Last Sunday C invited us over for chicken tacos. We were all hungry, and the four of us stood around C's pocket-sized kitchen shredding chicken and watching the refried beans bubble on the stove. Turns out the chicken tacos we were making were the GlutenFreeinSLC special, Shredded Mexican Chicken, and in Mexican culture is referred to as Chicken Tinga. We talked about chicken and work and onions and C's crazy neighbors, as the hot evening sun filtered through the blinds. After dinner, we all stretched out on the various couches and patches of floor, and kept talking. I was playing with people's shoes, the boy was throwing pillows, I rolled over in front of the fan to "take all the cool air," and we kept talking.
It was such a delightful evening, and we parted ways with full bellies ready to face the next week.
Most of us were too full to have a strawberry cupcake. I ended up taking care of many of them myself.
Last Year: Pickled Beets and Bread and Butter Pickles
Two Years Ago: Whole Grain Rice Milk Review and the debut of the Gluten Free Restaurants in SLC page (regularly updated)
Gluten and Dairy Free Strawberry Cupcakes
adapted from Cupcakes by Martha Stewart
[Print this!]
Makes 12
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup millet flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup shortening, such as Spectrum Organic
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large whole eggs
1/2 cup milk (I used rice, but it would work with cow's, hemp, almond, soy, or coconut)
1 cup finely chopped strawberries, fresh or *frozen
Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the shortening, sugar and vanilla at medium speed until the mixture is fluffy, or about 2 minutes. Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each egg. Then reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk. Turn off the mixer and fold in the chopped strawberries by hand.
*If you plan on using frozen strawberries for this recipe, they will be best at room temperature. After chopping them, leave them in a small bowl on your counter to defrost. Pour off any water after they have thawed. You will have best results with fresh strawberries, but the frozen ones still taste good. It turns out to be more of a texture issue - the strawberries that started out frozen can be mushy after they are baked. Also, fresh strawberries will help the cupcakes to bake evenly and not fall when they are taken out of the oven.
Line a muffin tin with paper liners, and scoop batter into each liner. Bake the cupcakes for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are golden brown on the top. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then, pull each cupcake out of the pan and finish cooling. Do not frost until the cupcakes are completely cooled.
3/4 cup fresh strawberries, washed and chopped (these must be at room temperature)
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening at room temperature
Puree strawberries in a blender or food processor, and be sure that they are at room temperature. Using the metal bowl for your stand mixer, make a double boiler with the stand mixer bowl resting above a pot of simmering water. Make sure the bowl does not actually touch the water. Put the egg whites and sugar in the stand mixer bowl, over the simmering water, and whisk until the mixture is very smooth and slightly warm.
Remove the bowl from the double boiler and put the bowl on the mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment. Increase to medium high, whisking the egg whites and sugar mixtures for about 10 minutes, until the bowl is cool and stiff peaks have formed. Add shortening, a little at a time, at medium low speed. Switch to the paddle attachment for the mixture and beat for 2 minutes to eliminate any air bubbles. Add strawberries and beat on low until combined. The strawberries must be at room temperature, or the frosting's structure will break by adding cold strawberries.
Once the frosting is finished, remove it from the stand mixer and frost cooled cupcakes as desired.
Thanks for the High Five! You are my hero.
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