Gluten Free Coffee Caramel Cupcakes

I know what you're thinking, "This gal sure makes a lot of cupcakes for someone on a low carb diet." Yes, you are correct in your assessment of the situation over here. I have no excuses to offer, just a pure authentic love for cupcakes.



I had some homemade caramel sauce I "had" to use up and saw a caramel and coffee flavor profile on The Cake Blog that I wanted to try. We still eat grains and grain products on our low carb diet, just no wheat products, so we are essentially eating gluten free. I used the coffee cupcake recipe I usually use and converted it to make it gluten free. I learned some great tips from Cara over at Fork and Beans when I first started experimenting with gluten free baking that have carried me through many a recipe. Here are her tips:

1. Subtract 2 to 4 tablespoons of the liquid called for in the recipe.
2. Add 25% more baking powder than called for.
3. Bake cupcakes longer - somewhere between 22 and 28 minutes.

Also, make sure your flour blend uses a gum like xanthan gum or guar gum. If it doesn't, you'll need to add that in. I used Betty Crocker's gluten free rice flour blend which already contains a gum.

I ended up taking these cupcakes, along with our leftover April Fool's Day cupcakes, to church the next day. That's the real secret to how I get away with baking so many cupcakes. I spread the love - or calories, as it were.

Gluten Free Coffee Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 cups plus 1 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour blend (I used Betty Crocker's)

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 Tbsp instant coffee granules

6 Tbsp strong brewed coffee

¼ cup whole milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake liners (about 24).

2. Beat butter with electric mixer for 30 seconds.

3. Add sugar ¼ cup at a time and beat until mixture is light and fluffy, 2 or 3 minutes.

4. Beat in eggs one at a time.

5. Whisk together flour blend, baking powder and salt.

6. In a separate bowl or cup combine coffee, milk, and instant coffee granules.

7. Alternately stir in flour mixture and coffee mixture starting and ending with the flour.

8. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake 20 to 25 minutes. Check after 20 minutes.

Caramel Buttercream

INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

½ cup caramel (homemade or Mrs. Richardson's)

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds.

2. Beat in 2 cups powdered sugar.

3. Beat in caramel, vanilla, and salt.

4. Scrape down the bowl and beat again about 3 minutes until buttercream is light and fluffy.