🦄UNICORN CUPCAKES

gf chocolate cupcakes with raspberry-blueberry-vanilla swirl buttercream

No worries people, no unicorns were harmed in the making of these cupcakes.

My baby is 11 years old and this is the 2nd batch of gf chocolate cupcakes I made for her birthday.  The first batch was with a simple vanilla buttercream and she brought all 24 to share with her class on her birthday.  Her pal is Celiac as is another child in the class so I made sure to make everything gluten free (and no nuts of course).  My daughter is allergic to nuts and so are several children in the school.

extra shiny bling from colourful dragees. I don't like their crunch but they sure are pretty

This 2nd batch of cupcakes was for her birthday party on the weekend.  We went to The Luminous Elephant and she and her gal pals made bath bombs, sang karaoke, nibbled on snacks and ate these Unicorn Cupcakes.  

there are no artificial colours in the buttercream frosting! I used organic blueberry and raspberry powders for intense flavour and gorgeous natural colour

Some of the girls were in her class and had tasted the 1st batch; so I asked which they preferred.  They all chimed at once "these!" The frosting tastes SO good!  

I had butterfly pea flower and could have made a blue buttercream too and now I'm slightly disappointed I forgot to use that too. Oh well, 3 colours is enough lol!

In fact, I have green (spinach powder), orange (carrot powder) and red (beet powder) but was hesitant to use veggie flavours because y'know kids might detect the veggies in their buttercream! Maybe next time I'll be more daring haha!

the tri-coloured swirl effect was so pretty

GF CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH UNICORN BERRY-SWIRL FROSTING

(adapted from Barefoot Contessa's "Beatty's Chocolate Cake")

• 1 3/4 cups gluten free flour [I used Namaste gf flour]
• 2 cups organic evaporated cane sugar
• 3/4 cups cocoa powder 
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup organic buttermilk [or 1 cup organic milk & 1 tablespoon lemon juice mixed with milk to acidulate]
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 2 extra large free range  eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 shots espresso in a measuring cup; topped up with hot water to make 1 cup coffee

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

• 2 Muffin tins
• 24 large/extra large paper cupcake liners

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 muffin tins by lining with 24 large-extra large cupcake liners
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. 
3. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the hot coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. 
5. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

UNICORN BERRY-SWIRL FROSTING

• 4 Cups confectioner's sugar
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 teaspoon organic raspberry powder
• 1 teaspoon organic blueberry powder

1. In an electric mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy and smooth
2. Add the confectioner’s sugar 1/2 cup at a time
3. Add vanilla extract and gradually add milk until the buttercream is at a consistency that is not too stiff. Continue beating for 5-7 minutes at medium speed until light in colour
4. Divide the buttercream into 3 different bowls.  In one bowl, add the raspberry powder and mix well until combined.
5. In another bowl, add the blueberry powder and mix well until combined.
6. Prepare a large pastry bag by scooping the 3 different coloured buttercreams inside
7. Pipe/swirl the buttercream on the tops of the cooled cupcakes

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Drip Cake: Chocolate Quinoa Layer Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream (gluten free)

Made my own Birthday Cake. Yes I did😆

6 inch GF Chocolate Quinoa Cake layers and Vanilla Bean Buttercream

This is my favourite part of making a cake

Decorated with my fave goodies: matcha macaron, Lindt chocolate balls, dragées, a mini KitKat and mini Coffee Crisp and crushed macaron shells

The chocolate ganache was perfect. I threw dragées on the side of the cake too and they stuck🙌

It's late November and the only thing blooming in my garden are these little purple Daikon flowers.  I just let the daikon go to seed and never did harvest the daikon (so bitter!)  The flowers sure are pretty...and edible

Scroll down past the recipes to watch a video of me assembling the layers

BEST EVER QUINOA CHOCOLATE LAYER DRIP CAKE WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM (GF)

adapted from Quinoa 365:  The Everyday Superfood

makes 3 6-inch layers

• 2 1/4 cups cooked quinoa (see note below for instructions to cook quinoa. No substitutions)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla bean paste
• 3/4 cups coconut oil, melted and cooled (you can use unsalted butter)
• 1 1/2 cups organic cane sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened organic cacao powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

