Special Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fluff Frosting ~ Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

Today is a triple special day, it's my A-Maisie-ing Maisie's eighth birthday, it’s Improv Cooking Challenge reveal day AND after weeks of neglect I'm finally adding a new recipe to the blog. How appropriate is it that this month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the specified ingredients of cake & frosting! She must have known that it was my girl's day and that she adores cake and frosting.

Of course Maisie with her allergies, I had to make her special treats gluten, egg & dairy free...but still delicious. These cupcakes were a big hit with my girl and since I made them just for her, I only frosted one and then wrapped and put the extras in the freezer to be thawed, frosted and enjoyed another day.

Special Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fluff Frosting ~ Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

• 1 1/2 cups pitted dates
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
• 1/4 cup coconut cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 5 TBS. Hershey's Special Dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Frosting:

• Marshmallow Fluff
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Using a food processor, combine the dates, almond milk, coconut cream & vanilla bean paste, pulsing until you have a smooth and creamy paste. In a separate bowl whisk together the rice flour, corn starch, cocoa powder, baking powder & salt. add the wet to the dry ingredients. Beat the mixture by hand for two minutes. Portion the batter into 4-6 cupcake liners.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. To make frosting, stir together the desired amount of Marshmallow Fluff and flavor to taste with cocoa powder and a pinch of salt. Pipe frosting onto cupcake and decorate with sprinkles.

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

• September 2013 Macaroni & Cheese: Creamy Mac & Cheese, Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free
• August 2013 Vanilla & Chocolate: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Vanilla Coconut Frosting
• July 2013 Peaches & Herbs: Peachy Cola Ribs
• June 2013 Fish & Chips: Salt & Vinegar Crab Cakes
• May 2013 Cinnamon & Sugar: Cinnamon Bun Cookie Bars
• April 2013 Bacon & Eggs: Mini Bacon & Swiss Quiche Cups
• March 2013 Carrots & Peas: Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup
• February 2013 Hearts & Flours: Three Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Brownie Bites
• January 2013 Bananas & Nutmeg: Baked Bananas
• December 2012 Chocolate & Marshmallows: White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark
• November 2012 Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp
• October 2012 Oatmeal & Raisins: S’mores Granola Bars
• September 2012 Zucchini & Brown Sugar: Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar
• August 2012 Tomatoes & Peppers: French Fries Hash Browns
• July 2012 Corn & Butter: Fritos Crusted Pollock
• June 2012 Cherries & Almonds: Dried Cherry Almond Tart
• May 2012 Strawberries & Cream: Strawberry Soup
• April 2012 Peanut butter & Jelly: Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
• March 2012 Potato & Cheese: Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole
• February 2012 Ginger & Carrots: Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
• January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream: Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart
• December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries: Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter
• November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese: Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
• October 2011 Caramel & Apples: Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

 

Pumpkin Pie Bars ~ Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

Yummy Pumpkin Pie Bars.  Cake-like on the top and bottom and chewy creamy in the middle.

 

April is National Soyfoods Month and I was contacted by Soyafoods* and asked to try and use their products in one of my recipes.  We use a number of soy products here in the Cook Lisa Cook house as we all adore edamame and go through a package in nothing flat.  Snacks like Sunrich Honey Nutz are always a favorite, especially for Maisie at school or at the gym where it gives her that extra protein and calories she needs to make it through her long gymnastics practices . I use tofu in a number of recipes and because Maisie’s allergic to milk, I often substitute soy milk for dairy milk when baking.  I was totally onboard with featuring a recipe which includes soy, in this case, Westsoy soy milk.  Today’s recipe is for some absolutely delicious Pumpkin Pie Bars, which are Maisie “safe” as they don’t contain any wheat, egg or dairy…but you’d never know that from the flavor.  These bars are sort of a cross between cake and pie because the top and bottom of the bars have the texture of cake and the middle has a nice moist and somewhat chewy creamy texture, not quite as custardy as pumpkin pie, but close.  The bars are simple to make and of course, totally delicious!!

Maisie’s been cooped up at home for a the past few days, recovering from sinus surgery and avoiding our outrageous pollen counts so she was excited to help Mama cook, especially as the final product was for her!

Licking the spatula is always a delicious treat.

I love using my Slice Solutions Pan as it makes perfect portions.  One note though, when using this pan with the insert, it cooks faster than an undivided pan so you’ll have to adjust your cooking time depending on your oven and which pan you use. 

Pumpkin Pie Bars fresh from the oven, with the insert removed.

 Maisie approved, Pumpkin Pie Bar success!!

