Raspberry Chocolate Mini Cupcakes

Ok.. I admit it. I have a SERIOUS sweet-tooth and am a total choco-holic!

Raspberry Chocolate Mini Cupcakes

1 C self-rising flour mixture (detailed in previous post)
2 Tbsp buckwheat flour
1/4 C cocoa
1 C sugar
1 *unit* egg replacer (I used 1 1/2tsp ener-G powdered egg replacer)
1 tsp baking soda

1/2 C applesauce
1/3 C canola oil
1/4 C rice milk
2 tsp raspberry extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mix the dry ingredients well and then mix in the wet ingredient. Stir/mix until very well blended.

Grease mini muffin pan (or line with paper mini muffin cups) and fill the cups mostly full with the cake batter.

Place on the middle oven rack and back for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 2 dozen super moist, not too strong, not toooo sweet, super fluffy mini cupcakes. (or one cake, 1 dozen cupcakes, etc...)

Let them eat cake!

So... I have discovered the joys of cooking with pumpkin and applesauce to help with the moisture level of wheat-free and vegan baking. I started out using pumpkin as a primary flavor ingredient (spice cakes, muffins, and cookies). Now I use it in recipes where you'd never even guess it is there by tasting them.



Super Chocolate (pumpkin) Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 *units* egg replacer (depends on the brand of egg replacer. 1 unit = the mount needed to equal one egg)

2/3 cup of a fairly acidic apple juice
11/2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
3 tsp vanilla extract OR
** 2 tsp vanilla extract and
2 tsp raspberry extract or 1 tsp mint extract

Mix dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients and stir until evenly blended. Bake in 2 lightly greased cake pans or cup cake pans for approx. 25 mins (or until toothpick comes out clean).

Depending on your allergies, you can use a lot of store-bought frostings (many only have soy)... or just make a basic icing with powdered sugar, water, and flavoring... I used raspberry preserves with the raspberry chocolate cake pictured. :-)