Banana and Salted Caramel Spiced Cupcakes - Gluten Free

I have a guilty confession to make... i am a cupcake addict. Baking, eating, creating, planning and learning, i love it all. So of course watching numerous episodes per week of Cupcakes Wars is only mandatory. This is my new recipe inspired from many many episodes of cupcakes wars. I never would have thought of making a spiced cream cheese frosting to accompany a banana cupcake. The base is a fluffy banana cupcake, filled with a salted caramel and topped with a spiced cream cheese frosting. The cinnamon in the frosting balances out the sweetness of the caramel in the middle. 
I roasted a few walnuts in pure maple syrup and used this as the garnish. 
I love this banana cupcake recipe (can also be used to make a cake) as it is perfectly moist and fluffy every time. ENJOY 

Ingredients

1 cup Caster Sugar
100g butter, softened
3 eggs
3 bananas, mashed with a fork
½ cup low fat milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
150ml plain yoghurt
1 1/2 cups plain flour

½ ground almonds

3 tsp baking powder

Method

Preheat oven to 170°C conventional or 150ºC fan-forced.
Prepare 2x24 mini cupcake trays with liners.
Beat softened butter till light and creamy. Add the caster sugar and vanilla and beat till well combined. Add eggs on at a time, beating well after each addition until pale and creamy. 

Add the mashed bananas, the yoghurt, milk (dissolve baking soda into the milk), flour, ground almonds and baking powder. Mix until just combined and scoop into the cupcake liners. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cupcakes are cooked (lightly touch the top and f it springs back when you lift your finger off, they are done!!). Cool for 5 mins and remove from the tins.

Caramel sauce:

Ingredients:

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

6 Tablespoons (90g) salted butter, cut up into 6 pieces*

1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream*

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn.

Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added. Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.

Very slowly, drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and/or splatter when added. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to cool down before using.

Cover the caramel tightly and store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Core out the middle of the cupcakes and fill with the cooled caramel. This is easiest done when in a piping bag. 

 

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting:

Cream cheese frosting:

250g Cream Cheese

100g Butter

3 1/2 cup Icing Sugar 

1 T Milk (may need more or less depending on desired consistency)

2 tsp Vanilla Essence or Vanilla paste

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Method: Beat cream cheese and butter on high until light and fluffy. Add all other frosting ingredients together until you have a smooth frosting consistency. Pipe or spread between cake layer and on top and EAT <3 

Top cupcakes with frosting. 

Optional: Roast walnuts in a good swirl of maple syrup at 200'c for approx 8mins. Cool and use to top the cupcakes

Paleo Date Squares with Coconut - Gluten free and Dairy Free

I have never been a fan of coconut flour.... it is usually extremely dry to cook with and sucks all the moisture out of baking, i don't understand how people love it. I tried it over and over again in large and small amount in my favourite recipes but it just never worked. However, i came across this recipe and decided to give it another go... this is my version on Paleo inspired date and coconut squares. On the other hand, coconut oil is my new found love. I use it in everything, i love it. I was delighted when this recipe contained coconut oil - another thing i can cook with it! 
It is a light coconut and almond based base layer topped with a generous layer of smooth date goodness and finishes off with a small crumble of topping. It really is a special slice, would never guess its sugar free!!
ENJOY
This slice is Gluten free and Dairy Free. Vegan and contains no refined sugar.

INGREDIENTS

DATE MIXTURE
• 500g pitted dates
• The juice and zest of 1 orange (about ½ cup)
• The juice of 1 lime (2 tbsp)
• 1 cup water
• ½ tsp vanilla powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
CRISP (TOP AND BOTTOM LAYERS)
• 1 cup ground almonds
• 1 cup toasted unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1¼ cup coconut flour
• ½ cup all purpose gluten free flour 
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• Pinch cream of tartar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup coconut oil, cold

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all the ingredients for the date mixture in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the liquid has fully evaporated and you’re left with a creamy, mushy and smooth, heavenly date mixture. Set aside to cool.
   
2. In the bowl of your food processor, combine all the ingredients for the top and bottom layers.
   
3. Process on pulse until the mixture is well combined, no more. Refrigerate this crisp mixture for 15-20 minutes.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degress (350F).
5. Press a little more than half the mixture at the bottom of an 8" x 8" pan that’s been lined with parchment paper. Place that in the oven and blind bake for 8-10 minutes until the crust starts to turn slightly golden brown.
   
6. Remove from the oven, spread the date mixture as evenly as you can over the bottom layer then loosely crumble the rest of the crisp mixture right on top.
7. Bake in a 350F oven for 22-25 minutes, until the top gets nice and golden.
   
8. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Hokey Pokey Marshmallow Choc Chip Cookies - Gluten Free

Chocolate chip cookies are one of my favourite things to snack on. However when made with gluten free flour they usually have a bitter after taste or odd texture. I have tried recipe after recipe from the internet and several cook books but none of them ever seem to meet my expectations. I have bought and trialled many different flours, almond meal  and other ingredients but still the same old problem. This is  my original recipe from before I was diagnosed gluten free, over the past 2 years I have made many adaptations and finally come up with a winner! Even when they aren't warm from the oven they are still perfectly chewy with no bitter after taste! To change it up this time i used Crunchie bars which is a chocolate covered hokey pokey (honeycomb) and marshmallows to make them extra special! ENJOY

Ingredients:
115g Butter
3/4 cup Soft Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Caster Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 Egg
1 1/4 cup All purpose Gluten Free Flour (I use healtheries baking mix)
1/4 tsp salt
2 standard crunchie bars, cut into small chuncks (or any hockey pokey bars you like)
150g Dark chocolate, roughly chopped

75g Mini marshmallows (i topped each cookie with 4 or 5, can add more or less on what you are after)
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C and grease or line two baking trays with baking paper. 
Beat butter until pale in colour, add both sugars and vanilla. Cream until light and fluffy, add egg and beat until well combined. Sift in flour and salt, mix until combined before stirring in the chocolate and crunchie/hokey pokey. 

Roll heaped teaspoon sized balls of mixture and place on tray, press down lightly, add mini marshmallows to the top, press into cookie to prevent falling off. Bake for approx. 8-10 minutes. 

Pull out when slightly golden around the edges. Cool on the tray for 10 minutes and they are ready to be eaten!!