Lime Cupcakes

These cupcakes are delicious. They took many, many, MANY tries to get them right. And I'm here to tell you it was worth it! Even those who don't like a lot of lime love these cup cakes. They are light and have a fresh taste to them. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Lime Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 cups spelt flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 cup applesauce

6 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 recipe (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (from yesterday)

1 recipe meringue frosting

4 tablespoon grated lime peel

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*F. Fill cupcake tins with cupcake liners. In a medium sized bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Then add eggs, 3 tablespoon lime juice and applesauce. In a small bowl mix remaining lime juice with sweetened condensed milk. Pour 1 tablespoon batter in each cupcake liner. Then add 1/2 tablespoon of the sweetened condensed milk mixture to each cupcake liner. Next add 1-2 tablespoons of the batter to each cupcake liner until they are 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting. Add the grated lime peel to the meringue frosting before frosting each cupcake. Serve and enjoy!!

Meringue Frosting

Ingredients

3/4 cup evaporated cane juice

2 large egg white

3 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon fine salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a sauce pan that can hold an electric mixer bowl above the water. Whisk the evaporated can juice, egg whites, water, cream of tartar and salt in a bowl by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and beat with an electric hand mixer at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 9 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, stir until completely incorporated.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Spice Cupcakes

Here is another gluten free recipe using Gluten Free Pantry cake mixes. I really liked the taste of these. They don't have hardly any fat in them, even with the frosting, which is always a plus when it comes to dessert! Then you don't feel so bad when you have two, or maybe three. :]

Gluten Free Cinnamon Spice Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 spice cake mix from gluten free pantry

2 eggs

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons rice milk

1 1/3 teaspoons GF vanilla extract

1/2 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*F. In a large measuring cup add tablespoon of lemon juice, then add rice milk until it measures 1/2 cup. Then add the extra 2 tablespoons; Set aside. Place cupcake liners in cupcake tin. In a medium mixing bowl mix together all of the ingredients. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack. Frost with Meringue Frosting, found here, Sprinkle with Cinnamon and enjoy!!

Recipe inspired by Wendy Paul

Gluten Free Churro Cupcakes

I hope you all had a fun holiday weekend. Mine was fun, and a little longer, spending time with my family and good healthy food. :]

There are lots of recipes out there that call for a cakes mix. I've been experimenting with some gluten free cake mixes. The biggest problem with them is that they are much smaller than normal cake mixes. So you have to do a lot of math to change recipes to make them work. You don't have to worry about that with this recipe, I've already done those changes and of course a few more healthy changes of my own too. :] I really liked how these Churro Cupcakes tasted. I also loved that I didn't have to make frosting for them, though you can if you want to. If you like cinnamon you love these!

Gluten Free Churro Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 Gluten Free Pantry old fashion cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons applesauce

3/4 teaspoon GF vanilla extract

1/4 cup evaporated cane juice

1 1/3 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350* F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. In a large bowl mix together cake mix, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla. Put 2 tablespoons of batter in each cupcake liner. In a small bowl mix well; evaporated cane juice and cinnamon. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of cinnamon mixture on top of batter. Then fill each liner with batter until 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle the top of each cup cake with remaining cinnamon mixture. Cool on wire rack and enjoy!

Makes 12 cupcakes

Recipe inspired by wendy paul

Meatloaf Cup Cakes

A couple of years ago I made these meatloaf cup cakes for dinner on April Fools. I didn't want to make a frosting so I just used ketchup, which my kids always put on their meatloaf anyways. I didn't think that they looked that realistic, but my kids sure did. They thought it was the coolest thing that we were going to have dessert for dinner. Then they ate it and were confused but loved them anyways. The wrappers got a little greasy so that it why I added another wrapper on the outside of the cupcakes. Have fun and Happy April Fools Day tomorrow!

Meatloaf Cup Cakes

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 eggs

1/3 cup ketchup

3-5 tablespoons onion flakes

1 teaspoon salt

20-30 crackers, crumbled- either gluten free or Ritz work the same

Directions Preheat oven to 500* F. Place cup cake wrappers or liners in a cup cake tin. In a large bowl combine all ingredients well. If you need to add more crackers do so here. Form into large balls that will fill the cup cake tins 3/4 of the way full. Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are completely cooked and no longer pink in the center. Use ketchup for frosting, serve and have fun!

Basic Cupcake

My little niece had a birthday a few weeks ago. They needed some cupcakes quick. So I whipped out these basic cupcakes. I didn't have the time to make frosting so I am extremely sad to say that this frosting is store bought. The sprinkles on top are gluten free and are made with evaporated cane juice. I should put those on a Fun Food Find Friday post for you to see. They are very yummy. Okay so back to the cupcakes. These are very delicious, easy to make, and can go with anything. I used a couple different recipes to come up with these. I hope you like them!

Basic Cupcake

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup evaporated cane juice

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Pre heat oven to 350*F. In a medium bowl combine flour, evaporated cane juice, baking powder, and salt. Next add the eggs sour cream and vanilla and combine well. Pour into paper lined cup cake mold tins, filling 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 16-19 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool on a wire rack, then frost and enjoy!

S'more Cupcakes

These were so extremely delicious!! The idea comes from Wendy Paul and her cook book '10 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes'. I think the funnest part about these cupcakes is to see how impressed the adults are and how excited the kids are to eat them. It makes me happy just thinking about their excitement. I hope you have as much fun as I did with this recipe. It's worth it, trust me!

