Last Friday of the Month Recipe: Gluten Free Coconut Cupcakes by Marianne Rice

All you lucky people, here is a gluten free recipe that makes my mouth water and topped with chocolate frosting...yummy.  

And a you can read about Marianne's book Smoke and Pearls while eating these. 

Perfect.  

The recipe and why you love making it:

Hey, L.A., thanks for having me back.  

Last year, my ten year-old son was diagnosed with celiac disease. I’m a baker with a wicked sweet tooth, so the first thing I did was start experimenting with all the gluten free flours. I never realized how complex cooking gf was. It’s not a simple one-to-one fix. One cup of flour cannot be replaced with one cup of rice flour or coconut flour or whatever flour you want to use.

Gluten free baking requires a plethora of ingredients and depending on what you’re baking—cookies, brownies, cakes, breads—the ratios will vary significantly. Being the OCD person I am, I invested in five different flours (coconut, rice, almond, brown rice, cashew), potato and tapioca starch, and xanthan gum. And ouch! That was expensive.

I’ve been baking gf for a year now and have had more failures than successes in the cake and cupcake department. They usually come out crumbly, dry and grainy. But I finally found a keeper! This one is super easy; the cake is spongy and moist (ah! That word, I know). You can’t go wrong.

I made these for my son’s Valentine’s Day party and not a single kid (10-11 year olds) noticed they were gluten free. A win!!

Gluten-free Coconut Flour Cupcakes

Ingredients:

½ cup melted butter

2/3 cup sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

6 eggs

2 TBLSP milk

½ cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. You can line a muffin pan with liners or spray the pan really well. I find gf cupcakes stick to the paper so I place them in the liner after baking.
2. Beat melted butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and eggs. Then add milk.
3. Sift together coconut flour and baking powder. Add to wet ingredients. Stir until combined.
4. Evenly divide the batter, filling each ¾ full.
5. Bake the cupcakes on the center rack for 18-20 minutes.
6. Cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

2 sticks softened butter

2 cups powdered sugar

½ cup cocoa powder

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

½-1 tsp milk

Whip butter then add vanilla. Slowly add sugar and cocoa. You can add more/less milk depending on how thick you like your icing. (We like it thick!)

Spread on cooled cupcakes and top with toasted shredded coconut.

Enjoy!

Blurb (Smoke & Pearls):

Sidney Mitchell, granddaughter of a wealthy Dallas icon, loses her beloved Grandpop and her world slips off its axis. When a handsome stranger sends a smile her way at the funeral, she welcomes the distraction and accepts his lunch invitation. He quickly becomes an important figure in her life, helping her forget her grief and focus on her future.

After working a twenty-four hour shift, firefighter Max Harmon is involved in a fatal accident. While paying his respects at the funeral of the victim, he is knocked off his feet by the beautiful blonde with the sad eyes. They’re both looking for an escape and turn to each other, finding friendship, laughter and incredible chemistry.

Sydney loves that Max is unaware of her heritage. For the first time, she’s not worried about a man using her for her family’s wealth. Their passion burns hot until she learns Max is the reason her Grandpop is dead. He may be charming, kind and sexy, but she can’t forgive him for stealing her Grandpop from her, and for starting the cover-up she’s sure is there.

Will their newfound love be strong enough to battle through the betrayal, or will their relationship go up in smoke?

Buy:

Amazon

Bio:

Marianne Rice writes contemporary romances set in small New England towns. Her heroes are big and strong, yet value family and humor, while her heroines are smart, sexy, sometimes a little bit sassy, and are often battling a strong internal conflict. Together, they deal with real life issues and always, always, find everlasting love. When she’s not writing, Marianne can be found chauffeuring her herd of children to their varying sporting events, and when there’s time, shoe shopping, scarfing down dark chocolate, and relaxing with a glass of wine and a romance book. 

Find Marianne:

Website | Facebook | Amazon Author Page

Instagram | Facebook Author Page | Twitter

Goodreads | Pinterest