Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes

Sometimes you don’t need extravagant, fancy bakes. You just want something simple that’s perfectly delicious without too many additions. These Vanilla Cupcakes fit the bill. I used vanilla bean paste rather than vanilla extract to get that rich vanilla flavour and as there’s so little else in the recipe, I felt it was right to get the best of the basic ingredients.

The recipes uses oil instead of butter and this gives them a great softness once baked and if you follow the instructions, then they will be perfect for you! I made a simple vanilla glaze just to spoon over the top as I didn’t want to cover them in buttercream, but for a special occasion, a whirl of buttercream will be perfect!

I’ll put the frosting recipe at the end for you 🙂

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Gin & Tonic Cupcakes

I have a house full of G & T fans, it’s not my tipple but it’s my son and his girlfriend’s favourite drink and as it was her birthday, I decided to make these cupcakes.

I opted not to use a recipe which incorporates gin into the batter as I felt it would be a very wet mixture and the time to bake could result in a tougher cupcake rather than a light, moist one. Using the lemon drizzle method, I opted instead to brush the baked cupcakes with the gin for it to sink in and flavour the entire bun. There’s also gin in the buttercream (of course there is!) so it’s a treat for gin lovers.

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Rocky Road Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

cupcakes, rocky road, marshmallow frosting, jo wheatley, kids parties, cupcake cones

I made these very cute cupcakes to bring with me to a dinner party where there were going to be children so they wouldn’t feel left out while the adults had their “grown up” dessert . They went down a treat and the adults had to try them and loved them too! They are not made in the traditional cupcake method so end up having a lovely fudgy texture. The marshmallow frosting is simply gorgeous, very sweet and delicious and you can make the rocky road bark whatever way you like using what you have on hand. I adapted this recipe from Jo Wheatley who won the Great British Bake Off.

cupcakes, rocky road, marshmallow frosting, jo wheatley, kids parties, cupcake cones

There are 3 stages to making these so my advice is to have the ingredients at the ready so you can smoothly move from one to stage to the next

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Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

When I saw this recipe, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I knew I had to make it and even though it was a few weeks between spotting it and trying it, it was worth the wait. These cupcakes are full of Terry’s Chocolate Orange chunks throughout and I added a little ingredient to bring out the full flavour of orange and chocolate – a match made in heaven! The buttercream is made with orange juice and zest and of course you have to top them with slices of Terry’s Chocolate Orange  to complete their deliciousness!

cupcakes, chocolate orange cupcakes, Terry's Chocolate Orange, cupcakes, buttercream, orange buttercream

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