*3 6-inch cake tins (you can make do with 2 pans and after baking the first batch, make the last layer after cleaning the pan)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray the tins with coconut oil spray or non-stick spray.  Line with a round piece of parchment paper
2. In a Vitamix, heavy-duty Blender of Food Processor, combine:  milk, eggs, vanilla paste.  Blend until combined.  Add 2 1/4 cups of cooked quinoa and the melted coconut oil and continue to blend until smooth.
3. Dump in the sugar, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the Vitamix.  Blend well to combine.  [NB: if you are using a regular blender, you will encounter problems with the thick batter and may not be able to totally break down the cooked quinoa grains. In this case, you should use a food processor]
4. Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared cake pans. Gently tap the pans on the counter to get rid of air bubbles and smooth the tops evenly
5. Bake in the centre of the oven for approximately 25-30 minutes.
6. Test the cakes for doneness with a toothpick or cake tester.
7. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Remove from the pan and allow the cake layers to cool completely on a rack. 
8. Frost with Buttercream (see recipe below).  Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes. Make the ganache (see recipe below) and allow to cool as the cake is in the fridge.  Drip chocolate ganache over the cold buttercream. Decorate with your fave chocolates and bling✨ it up with dragees if desired.
9. Cake layers can be stored sealed in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month. 

COOKING QUINOA Note:  Bring 2/3 cup raw, rinsed white or golden quinoa to boil in a heavy saucepan with 1 1/3 cups water.  Cover, reduce to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat and leave covered saucepan on burner for another 10 minutes.  Fluff with fork and allow the Quinoa to cool.

Rice Cooker Method:  Cook rinsed quinoa as you would rice, following manufacturer's instructions and the indicator lines for appropriate water levels.    I made 1 cup quinoa and found it had enough leftovers to make another dish.

VANILLA BEAN BUTTERCREAM 

(makes just enough for a nearly naked cake; or just enough to frost this little 6 inch cake)

3 cups confectioners' sugar (icing sugar)

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter [I used Kerrygold]

1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

1 tablespoon milk

1. In an electric mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy and smooth
2. Add the confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time
3. Add vanilla bean paste and gradually add milk until the buttercream is at a consistency that is not too stiff. Continue beating [speed 8 on the KitchenAid] for 7-8 minutes until almost white in colour. The buttercream will be fluffy
4. Use immediately to frost the 3 cake layers.  

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1 cup whipping/heavy cream

1 bag Wilton Chocolate Candy Melts (chocolate chips or dark chocolate will work as well)

OR

8 ounces chocolate

1 cup heavy cream

NB: before you start! if you have a kitchen scale the ratio for the ganache in weight is 1:1.  But if you don't or if you're too lazy to whip out the scale like me, you can eyeball it and adjust by adding more chocolate or cream until you get a thick pouring consistency.  

1. Put whipping cream in a microwave-safe container and heat in 30 second increments until it is hot to the touch.  Check on it at intervals so it doesn't boil over.
2. Add 1 cup of the Candy Melts or chopped chocolate and stir gently until the ganache is thick but pourable.  Mine was too runny initially so I had to add another handful of candy melts. As well, allowing it to cool will also thicken the ganache before pouring.  Test the ganache before drizzling on the cake by attempting to drip from the top edge of a glass or mug.  If it runs too quickly then add more chocolate or candy melts.  

♬Bossa Nova Royalty Free Background Music

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CONDENSED MILK POUND CAKE WITH ORGANIC GROUND VANILLA

Condensed Milk Pound Cake with Organic Ground Vanilla

That Organic Raw Ground Vanilla was very expensive.  Like $54. I had plopped it into the basket when my husband wasn't looking.  

Happy Friday!
After School Cake Date! 

I'm baking cake (non-gluten-free!) for my kid today.  It's been forever since she asked me to bake anything.  She's not a sweet-tooth like the 9 yr old.  So this morning when she arose from bed and exclaimed "mommy, you can bake a cake if you want. My friends are coming over after school" I was like "holy smokes!"

Since when did "after-school playdates" evolve into "hanging with friends?"

Times flies.