S'more Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons LG Flour Mix
1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons GF cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon xantham gum

2 eggs

1 cup rice milk

GF graham crackers, broken into squares

Homemade marshmallows

1 recipe Carob Ganache, cooled so it is thick

Directions

In a large bowl, combine evaporated cane juice, flour, salt, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and xantham gum. In a separate bowl whisk eggs and rice milk together. Add three cups of the cocoa mixture to the egg mixture and combine.

Preheat oven to 350*F. Pour 1 tablespoon of batter into paper liners in cupcake tin. Place one small sized homemade marshmallow into center. Press the marshmallow down slightly. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the cupcake springs back when touched. Let cool.

While cupcakes are cooling, place squares of the graham crackers on a cookie sheet. Put one medium sized homemade marshmallow on center of each square. Put cookie sheet into oven. Cook until marshmallows double in size, this will only take one minute. Watch very carefully. On the other squares of graham crackers spread a little of the carob ganache. Place a carob ganache covered square on top of each of the marshmallow covered squares.

When the cupcakes are cooled, spread a small amount of ganache on top of each cupcake (this will help the s'mores to stay put). Then place one s'more on top of each cupcake, serve and enjoy!

Carob Ganache

Ingredients

1 cup low fat heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 cups carob chips

Directions

Put carob chips in a bowl. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, heat whipping cream until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over carob chips. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is combined well. For thicker Ganache place in fridge to cool. Or just drizzle over desserts.

Whole Wheat Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

Just over a year ago I saw Wendy Paul on T.V. for the first time. She was introducing her new cup cake cook book, 101 gourmet cupcakes in 10 minutes a day. I had just started cooking with cupcakes so when I saw her I was even more inspired. I bought her cook book that day and I have loved it ever since. If you like to bake with cupcakes you need this cook book. I have spent a lot of time taking her ideas and trying to make up healthier versions. I've made several different ones, some are gluten free and some are not. I'm excited to start baking them again. Here is the first one I'm going to share with you, it does have some things in it that I'm still trying to see if I can change like the sweetened condensed milk. I was talking to a woman the other day that said she knew how to make her own. When I get that recipe I will have to start experimenting with it that's for sure.

I really didn't take pictures of the cupcakes I made all last year because I hadn't thought about this blog yet. But that's okay I don't mind remaking them. :]

Whole Wheat Key Lime Pie Cupcake

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup fat free half and half

8 tablespoons key lime juice

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup organic powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350*F. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, evaporated cane juice, baking powder, and salt. Next add eggs, half and half, and 4 tablespoons of the lime juice and mix well. In a separate bowl combine the 4 remaining tablespoons of lime juice with the sweetened condensed milk. Pour 2 1/2 tablespoons of batter into 18 pre paper lined cupcakes. Next divide sweetened condensed mixture between the cupcakes, about a tablespoon per cupcake. Then use the batter to fill the cupcakes to 3/4 of the way full. You will have some batter left over. You can make plain lime cupcakes with the left over batter. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or the cupcake bounces back after lightly touching it. Cool on a wire rack.

While they are cooling, in a medium size bowl mix heavy whipping cream until it becomes thick. Then add organic powdered sugar and vanilla. Continue mixing until stiff peaks form. Pour into a zip lock back and close. Cut a hole on one of the corners and squeeze out whipped cream in a circular motion on top of each cupcake. Can top with zest of a lime. Enjoy!

Strawberry Bars/Upside Down Cake/Cupcakes

It's Strawberry season now, well at least they are on sell at the stores. So I've been going crazy with Strawberries!! I've made jam, fruit leather, bars, syrup, sweet rolls, salads, and froze some so I can use them later in pies and breads.

This recipes is by far my favorite with Strawberries. I got my base for this recipe from the old Betty Crocker's Cookie book. I couldn't find the same printing online so here is a newer version, if you're interested.

They really didn't turn out like bars. They are more like cake and cupcake texture. So I started by putting it in a 8x8 pan, then a 11x7x1 pan lining the bottom with strawberries. I loved it so much I did some cupcakes with one sliced strawberry on the bottom. They turned out equally tasty and the best part is they are fat free and you can't tell! I liked the Upside Down Cake/Cupcakes versions the best so that is what I'm calling it.

Strawberry Upside Down Cake/Cupcakes

Ingredients
3/4 cup Packed organic Brown Sugar (this is evaporated cane juice and molasses)
3/4 cup Pureed strawberries (If they're tart add a little evaporated cane juice before adding them to batter)
1/4 cup no sugar added apple sauce
1 egg
1 1/4 cup Low gluten Flour mix
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup chopped strawberries
3-4 sliced strawberries (for cupcakes, you need more strawberries for a cake)
1/2 cup organic powdered sugar (I make my own, blend 1 T corn starch and 1 cup evaporated cane juice in blender until powdered sugar consistency, about 4 minutes)

Directions
Heat oven to 350*F. Mix brown sugar, pureed strawberries, apple sauce, and egg together with hand held mixer. Add GF flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, xanthan gum, and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in chopped strawberries. Line bottom of pan or cupcake liners with sliced strawberries. Sprinkle a little evaporated cane juice over the sliced strawberries. Pour batter over sliced strawberries and bake for 12-15 minutes for cupcakes, 25-30 mintues for cake, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on cookie rack. Sprinkle organic powder sugar on top just before serving.
Yields 18 cupcakes.

If you don't have to worry about Gluten, simply substitute whole wheat flour for the low gluten flour and take out the baking powder and xanthan gum. They should turn out the same. :]

I didn't get a picture because they were eaten so fast!
Hope you enjoy!