Recipe: Gluten-free black bottom cupcakes by Susan Hart

Cream cheese filled chocolate cupcakes are about the only way my daughter likes to eat chocolate, so that speaks volumes about the deliciousness of these treats! I have adapted a recipe by Richard J. Coppedge Jr., which appeared in www.glutenfreeandmore.com, to use my Help Yourself — It’s Gluten-Free! basic flour mix.

Filling

Ingredients:

1 cup cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 cup gluten-free chocolate chips

Batter

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups Help Yourself — It’s Gluten-Free! basic flour mix, or other gluten-free flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon xanthin gum

1 cup water

1/3 cup oil

1 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with cupcake papers.

Cream together the cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a standing mixer or with a wooden spoon. Add the egg and beat until light in color and mixture has the thickness of sour cream. Fold in the chocolate chips and set aside.

Combine the flour mix, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Create a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the liquid mixture, and mix until smooth.

Put one tablespoon batter in each cupcake wrapper. Add a scoop of the cream cheese filling in each, then distribute the rest of the batter on top of the 12 cupcakes. The cups should be almost, but not completely, full.

Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the top of a cupcake springs back to the touch of a finger. Cool for about 20 minutes in the baking tin, then remove the cupcakes and cool them on a rack.

These gluten-free black bottom cupcakes are truly yummy, moist and delicious!

I will be at the 3rd and Curry St. Farmer’s Market on Saturday, August 20, selling my Help Yourself gluten-free flour. I will have some samples of these cupcakes, and other offerings, so come by and try a goody or two while they last.

Bon appétit!

Susan Hart has been cooking gluten-free for 20 years. She can be reached at glutenfree.hart@gmail.com.