetroot cake. I’ll take that as a positive.)

Double chocolate sweet potato cupcakes (gluten-free, nut-free and vegan)

I turn 40 tomorrow. Which confirms it. I’m a grown-up. On the outside, anyway.

I haven’t had much time to think about it, what with trying to outwit the 5 and 2 year old every minute of the day.)

But I think I’m ok with it. (Like I have a choice.) A little bit daunted. Excited even. I had a feeling I was entering grownuphood anyway.

For a start, I can have a fabulous night out without crying, losing half my belongings or being totally hungover the next day. (I know this because it happened on Friday). Luxury is a bubble bath without one (or both) kids getting in and pouring water over my head with a toy boat. And I just bought a sewing machine.

But I did get to thinking, what on earth happened to my thirties? They went so fast. Did I do anything at all? (Apart from nappies and softplay.) What were they about?

Chocolate-orange cupcakes with red jelly noses (…and chocolate fudge icing)

One thing I have learned today. Be. More. Prepared. Like don’t try facepainting for the first time (in aid of Comic Relief’s “make your face funny for money”) on a fidgety four- year-old ten minutes before the school run. The result? Not particularly funny but just about passable as a rabbit (even though the bunny ears fell off half way to school.)

I’m pretty sure these were more successful. Red jelly noses atop a chocolate-orange polenta cupcake with chocolate fudge icing. Bake sale, anyone? They are easy to make, lighter than your average cupcake and tick the gluten- and dairy-free box too (though no-one will be able to tell). And a wibbly wobbly jelly nose could pass a moderately comical. Maybe.

Here’s the recipe:

• 150g vanilla yogurt (soya, sheep, cow, coconut)
• 1 teaspoon orange extract or the zest of an orange
• 100ml sunflower oil
• 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 100g caster sugar
• 50g light soft brown sugar
• 40g quick cook polenta (check it’s gluten-free if you need to)
• 100g gluten-free flour blend (I used Dove’s Farm) or 120g plain white flour if you aren’t gluten free
• 1 plus 1/4 teaspoons baking powder (check it’s gluten-free if you need to)
• 30g cocoa powder
• pinch of salt
• for the icing: 60g good quality dark chocolate; 20g golden syrup; 40g dairy-free margarine; 75g soft light brown sugar
• for the jelly noses: 1 pack of strawberry jelly cubes (the kind you make up with hot water (I used Hartleys)

1. Preheat the oven to 180C or 160C fan. Line 16 muffin tray holes with paper cake cases.
2. In a jug, make up the jelly with half the amount of water directed on the packet. Pour into 16 holes of either a silicone mini muffin tray, cake pop mould or round silicone ice cube tray. Or as a last resort do as I did and use a weaning freezer container, but it proved a bit too deep to get the jellies out easily. (Though at least I used it for something.)
3. Measure the cake ingredients into a bowl and beat together with a fork until you have a smooth cake batter.
4. Divide amongst the cases and bake for 15 minutes or until risen and firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
5. To make the icing, break up the chocolate and melt with the margarine and syrup (I microwaved on high for 50 seconds then stirred until the hot butter and syrup melted the remaining lumps of chocolate.) Add the sugar and stir until you have a fudgy, spoonable paste.
6. Spoon a teaspoon of icing onto each cake then repeat before using the back of the spoon to gently cover the whole cake.
7. Ease the jellies out of their moulds onto a plate and use a pallet knife to pop on onto each cake, preferably just before the icing sets (so the jelly noses don’t slide around on the way to the bake sale like mine did!)
8. Lick the icing spoon clean with a cup of coffee whilst you survey your handiwork…

Spookily good chocolate-pumpkin cupcakes with chocolate fudge frosting…

The only scary thing about these cupcakes is that it’s impossible to stop at one. But who cares when there’s so much good stuff in them? Mine are gluten-free (and dairy-free) but you can make them with regular flour and/or butter if you like. I’m not claiming health food status by any means, frosting this indulgent doesn’t come guilt-free and there’s plenty of sugar in the sponge. But they are a cunning way to cram a bit of goodness into your little ones’ diets during the trick-or-treat party season (or the half term treat-or-treat season).

I didn’t carve a pumpkin this year. By the time I’d made a pumpkin outfit for little one’s first ever disco (a disco, aged 4!), my pumpkin creativity pool was seriously depleted. So I used butternut squash instead. And bought a scary pumpkin helium balloon (which seems to come alive after dark and follow me around the house). But if you did the pumpkin thing you could roast some of the flesh and use it in these cakes. And then use the rest to make soup.

By the way, if you’re looking for a gluten-free chocolate sponge recipe, this is it. Light, soft, moist and even a bit springy. Like “real cake” but better. I’m not sure how it works but it just does.

Take this…

 

And make this…

You’ll need…

…for the cake:

• 100g roasted pumpkin or butternut squash, skin and seeds removed
• 120g soft light brown sugar
• 25g golden syrup
• 2 eggs
• 45g dairy free spread or margarine or soft butter
• 45ml light olive oil
• 1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (sounds odd but it’s essential)
• 100g gluten-free plain flour blend (I used Dove’s Farm) or 120g plain wheat flour
• 20g cocoa powder
• half a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt (optional)

…then for the frosting

• 60g good quality dark chocolate
• 20g golden syrup
• 30g dairy free spread or butter
• 50g soft light brown sugar

 

Here’s how:

To roast the butternut squash, don’t bother to peel it just cut it into quarters lengthways, scoop out the seeds, rub with a little olive oil and place in a roasting tray or large rectangular dish. Roast for about 45 minutes or until tender and sweet. Use the rest of this antioxidant-packed superfood to make soup, or gingerbread muffins, or in a super-charged salad.