Pumpkin Pie Bars ~ Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
• 1 cup tapioca flour 
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum  
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 6 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 4 TBS. ground golden flax seed
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup Westsoy soy milk
• 1 cup vegetable oil 
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 – 15 oz. can 100% pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix) 

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray a 9 x 13-inch Slice Solutions Pan or baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the rice flour, tapioca flour, corn starch, xanthan gum, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, flax seed, brown sugar and granulated sugar.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the soy milk, oil and lemon juice.  Once the wet ingredients are fully incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the pumpkin puree.  Mix on low until fully incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Add the Slice Solutions Pan insert and then bake for 50-60 minutes until the tops of the bars are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean.  (Note, when I cook with the Slice Solutions Pan my baked goods cook faster so if just using a regular undivided pan, your baking time could be as much as 30 minutes longer so keep checking to make sure that your bars aren’t over or under baked.)

Enjoy!

April is National Soyfoods Month so it’s the perfect time to learn about the place for soy in a healthy diet and easy ways to incorporate it into everyday meals.  Packed with protein and fiber, soyfoods are a tasty way to reduce calories, saturated fat and maintain your weight.  Many soy products like veggie burgers cook and thaw faster than traditional meat sources so that means more time and convenience—who couldn’t use more of both?

The Soyfoods Association of North America (SANA) provides information about the health benefits and nutritional advantages of soy. SANA offers fun recipes and convenient ways to incorporate soy into meals for everyone – from athletes to families. SANA is dedicated to spreading the word about soy, especially during National Soyfoods Month in April!  Here are just a few ways that soy can help make your life easier and healthier: Take this mixed berry smoothie up a notch with creamy and delicious WESTSOY Soymilk made from whole organic soybeans: Berry Smoothie WESTSOY Soymilk.  Need a snack on-the-go? Grab some gluten free SOYJOY bars to fuel up with nutrients in seconds, SOYJOY bars. On those busy weeknights, add some Wildwood tofu to the standard stir-fry for more protein or this spinach fettuccini to your favorite pasta sauce, Wildwood Tofu.  Packing lunches with the same snacks can get a little boring, but honey roasted soy nuts are a sweet and crunchy snack packaged in individual sizes, perfect for the lunch box, Honey Roasted Soy Nuts.  Packed with protein and fiber, soyfoods are a great way to reduce calories, cholesterol and saturated fat. They also serve as a great source of iron, calcium, vitamin B-12, magnesium and zinc.  Including soyfoods into your diet is easy and convenient. See the recipes below: Soymilk adds a healthy twist to any smoothie and these scalloped potatoes: Soy Milk Scalloped Potatoes.  Edamame makes a great energy-boosting snack and puts in an interesting twist on this hummus: Edamame Hummus,  Easy recipes to get cooking with soy ingredients: Easy recipes to get cooking with soy

Follow the SoyFoods Association on Twitter at @SocialSANA

Follow SoyFoods Association on Facebook

 

Disclosures:

* This sponsorship is brought to you by Soyfoods Association who we have partnered with for this promotion. I was provided with a box of products to sample.  This is a compensated post but all the views and opinions expressed are my own and based upon my experiences with Soyfoods Association products.

A-Maisie-ingly Wonderful Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free Bread

My A-Maisie-ing Maisie adores bread…well at least she used to until we found out that she’s allergic to wheat, egg & dairy and she had to give up her favorite, Nutella on bread…my poor girl!  I quickly found dark chocolate peanut butter which though not Nutella, was close enough to satisfy her.  In my attempt to give Maisie the bread she so dearly missed, we tried every.single.bread that I could find which was free of wheat, egg & dairy.  I swear though, there’s a racket going with gluten-free bread makers as each loaf seemed to run close to $10 and Maisie hated them all!  After spending a small fortune and having all my “bread” thrown in the rubbish bin we sort of gave up and Maisie resigned herself to not being able to eat bread and life went on.  But just recently I saw a recipe named Finally…Gluten Free Bread That Doesn’t Suck on One Good Thing by Jillie and honestly the name drew mw in and I just couldn’t pass it by without giving it a try.  After reading through the recipe I knew that I could adapt it for Maisie’s allergies as Jullie’s original recipe contained egg and milk powder.

 Maisie’s excited, just waiting to bite into her bread.  Honestly in this picture she knows what she’s getting because I have made six loaves of this bread already because Maisie absolutely LOVES it!!  This bread is crazy delicious and though I’ve tweaked the recipe each time I’ve made it, from the first batch it was wonderful.  The first time I made it, I gave a slice to Eammon and he thought that I made a loaf of regular yeasty bread and wanted more, but this bread was for Maisie so Eammon was just out-of-luck. 

