Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes (Nut, Wheat and Fish-Free, Can Be Egg, Milk and Soy-Free)

Today is my daughter's 6th birthday.  She is all about pink and chocolate, so when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday in way of a cake, it was no surprise that she wanted something chocolate with pink frosting.  I aim to please, so I went searching for something awesome for my sweetheart of a girl.

Since we dearly love fruit flavored frostings, I decided to look for something that fit the bill, and I found this one from Chef Savy that I altered just slightly.  It's heavenly - seriously.  Great raspberry flavor, beautiful pink color and beyond delish!  Seriously, it's good enough to eat by the spoonful...which I may or may not have done with the excess frosting I had after the cupcakes were frosted.

The chocolate cake, or cupcakes in this instance, was an easier choice.  Since we have gluten issues in the house (the birthday girl included), the cupcake had to be gluten-free, and I will say that the recipe from King Arthur Flour for gluten-free chocolate cupcakes using their gluten-free baking mix is by far THE BEST out there.  I mean it.  I'm not a fan of chocolate cake, but this recipe - it made me a fan.  And to up the decadence (because this is a birthday cupcake for a very awesome 6 year old, after all), I added a cup of Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips.  Oh, yah!  Double chocolate for the win! 

This cupcake tastes like chocolate covered raspberries.  It's rich, chocolaty, decadant and full of fresh raspberry flavor.  You will NOT regret making this, I promise!  

If you ever have anyone who says they don't like gluten-free recipes because they are "dry" or "don't taste good", you need to make them  these cupcakes.  You can just serve them the cake part as like a double chocolate muffin, too, if you don't want to make a cupcake.  I promise, they will never know they are gluten-free, and they will ask for seconds...and thirds.  Really!  They are that amazing.

These cupcakes are nut, wheat and fish-free, and can soy (if you use all soy-free ingredients), egg and milk-free (see variations).

Note: The gluten-free baking mix I recommend does not technically contain soy, but it does contain xanthan gum (see "Soy-Free" under variations for more details) which can cause issues for people with soy sensitivities or allergies, and that is why I will not claim that this recipe is soy-free already.

So, on to the recipe!

  Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

 Cupcakes:

 1 Cup King Arthur Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix

(And yes, it has to be the baking MIX, not just gluten-free flour)

  

1/2 Cup cocoa powder (the baking kind)

1 Cup Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips
1 Cup white sugar
      

1/4 Cup full-fat, salted butter (softened)

  

1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil

  

1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

  

3 large eggs

  

1/2 cup water

   

Frosting:1 Cup fresh raspberries, rinsed and patted dry
  

1/2 Cup full-fat, salted butter, softened
  

16 oz. gluten-free powdered sugar

Garnish (optional):

Fresh raspberries

Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
     
2. Line 12 to 15 muffin cups with cupcake papers.
     
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the baking mix, cocoa and chocolate chips; set aside.
     
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, butter, olive oil, and vanilla together until well blended and lighter in color.
    
5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until just incorporated after each addition.
     
6. Mix in the cocoa mixture alternately with the water until the all the mix is moistened.
    
7. Scoop the batter by level 1/4 cupfuls into the prepared muffin tins.
     
8. Bake the cupcakes until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean and the middle springs back when pressed lightly; 20 to 25 minutes.
9. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, and allow them to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before removing them from pan.
    
10. Cool completely before frosting.  (Note: If you are in a hurry, you can put the cupcakes in the freezer to cool faster.)
      
11. While the cupcakes are cooling, add the raspberries to a blender or food processor and pulse until they become a thick sauce. (Note: This may take a few minutes depending on how powerful your blender or food processor is.  You'll want your sauce to look like sauce with only the seeds being the bits in it, not huge pieces of raspberries.)
      
12. Push the raspberry puree through a sieve and into a small bowl in order to remove the seeds from the raspberry sauce; set raspberry sauce aside.  (Note: You should have about 1/2 Cup of sauce after this process.  It takes a lot of repeat pushing, so push the puree through until you have no more juice coming through.  This process can take awhile (up to 10 minutes or so, I'd say), but is worth it!)
      
13. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the 1/2 Cup of butter for 2 to 3 minutes on high speed until the butter is creamy and fluffy.
      
14.  Add in the powdered sugar and raspberry sauce and blend on low speed until combined.  (Note: You MUST do this on low speed so that your frosting doesn't separate.  If you find that your frosting is too thin for your liking, add more powdered sugar at about 1/4 Cup at a time.  If it is too thick, you can add some milk (about a teaspoon at a time) to thin it out.)
       
15. Frost the completely cooled cupcakes, and then top each one with a raspberry and a sprinkle of chocolate chips, if desired.  (Note: I keep these cupcakes in the freezer to keep them fresh and to keep the frosting from melting.)

Makes 12 to 15 cupcakes.

Variations (Please keep your individual dietary needs in mind when using substitutions!):

• Egg-Free: Use any of the egg substitution ideas from the Ingredient Substitution page or an egg replacer for the eggs.  Just keep in mind that if you use a fruit-based substitute, that flavor will be in your cake.  Your best bet would be the flax see eggs, but the banana or apple sauce based substitution would probably be ok, too.
     
• Milk-Free: Use lard, coconut oil, or a dairy-free butter for the butter.  If you need to thin out your frosting, you could also use water, juice or a dairy-free milk of choice that fits your allergen needs.
    
• Soy-Free: King Arthur Flour's Gluten-Free Baking Mix does not claim to contain soy, but it contains xanthan gum, which can cause issues with people who have soy sensitivities and allergies, and hence the reason I won't claim this recipe is soy-free already.  You can use any gluten-free or regular baking mix of your choice that is already soy-free or that works for your diet.  You can also use regular flour (if you can have it) or a soy-free, gluten-free flour of your choice, but you will have to add 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt, as well, to the recipe.  Keep in mind that if your blend doesn't contain guar gum or xanthan gum, you may need to add up to 1/2 teaspoon to 2 teaspoons of ground flax seed, guar gum or xanthan gum to help with textural issues, too.  Also, you will need to make sure that all of your ingredients are soy-free.
   
• Different Flavors: You can substitute a cup of any fresh fruit for the raspberries in the frosting.  Cherries or strawberries would be especially great!  You could also use a combo of fruit, just don't exceed more than 1 Cup.
    
• Sugar Substitutions:  You could use any sugar substitute that is approved for baking for the sugar.  Make sure that you sub it according to the recommendations for that sweetener.  Not all sugar substitutes are subbed with a 1:1 ratio.  I also don't recommend using a liquid sugar substitute as it would greatly alter the moisture content.  If you want, you can even make your own sugar-free powdered sugar.  There are lots of recipes on the web for them.
    
• Cake vs. Cupcakes:  This recipe will make one 8-inch or one 9-inch cake.  You will need to grease the pan (you can also dust the pan with baking mix, if desired), and bake a cake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean and the middle springs back when pressed lightly.  You will also need to let the cake remain in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing it from the pan if you wish to do so.  If you want to make a layered cake, you'll need to double both the cake portion and the frosting portion of this recipe.
     
• Less or Different Chocolate: If you want less chocolate, you can remove the chocolate chips.  If you want a different type of chocolate, you can add white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, etc. (whatever fits your dietary needs) to the batter.  Just do not exceed 1 Cup of chocolate chips.
    
• Different or No Frosting: As I mentioned above, you can eat these cupcakes as double chocolate muffins by simply not frosting them.  You can also use another type of frosting or even whipped cream, if you wish, to frost them.  As long as it fits you dietary needs, substitute away!
    
• Different Cake Flavor: You can make any flavor cupcake that you wish.  King Arthur Flour has a great gluten-free vanilla cupcake recipe that would taste divine with the raspberry frosting.  You could also used a boxed cupcake mix (if you can have it), too. 

 Happy 6th birthday, my sweet girl!

 Always stay the wonderful, cheerful darling that you are!  I love you!

I'm so glad you like your birthday cupcakes!

(This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)