White Chocolate Cupcakes

I turn thirty in just 11 days...The thought terrifies me somewhat - I'm not ready! I feel quite far from achieving my "things to do before I'm thirty" list thanks mostly to various Crohns surgeries that tended to put a dampener on adventure,  among other things.  That said, apparently, thirty is the new twenty and there is nothing I can do about the inevitability of time (I've looked into it), so I am consoling myself by baking practice cakes for my birthday party.

Rather fortuitously, the theme for this month's Gluten-Free Ratio Rally is cake!  Head over to host Kate at Gluten Free Gobsmacked for the round-up.  I intend to steal the most exciting ideas to use at my birthday party, a week on Sunday, so the timing could not be better for me.

The ratio (which could not be easier) is -  1:1:1:1.  Egg:fat:sugar:flour.

I have opted for cupcakes for two reasons.  I am a twin, my brother is normal (in so much as he can tolerate gluten), so our birthday cake with be a "normal" cake.  My Mum and I are baking gluten free cupcakes to accompany the main cake, so that I can eat something at my own party.  Secondly, pure impatience, cupcakes bake quicker than your average sandwich sponge and I am the sort of person that can't wait that long for my cake.

White Chocolate Cupcakes
The icing* highlights the vanilla taste of the white chocolate and adds a lovely, rich finishing touch.  I used a star nozzle on my piping bag and decorated it with some dark gold cake glitter and a chocolate star from Dr Oetker.


(For the cakes)
110g Self-Raising flour mix (if you don't already have a favourite, you could try mine)
110g Margarine
110g Caster sugar
2 Large eggs
60g Good quality white chocolate

(For the icing)
110g Butter, softened
220g Icing sugar
1tsp Vanilla extract

• Melt the white chocolate, either in in bowl sat above a pan gently boiling water, or in the microwave (only microwave chocolate for 5-10 seconds at a time, it burns very quickly!)
• In a large bowl, beat the margarine and sugar until it is pale and fluffy.  (An electric hand-whisk is the easiest way to do this.)
• Add the eggs, one at a time and whisk to combine.  (If the mixture looks like it is splitting, add a tablespoon of the flour mix to bring it back together.)
• Add the flour mix and continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth.
• Slowly add the melted white chocolate, whisking all the time until it is combined.
• Line a shallow bun tin with 12 paper or silicone cases and fill each one about 3/4 with the cake mixture.
• Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.  Leave to cool in the tin as they will be quite soft straight from the oven.

• To make the butter-cream icing: beat the butter in a bowl until it is pale and creamy, sift in the icing sugar and beat the two together.
• Add the vanilla extract and combine well.
• This is now ready to transfer to a piping bag to decorate your cakes.

*For all my US readers, for icing, read frosting!!

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