When I started this blog, it was primarily to document recipes for my newborn (the big kid in question...Bebe is her alias on my blog).  I was hoping to leave a legacy of recipes and stories for her but the blog took on a life of its own as I explored cake decorating and photography and found myself engrossed in trying to make my blog more beautiful.

So Bebe is heading to high school in September.   Along the way, I've put the blog on the back-burner as real life (and actual money-paying) opportunities took precedent.  The blog was never meant to earn me any money and I had initially balked at ugly ads...but I gave in.  Cake supplies were expensive!  The blog is still a money-loser on the whole, but it is priceless in connecting me with wonderful bakers and bloggers around the world and I have even met some of them in person! Currently, I just feel more connected to people on Instagram than I do on this blog because there is a sort of immediacy and intimacy that Instagram has that blogs don't.  I like being connected to my readers but I've lost a lot of readers because I allowed the frequency of my posts to slide. This is a choice I made because I had to take time for my health, my life, my kids and career.  I don't regret it. Thank you if you're still following my blog and reading for over a decade!

Thus, this morning...upon entering the kitchen I immediately took out some good butter to soften for later. This chunk is unsalted local Avalon organic butter.  Then I spent a good couple of hours contemplating what type of cake I would bake.  I took a nice morning run--and then after coming home and opening my pantry I spied the ridiculously expensive bag of GiddyYoYo Ground Raw Organic Vanilla I had recently bought at Famous Foods.

Batter ready for the oven. The ground vanilla looks amazing!

I felt no guilt baking this pound cake because I knew I wasn't going to eat it.  In fact, with 7 girls in the house after school, they made short work of eating almost the entire loaf in under an hour.  I have been pretty good with avoiding eating too much gluten and my Hashimoto's disease is quite manageable now.  With regular exercise and a personal trainer to help me resolve my shoulder impingement I'm finding myself feeling way better.  I've been busying myself on Instagram with my newfound love of Smoothie Bowls and Chia Pudding.  I'll be posting something on smoothie bowls soon.  I have accumulated quite an arsenal of toppings for these healthy post workout smoothies.

An afternoon snack baked for my kid's friends on a Friday Afternoon.

Have a slice with a glass of milk or a cup of green tea.  This Condensed Milk Pound Cake is a delicious start to the weekend!

CONDENSED MILK POUND CAKE

Adapted from Pichet Ong's Sweet Spot

Makes one 8 1/2 - x - 4 1/2 inch cake, about 12 servings

• 1 Cup (8 oz/226g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
• 1 1/3 Cups all purpose flour (7 oz/200g)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 Cup evaporated cane sugar (3 3/4 oz/106g)
• 1 tsp organic ground vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 Cup sweetened condensed milk (8 oz/239g)
• 3 Large eggs

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F. 
• Generously butter and line with parchment an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 - inch loaf pan and set aside.
• Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside.
• Put the sugar and the ground vanilla in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse. 
• Add the butter and salt and process until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. Add the condensed milk and pulse until well incorporated, about 15 times, scraping down the sides of the bowl once. 
• Add the sifted dry ingredients and pulse until no traces of flour remain, about 10 times. Add the eggs and pulse just until combined, about 5 times. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the vanilla extract, if using, and finish mixing by hand to fully incorporate the eggs. 
• Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes; then reduce temperature to 325 degrees F and continue baking for another 35 minutes, until the top is dark golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes total.
•  Cool completely in the loaf pan on a rack, then unmold.

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COCONUT BUTTER MOCHI (GF)

Coconut Butter Mochi cakes are gluten free additions to a school lunchbox. And they look cute in the mini flower shape.




Cut the mochi cakes small.  They are each probably like a kajillion calories but it's a little sweet treat that will put a smile on your face (and your kids' faces too).



Made of sweet glutinous rice flour (a misnomer because there is no gluten in rice), these little cakes are chewy and similar in texture to huge gummies.  Kinda. Well, actually they're like a hybrid gummy-cake texture. I think? The crust is the best part too. This recipe has both coconut milk and evaporated milk but can be adapted to be all coconut milk and you can definitely reduce the butter or substitute with other fats.  Let the adaptations begin!   However, I wanted a recipe that would taste like Hawaii so I didn't change anything.  This one tastes exactly like the mochi I had on our recent trip to Maui.

The recipe I used is from HERE.

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