If you’ve carved a pumpkin for Halloween, put big chunks of the flash on a roasting tray, rub with a little oil and roast until tender.

Then for the cakes:

1. Take a 12 hole cup cake or muffin tray (preferably silicone). Line with paper cases if it’s a metal one. (Feel free to do this with a silicone tray but it’s not essential, I didn’t and they popped out just fine. Although I would have, if I hadn’t run out). Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (160C fan) with a baking sheet inside it.

2. Put chunks of the roasted pumpkin or squash in a blender.

3. Add the oil, dairy free spread, vanilla, golden syrup, balsamic vinegar, sugar and eggs to the blender and blitz well.

4. Weigh the flour and cocoa into a bowl and add the bicarbonate of soda and salt.

5. Mix the wet mix into the dry mix until you have a smooth batter.

6. Divide between the cake cases then slide the muffin tray onto the preheated baking sheet. Bake for around 20 minutes or until well-risen and firm to the touch.

7. If you are using paper cases, cool for 5 minutes in the tray then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.  If not make sure the cakes are almost cold before you turn them out or you will leave half the sponge in the hole.

8. Melt together the chocolate and syrup. In another bowl mix the dairy free spread or butter with the sugar. Stir the chocolate mixture into the butter-sugar mixture.

9. Spoon and spread the frosting over each cake.

10. Decorate with mini marshmallows before the chocolate sets, if you like.

And enjoy…

 

 

Foolproof chocolate sponge cake with rich chocolate fudge frosting

I’m not sure what I like best about this cake. I mean it’s completely delicious so that’s probably at number one. It has the light springy-yet-soft-and-moist texture of a regular chocolate sponge or genoise, yet is gluten and dairy free. And because it’s a chocolate sponge it’s so utterly versatile. It makes fantastic cup cakes, ready to be smothered (or piped if you like that kind of thing) with icing and pretty things. It’s a brilliant birthday party cake for a little one as there are no nuts involved, yet it has the structure to stand up to some serious sugar paste. It’s not so heavily laden with dark chocolate and butter that it has to be eaten with a dessert fork in teeny slices with a side order of food guilt. And it’s so quick, easy and fail-safe I find myself making it just to have with my mid-morning coffee.

The star player that makes all this possible is the humble date. You’ve probably noticed they feature quite prominently in many of my cake recipes. Dates add sweetness (so you need less added sugar – though this is not a no sugar cake by any means!). They lock in moisture, so the cake eats better and keeps better without being pumped full of fat. They provide structure which is even more important when baking gluten free. A fudgy texture and flavour. And of course a nutritious punch, but this is chocolate cake after all so I won’t dwell on that here.

The icing is a rich, dark combination that goes fabulously fudgy when it sets. Just melted chocolate (nothing fancy just regular dark chocolate chips will do), soft brown sugar, golden syrup, a little dairy free spread and some cocoa powder. Easy to make, easy to apply. And it is impossible not to lick the bowl afterwards.

One more thing. I’ve made this cake A LOT. And as such have fed it to many people – the vast majority being gluten and dairy eaters. And everyone has complimented it. So even if you’re not gluten free, I’m pretty confident in saying give it a try. Just substitute the gluten free flour for slightly more wheat flour (120g). And the spread for butter, if you like.

So I said this cake is easy to make. That’s an understatement. You do need to get out your blender but the rest is just a case of measuring stuff out and blitzing it up.

For the sponge you’ll need: 100g pitted dried ready to eat dates; 50ml just boiled water; 100g light soft brown sugar; 30g golden syrup; 45g dairy free spread, margarine or butter; 45ml (3 tablespoons) light olive (or other flavourless) oil; 1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (sounds weird but it works); 2 eggs; 100g gluten free flour blend or rice flour; 20g cocoa powder; 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda; a pinch of salt.

To make the sponge:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C or 160C fan. Grease an 18cm diameter round cake tin with a little oil. If it’s not loose-bottomed line it with baking paper too.

2. Chop the dates into two or three pieces each (this makes the soaking process quicker but most importantly checks for any rogue stones)

3. Place in a blender or the bowl of a hand blender and pour over the water.

4. Measure in the vanilla, sugar, syrup, dairy free spread (or butter), oil and vinegar and blitz until smooth. Add the eggs and blitz again. (If you’re not confident about your egg-cracking skills do this into a bowl first, fishing the shell out is really hard).

5. Measure the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl. Mix together then add to the blender and blitz again. (If you are using wheat flour fold or stir the wet and dry mixes together gently so you don’t activate the gluten.

6. Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 30 minutes .

 

7.  When ready the cake will be well risen, slightly domed and firm to the touch. It should also be making a funny crackling sound (if you listen closely) and have shrunk slightly from the sides of the tin. So it actually tells you when it’s ready.

8. Leave to cool in the tin then when slightly warm turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely, or for a loose-bottomed tin push the base up through the sides and slide onto a rack. Meanwhile make the frosting…

For the frosting you’ll need: 25g golden syrup; 25g dairy free spread (or butter); 50g light brown soft sugar; 5g cocoa; 100g chocolate chips (or dark chocolate chopped small).

To make it: Melt the syrup and spread or butter in the microwave or a pan, when hot remove from the heat and add the cocoa, chocolate and sugar. Keep stirring until thick and glossy. When it is spoonable but not runny, spread it over the cake with a pallet knife and allow to set.

Add any extra decorations you like. Then dive in.

By the way this cake makes about 8-10 slices. If you want to make a cake to feed a party of 20 or so little pirates or princesses just double the quantity and either use two 18cm cake tins and sandwich together, or a 20cm square tin.

I made this one for a pirate themed 4th birthday party, with the frosting used as a filling, and sugar paste icing held on with damson jam. And lots of Jake and the Neverland Pirates figures…