  Maisie was so thrilled with the first two loaves that she finished them in three days!!  I swear, all she wanted to eat was bread with her Maisie “safe” butter.  It got to the point where I was using the bread as a treat, telling her that she could have some after she finished her meal and she opted for the bread in lieu of dessert!!  I’ve tried a taste of each of the three batches I’ve made and if I didn’t know, I wouldn’t know that this bread was gluten, egg and dairy free as it has that wonderful smell of yeast, the flour mixture doesn’t taste like you’re eating rice, the texture is tender and moist and there’s a nice chew to the bread.  I have to say, gluten-filled or gluten-free, this is some of the best sandwich bread I’ve ever eaten. 

The dough in the pans before it rises.  I honestly wasn’t too hopeful for a real bread the first time that I made this but now I know that from this step, it won’t be long before my home will smell of fresh baked bread and Maisie will be begging for a slice or two.

In the original recipe that Jillie posted, her bread rose about an inch above her pans but as I didn’t use eggs or milk, I found that a rise to just above the lip of the pan is about as far as I can take it before the dough will start to spill over the edge of the pan.  I keep a Silpat lined baking sheet on the rack below the bread pans so that if any dough does spill over, it doesn’t end up burning on the base of my oven.

Even though my dough rose to just above the lip of the pan, once I started baking the bread I did have a little spill over.  I’m sure that if I had egg in the bread it would hold together a bit better, allowing for a higher rise.

A little spill over or not, each time that I’ve made this, I’ve ended up with two gorgeous and delicious loaves of bread. 

Let the bread cool completely before slicing.  Look at the gorgeous texture and when I press in gently with my thumb, it springs right back up (see next picture) so no dry as the dessert or super dense bread like most of the ones Maisie ended up trashing.

A-Maisie-ingly Wonderful Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free Bread (Adapted from here)       

• 1 1/3 cups brown rice flour 
• 1 1/3 cups tapioca flour 
• 1 1/3 cups cornstarch 
• 1 TBS. potato flour
• 6 TBS. ground golden flax seed
• 1 TBS. xanthan gum 
• 1 TBS. gluten free egg replacer
• 2 tsp. sea salt 
• 1 packet active dry yeast (not Instant or Rapid Rise dry yeast)
• 5 TBS warm water (110-115*F) to activate yeast
• 1/2 tsp sugar to activate yeast
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread or dairy free margarine, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar 
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 cups warm water, divided

Spray into two 8-inch bread pans with cooking spray and set aside.

Add the yeast and sugar to the 5 TBS. of warm water and stir until mixed. Set aside to activate while you mix the rest of the ingredients.

In a medium sized bowl mix together the brown rice flour, tapioca flour, cornstarch, potato flour, golden flax seed, xanthan gum, egg replacer and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the margarine, apple cider vinegar, honey and 1/2 cup of the warm water.  Mix together for about 30 seconds.  The butter will be chunky, that’s okay.

Add half the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in the mixer and mix just until blended.  Then add the remaining dry ingredients and mix for another 30 seconds, until blended.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the yeast mixture and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of warm water, then turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for 4 minutes.  Half way through stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure that nothing is stuck to the bowl. 

After 4 minutes the bread dough should resemble a thick cake batter.

Spoon the dough into the greased bread pans. If desired, dip your fingers in water and smooth the top of the dough. Set aside in a warm place to rise for approximately about 60 - 90 minutes.  (I found that 90 minutes in my 100F proofing oven worked perfectly)  While the dough rises, preheat oven to 375F.

When the dough has risen to just above the top of the pans, place the pans in your preheated oven on the middle rack and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a skewer poked into the center of the bread comes out clean.  Remove the bread from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then remove the loaves from pans and place on a rack to cool.

After allowing the bread to cool COMPLETELY (this is important! Don’t rush it and cut into it while it’s still warm or you will flatten it.)  VERY carefully start cutting slices. Also very important, let your bread knife do the cutting for you! You provide the “sawing” action, but let the knife blade do the work. Don’t press down, just keep “sawing” across the top until you get all the way to the bottom of the loaf and hit the cutting board. The bread slices will keep their shape much better this way.  I have also found that slicing the bread top crust down makes for easier slicing.  Slice the entire loaf, put into a Ziploc bag and freeze.  When ready to serve, from frozen, toast or microwave the bread (40 seconds in my microwave) brings the bread back to that fresh baked texture. 

Enjoy!