Gluten Free Cupcakes

This is a recipe I adapted from my original gluten free muffin recipe. This is only the second time I have made them. The first was a few weeks ago at a Japanese "banquet" Benjamin and I hosted for some of his friends. My cupcakes were a hit!

To date, I have made cupcakes of the following flavours with my base recipe:

• Earl Grey and Orange;
• Chai Spice;
• Chocolate and Hazelnut;
• Chocolate and Cherry;
• Lemon and Poppyseed; and
• Lemon and Green Ginger Wine.

 However, I think this recipe is one of my best.

 

Green Tea and Red Bean Cupcakes

Makes 12 muffins in a 1/3 cup muffin tray

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:

300g almond meal

150g sugar

3 eggs

1tsp vanilla essence

1 cup milk

Red bean paste*

Icing:

Philadelphia spreadable cream cheese

icing sugar, sifted

1tsp green tea powder*

milk

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a muffin tray with paper cases. Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk until just combined. Add sugar and vanilla and beat by hand until well combined. Add almond meal and stir to combine; add milk in stages until mixture comes together well. Fill the muffin cases halfway with this mixture. Next, place teaspoonfuls of red bean paste in the middle of each muffin case. Cover gently with the remaining cupcake batter. Fill the cases completely: these cupcakes will not rise as much as "normal" cupcakes will. If you fill them to the top, they will rise to the usual height.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (just make sure you don't hit the red bean paste when you insert the skewer!). Allow to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, mix cream cheese, icing sugar, green tea powder and a dash of milk in a bowl. Add as much milk as is needed to get the consistency of icing you would like. I used about half a small tub of Philadelphia, about two dessertspoons of icing sugar and a few splashes of milk.

* Available at Asian grocery stores. You can cheat with the red bean paste, like I did, and buy a can of premade paste. Otherwise, buy some azuki/adzuki beans and boil them with sugar and water, then simmer until they're mushy. You can mix in some milk or cream if you want to. I've done it this way before and it does come out pretty much the same as the canned paste, but you have more control over the sweetness.