Gluten-Free, Vegan Vanilla Cupcake with Mocha Frosting

For the past few weeks I've been trying my best to go completely gluten-free. I've had the feeling I may have a slight gluten-intolerance for a while now - with headaches, fatigue, and skin problems flaring up when I load up on lots of breads, pastries, and crackers. I've noticed since I've taken gluten out I have more energy, and just feel better all the way around! There is no way I can stick with this though without...cupcakes!!! I found the following recipe on the "Gluten-Free Goddess" blog.

Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes with Mocha Icing- a Vegan Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cupcake tin with paper or parchment liners

In a mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together:
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Add in:
1 cup warm vanilla rice milk or water
1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water (or two large eggs)
3 tablespoons light olive oil
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon mild tasting rice vinegar or lemon juice

Beat with a mixer until the cake batter is smooth- roughly 2-3 minutes.

*A reminder on gluten-free vegan batters: Gluten-free vegan batters behave a little different. They are often stiffer at first, then get sticky and stretch as the xanthan gum and egg replacer do their vegan g-free thing.

If the batter climbs the beaters, slow down the speed and slightly lift the beaters to encourage the batter to migrate back down into the bowl. Move your beater around the bowl in figure eights, at a slight angle.

Using an ice cream scoop, plop the batter into the twelve liners. Smooth out the tops with wet fingers.

Bake in the center of a preheated oven until firm and dome shaped. For me this took about 18 minutes at sea level but they may take up to 20 to 22 minutes, depending upon your particular oven and altitude.

Cool the pan on a wire rack briefly, then gently pop out the cupcakes and continue cooling on a rack (this avoids steaming the bottoms).

Dairy-Free Mocha Icing Recipe
 

When making frosting, start with a small amount of liquid and add a little bit at a time until you achieve the consistency you want. If the icing gets too runny, add more confectioner's sugar to thicken it. You can also put the icing in the fridge for an hour to stiffen it.

2 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2-3 tablespoons Spectrum Organic Shortening
2 ounces cold coffee, more as needed (or use rice milk if you don't like coffee)
1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla

 

Mmmm...I bet it'd go nicely with this :)